When Love is a Question Mark-Chapter 254: The Weight of Uncertainty

She took a deep breath and tapped on his contact, and pressed the call button. The phone screen lighted up with the dialing tone filling her ears. She leaned forward as if willing the call to connect.

"Come on, Samuel... pick up," she murmured under her breath, beating with anticipation in her heart.

But after a few rings, the automated voice came on. "The number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please try again later."

She frowned, her chest tightening. She quickly ended the call and tried again, this time biting her lip anxiously as the dial tone repeated.

Still no answer.

Her frustration bubbled over. "Why won’t you pick up?" she whispered, her voice cracking. She stared at the phone screen as if it held the answers she so desperately sought.

Not ready to give up, she scrolled through her contacts until she found Timmy’s number. If anyone could give her some clarity, it would be him. Without hesitation, she tapped on his name and pressed call.

The phone rang and, for an instant, she felt her hope revive. Perhaps Timmy would answer. Maybe he’d know where Samuel was.

But once again, no one answered and the same robotic message played.

Zinnia let out a groan in frustration, running her hand through her hair. "Timmy, what is going on with you two?" she muttered aloud, as if the silence could answer.

Again, her fingers paused above the call button. Should she try just once more? No, something inside her bottom was telling her that would not work out right. She straightened back from the bed again and closed her eyes, doing her best to keep her breaths steady.

"Zinnia? Are you okay?" Elena asked as she noticed that mood settling over her daughter.

"Not good, Mom," Zinnia said reluctantly from the shadows, her words dripping with unconvinced resolve.

Elena gazed at her daughter, a worried expression locked on her face. "You’re not all right," she said softly. "What is it?"

Zinnia blinked slowly and shifted to her phone. "I was trying to get hold of Samuel... and Timmy. But neither one of them’s returning my calls. Their phones are off."

Elena frowned and made her way toward her daughter. She sat down beside her. "That is unusual. Do you hear from either one since the morning?

"No," Zinnia said, her voice trembling. "And with everything going on at Lucas Realty... I just can’t help but think something’s off."

Elena reached out and placed a reassuring hand on Zinnia’s. "Maybe their phones are just out of service. You know how business can be—it’s possible they’re in a meeting or dealing with something urgent."

Zinnia shook her head. "It’s not like Samuel to disappear completely like that. Even if he’s busy, he never fails to send a message or something. And Timmy—he sticks by his side like glue. Not being able to reach either of them is worrying, especially since it’s already late at night."

Elena squeezed her hand. "Have you tried calling anybody else? Perhaps somebody at the company?"

Zinnia nodded. "I called earlier, but even then, my call wouldn’t connect."

Elena’s expression softened. "I know you’re worried, Zinnia, but you need to stay calm. Panicking won’t help right now. Let’s give it some time, and if you still don’t hear from them, we’ll figure out what to do next."

Zinnia sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I just. I have this bad feeling, Mom. Like something’s happening, and I’m the last person to know about it."

Elena pulled her into a comforting embrace. "We’ll figure this out together. Just don’t lose hope, okay?"

Zinnia nodded against her mother’s shoulder, though the unease in her chest refused to dissipate. As much as she tried to convince herself that there was a simple explanation, the unanswered calls left her feeling helpless and alone.

---

Morning sun streaming through narrow blinds streamed soft gold patterns on Ricardo’s walls. Zinnia leaned forward from her father’s bedside and rested her head in her arms folded on the edge of his blanket. She had not slept much at all; worries had been heavy in her head. Elena sat in the chair by the window, drinking from a cup of coffee, now cool to lukewarm. Her eyes seemed a mile away.

A soft knock on the door broke the quiet stillness.

Zinnia sat up straight, her body jerking from the unlooked for noise. She exchanged a perplexed glance with her mother and then stood to go to the door. Opening it, her breath caught in her throat.

"James?" she said, surprised.

And James was standing in the doorway, in a light blue button-down shirt and dark jeans, with a brown paper bag clutched in one hand and a small fruit basket in the other, warm and slightly sheepish on his face.

"Good morning," he said softly. "Hope I’m not imposing myself. Thought. well, I didn’t know if you folks would have gotten around to eating any breakfast, so I brought a few things."

Zinnia blinked and stared. She looked dazed and a little nonplussed for a moment before moving to open the door further for him to enter. "No, not at all," she said then. "This is a shock, but thanks."

James came in, and a quiet vibrancy entered the otherwise depressing room. Elena looked up from her chair, changing her expression from surprise to gratitude.

"James," Elena greeted, standing up to walk toward him. "It’s so kind of you to think of us. You didn’t have to do this."

James put the fruit basket on a small table near the window and handed Elena the brown paper bag. "I figured you both could use something fresh. There’s some coffee, sandwiches, and a few pastries in here. I know hospital food isn’t exactly appetizing."

Elena’s smile grew warmer as she accepted the bag. "You’re very thoughtful. Thank you, James." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

She regarded the trade, curiosity now shading over surprise. "How’d you even know we’d be here this early?" she asked in her voice, sounding to wonder.