---×

Coming home to an empty apartment is alarming. Gravely alarming, especially when it's past 2 a.m. and your partner has still yet to return or notify you of her whereabouts.

I found it really weird that everytime I called her her phone went straight to voicemail. It was scarily abnormal because Harley never let her phone switch off. She always made sure it was charged and she never switched it off because she runs multiple hotels.

That night I barely slept. I actually didn't sleep at all to be honest because I was just so worried and confused at the same time.

Did she leave me?

Was she taken? Who would kidnap Harley and why?

Why?

I just couldn't understand a thing about why this place was so eerily quiet and empty.

The bed was as cold as us and bigger than necessary. Usually Harley would be sleeping on her left side, snoring softly and occasionally talking in her sleep.

Right now I would give anything to fall asleep to her soft snores, the way she would cuddle onto me when I settled into bed.

It's only been one night and I'm already miserable.

Lying in the cold bed staring at the ceiling I realised that I couldn't live without Harley. Not even for second. Wherever she was, I would find her and convince to come back home. I just hope that whatever upset her this time wasn't so bad...

---×

"Miss Harley left this message for you before she left yesterday morning," the receptionist handed me a letter.

"Did she seem upset or hurt when she gave you this letter?" I asked the young man.

"Gravelly, sir," he frowned slightly.

With a small nod and a "thank you", I took the letter and headed out to my awaiting car. Climbing in the backseat, I buckled my seatbelt and greeted the driver.

The morning felt off. Not just because of Harley's leave.

At least now I had a more sensible thing to call her disappearance. Her leave. She left me. I haven't read her letter yet but I can only imagine that the letter just says she's left me and she doesn't want to be with me anymore.

I can't even wrap my head around what would make her leave.

Is it because I didn't pay enough attention to her paranoia over Marilyn and my mother's sudden change in attitude?

Could that be it?

With an agonized sighed, I unfolded the letter and read whatever heartbreaking words were written for me.

~~~

Valentino

I thought I could do this with you but every time I think I can do this, something else comes up and there's really only so much I can take.

Marilyn took a paternity test on her babies and turns you're going to be a daddy to four, two of which you won't have to worry about.

Don't bother yourself with me or the kids.

I tried to stay but I just can't.

The test results are attached to this letter.

Harley.

~~~

As I read the letter I couldn't stop myself from confirming it.

This isn't Harley.

Harley wouldn't just leave because of paternity tests without a fight.

If there's one thing I've learnt about Harley it's that she doesn't give up without a fight. Harley would rather argue with and interrogate me, she'd even make me choose between her and Marilyn before she'd fold her arms over the matter.

Harley loves to be heard. She's got something on her mind that's bothering her, she'll voice it. The only time she'll ever stay silent is if she's already had her say of the fight and sees no point in yelling.

But a letter?

That's not Harley's style.

Pulling out my phone, I called the best private investigator I know. I don't want to call the cops because that would just blow up in my face and the cops would rather believe the letter than investigate this.

"Valentino! It's a long while. How can I help?" Ryan Tillman answered.

"Ry, I've got a job for you." I cut straight to the point.

"Sure. Meet at yours?" He sobered. We agreed to be at my house in ten minutes and I told my driver to take me to my house instead.

When I arrived arrived at my place, Ryan was already waiting outside the gate to be let in. Once we were in the house we headed straight to my office.

"I need you to find someone very important to me," I told him as I pulled up a picture of Harley on my phone.

In the picture she was caught off-guard at work when I took the picture. Her eyebrows were slightly raised and she had a small smile and a piece of hair falling onto her forehead. The papers on her desk were in no order and I always wondered how she worked like that.

"Harley Snart. She's my girlfriend and she's pregnant. She disappeared yesterday, when I arrived home she wasn't there which was unusual. Her phone is off and she never leaves her phone off and I got these from the receptionist this morning," I briefed Ryan with the necessities.

Ryan asked me to forward the picture to him, took her cellphone number and the papers the receptionist gave me this morning.

Because the letter was typed there was no need to identify the handwriting. After explaining to me that he'll go back to the hotel to check the CCTV footage and question the receptionist properly, he was on his way.

"If we don't find her in the next 12 hours, open a missing person's case. Let me go and do some digging, I'll update you whenever something new shows up," I walked him out.

"Tillman. Find her in one peace..."

***