While Claire is leaving to drop her children off at summer camp, she receives a devastating phone call: her 67-year-old mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, has disappeared. After a three-day search, Edith appears with the police, revealing a horrifying truth about Claire’s husband, Nate.
Three days.
That’s how long my mother was missing.
Three days of frantic phone calls, sleepless nights, and endless dread. My mother, who is 67 and has Alzheimer’s disease, had somehow left the house in the middle of the night while I was off taking the kids to summer camp.
A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney
The camp was a four-hour drive away, and my husband, Nate, couldn’t get off work. So we decided I’d pick up the kids, drop them off, spend the night at a motel, and drive back the next day.
I had left Mom with Nate, trusting him to watch over her while I was gone.
But that confidence was shattered the second I got the call.
A woman in a car with her children | Source: Midjourney
It was Nate who called me to tell me that Mom was missing.
“She’s gone, Claire!” he said frantically into the phone. “Edith! Your mother… I don’t know how it happened or when. I just woke up and she wasn’t there.”
Those words took my breath away. I sat on the edge of the motel bed, feeling like I couldn’t breathe. At least my children were safe. I could go home as fast as anything.
Shocked man talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
I threw my things in my overnight bag, gulped down my coffee, and ran. I had to get home. I thought my mom was safe. Nate had chosen to work from home just so he could be there, ready and available if needed.
I thought she was safe.
I was wrong.
For three agonizing days, we searched everywhere. The police were involved, and hundreds of questions were asked and answered. Leaflets were posted, and a hotline was set up.
An open suitcase | Source: Midjourney
But it was like she had vanished into thin air. That’s how it is.
Guilt gnawed at me. I should have been there. I should have stayed home. Or I should have taken my mother with me. It would have meant more stops along the way, but she would have been with me.
I would have kept her safe.
But how could I have known? Alzheimer’s was a slow thief, robbing her of herself piece by piece. I left her at home because her routine was one of the few things that kept her stable.
Close-up of a worried woman | Source: Midjourney
But she had never walked away like this before.
When the police pulled up in front of our house on the fourth morning, my heart leaped into my throat. I rushed to the window and saw them guide my mother out of the back seat.
Relief washed over me, but when I glanced at Nate, his reaction wasn’t at all what I expected.
Instead of looking relieved or happy, he looked… nervous.
A police car on a street | Source: Midjourney
Unease settled in my stomach like a stone. But I pushed it away, blaming Nate’s behavior on guilt. He was probably stewing in his own guilt. He was supposed to be watching over Mom, but she’d slipped away on his watch.
“I’ll deal with him later,” I mumbled.
Nate had to know that as terrified as I’d been, I didn’t blame him. My mother was losing her mind, and it was an accident.
A close-up of a man | Source: Midjourney
Isn’t it?
I opened the door as the police officers helped my mother up the steps. She looked disheveled, her clothes wrinkled and her hair a mess. Tears pricked my eyes as I took her in my arms, the smell of the outdoors and three days of unwashed fear clinging to her.
“Claire-bear,” she said, calling me by the name she used throughout my childhood. “Where have you been, baby? I was waiting for you all alone!”
A disheveled old woman | Source: Midjourney
“Mom, where did you go?” I whispered, hugging her.
But she barely acknowledged my words. Instead, she was looking over my shoulder, her eyes fixed on Nate.
“Mom?” I said, taking a step back. “Talk to me?”
She ignored me and raised a shaking hand, pointing directly at my husband.
An old woman pointing | Source: Midjourney
“You have to stop him,” she said, her voice thin but sure.
It felt like the air was being sucked out of the room. Even the police officers exchanged glances, unsure of what to do next.
“What?” I asked. “Mom? Nate? What are you talking about?”
She continued to point but turned to look at me. That’s when I realized she wasn’t suffering from Alzheimer’s. She was lucid. Her eyes made that clear.
Close-up of an elderly woman | Source: Midjourney
“Three days ago,” she began to say. “I saw him. I saw Nate in your room with a woman.”
“What?” I whispered again.
“I heard voices upstairs,” she said. “But I forgot you and the kids were gone. So I thought it was the kids playing. I just wanted to see what they were doing.”
A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney
Nate moved around uncomfortably.
“Claire, she’s confused. You know how your mother is. She’s probably remembering something from years ago…”
But Mom shook her head, her eyes wide and wild.
“No! I saw you! And I asked you to explain. You tried to make me feel stupid, Nathan! And you said that woman was a homeless person you were helping for the night. What homeless person wears red-soled shoes? And you told me to get out!”
A woman standing in a bedroom | Source: Midjourney
“Mom, what do you mean he told you to get out?” I asked.
“I didn’t know where I was!” she cried, tears now streaming down her face. “He told me I didn’t live there. That I lived with you and the children, and that it wasn’t your home! He told me I had to leave. I thought he was right… I was terrified.”
The living room was silent except for Mom’s ragged breathing.
An elderly woman crying | Source: Midjourney
The officers shifted, awkward and uncertain, then one of them cleared his throat.
“Madam, do you remember where you went after that?” he asked.
She shook her head, the light in her eyes dimming a little. Her moment of lucidity was slowly fading.
“I left. I just opened the door and left…”
An elderly woman exiting a front door | Source: Midjourney
I felt dizzy, my pulse pounding in my ears. I turned to Nate, my mouth dry.
“Nate, tell me this isn’t true… tell me it didn’t happen!”
He raised his hands.
“Claire, come on,” he said. “She’s confused. She probably saw something on TV or while she was out.”
A close-up of a man | Source: Midjourney
“Tell me!” I shouted.
The police officers stood there, clearly trying not to get involved, but I could see the judgment in their eyes.
Nate rubbed his face, sighing heavily.
“All right,” he mumbled. “Look, she came into the room. And yes, I had a visitor. But it was nothing, Claire. It was nothing serious. I didn’t want to panic her, so I told her this woman was just someone we were helping.”
A shocked man | Source: Midjourney
I felt like I was going to be sick.
“A visitor?” I repeated. “Did you receive a woman in our room?”
“It didn’t mean anything!” he said quickly, taking a step toward me. “Claire, it was okay! I can explain!”
“Shut up,” I told him. “You had an affair. And while I was away, you took advantage of the situation. You lied to my sick mother because you knew she was impressionable! You know she’s vulnerable!”
A woman frowning | Source: Midjourney
He looked down at his feet, guilt written all over his face, and that’s when I knew. My entire marriage flashed before my eyes, and in that moment, I didn’t see the man I’d built my life with.
I saw a coward.
A man who left my mother, the woman I fought so hard for, wandering the streets for three days because he wanted to cover up his lie.
A man looking down | Source: Midjourney
The police officers cleared their throats.
“Ma’am, we… uh, we have no evidence of a crime. It doesn’t seem like there’s anything we can do. There’s nothing illegal. It’s just that you’re married to a horrible man.”
I nodded.
“You can go. Thank you for bringing my mother back,” I said.
Close-up of an upset woman | Source: Midjourney
When they turned to leave, I turned to Nate.
“I trusted you,” I told him. “Now get out.”
He blinked, stunned.
“What ?”
A shocked man | Source: Midjourney
“I told you to leave, Nathaniel. Pack your bags and leave. I’m done.”
“Claire, let’s talk about this,” he said. “It wasn’t what you think. We can fix this!”
“We can’t get out of this. It’s over. I’ll call you when I get the kids,” I said. “You can explain to them why you don’t live here anymore.”
He tried again, but I wasn’t listening. He muttered a few curses under his breath as he packed a bag. It wasn’t until I heard the front door close that I let the tears roll down my cheeks.
An upset man packing his bag | Source: Midjourney
“Come on, Claire-bear,” my mother said. “Let’s make some tea and chocolate cake, shall we?”
I looked at my mother and saw that the moment had passed. Her Alzheimer’s disease had taken over again.
“Come on,” she repeated, taking my hand. “We’ll do it together.”
I let her. I had two weeks to sort out my feelings before my kids came home from summer camp. Then it was going to be… devastating.
A distraught woman | Source: Midjourney
What would you have done?
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A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
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A tired and annoyed woman | Source: Midjourney
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This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the story. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims regarding the accuracy of events or character portrayals and are not responsible for any misinterpretations. This story is provided “as is,” and the opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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