---- Chapter 12 No.12 Ethan remembered that after Ava turned thirteen, he had never been in her room, but he knew she had always kept the chinchilla night lamp. Five years later, seeing the night lamp again, he didn't immediately react. But when the memory came flooding back, his heart skipped a beat. He remembered that the night lamp was his first gift to her. He had said, "During the day, | will protect you. At night, the little lamp will protect you." He remembered Ava saying that the night lamp was a gift she would cherish forever, that she would never throw it away. He wondered why the night lamp was here, with a painting of him and Chloe, and what "no longer connected" and "a life without me" meant. He dialed the number he knew by heart, only to hear the robotic voice: "The number you have dialed is not in service." The call was disconnected. He immediately sent her a message, only to be met with a red exclamation mark. He laughed out of sheer anger. "She's really gotten bold," he thought, his anger replacing the unease. ---- He remembered that Ava had never blocked him before, no matter how angry she got. This time, she was being so drastic. He got up to leave and saw a pile of shredded paper in the trash can by the table, covered in drawings of people. His breath hitched. He called his secretary. "Find out where Ava is. Now." While he waited, he grew increasingly agitated, the feeling eventually settling into a defeated slump. He remembered how he had deliberately avoided paying attention to Ava for the past year, never imagining he would lose track of her completely. He gripped the steering wheel, his temples throbbing. His phone vibrated. He opened it, but it had nothing to do with Ava. He took a deep breath and opened her chat window again. The red exclamation mark was glaring. The chat history was filled with pictures of flowers, sunsets, cats, and dogs that she had shared with him. He remembered three months ago, she had sent him a video of herself learning to cook, asking if he was coming home for dinner. All he saw was the back of her hand, red from being splattered with hot oil. ---- He remembered coming home that day but not eating the braised prawns she had made. He had only said, "If you don't know how to cook, don't. Why waste your time?" He remembered the hurt look on her face. After that, she still cooked for him sometimes, but he never tasted any of it. His secretary sent a message. Ava was in New York, with her father. Ethan's brow tightened. "She ran that far away! Does she even see me as her guardian anymore?" he thought. + Book me a flight, he ordered his secretary. "Right now. Immediately." He grabbed his phone and drove straight to the airport. Ava Miller, he thought, "you just wait."