Chapter 123: The Rescue Mission

Ten days.

That was how long Liliana had been missing.

Ten days since Chris had last heard her voice and held her hand. Her disappearance had turned the lives of everyone who loved her upside down, yet every passing hour without news had made the fear inside the Sterling ancestral house grow heavier.

Today, something had changed.

The fear was still there. It lived in every worried glance, sleepless nights, and unanswered questions.

But now, they finally knew enough about Harry Finn to make a plan.

Victor Reyes stood beside a large whiteboard covered with photographs, surveillance images, maps, and handwritten notes. Every movement Harry had made during the past ten days had been recorded. The location he had visited, the purchases he had made, and every minute he had spent away from the house had been carefully documented.

Sarah Clifford placed another report on the table.

"We’ve completed ten days of surveillance."

She pointed toward a neatly drawn timeline.

"Harry’s routine has remained almost identical every day."

Everyone looked at the board.

Sarah continued.

"Five-thirty in the morning. He wakes up. Six o’clock. He prepares breakfast. At seven-thirty, he leaves the house."

She circled the next item.

"Grocery shopping. Average time away from the house..."

Victor answered.

"One hour."

Sarah nodded.

"Sixty-three minutes. Never less than fifty-eight. Never more than seventy."

Chris stared at the timeline, memorizing every number. Sixty-three minutes. That was potentially sixty-three minutes during which they could reach Liliana without Harry being present.

After ten days of searching, they finally had something concrete—something they could build an operation around.

Sarah flipped another page.

"Twelve noon. Local pharmacy. He purchases medication every third day."

Matthew frowned.

"Medication?"

Sarah nodded.

"We confirmed it."

She handed another document to everyone.

"The pharmacist cooperated after Interpol became involved."

Chris looked at the paper. His expression slowly changed.

Medication: Antipsychotic.

Victor quietly spoke.

"We contacted the prescribing physician. He legally couldn’t reveal everything. But once law enforcement became involved, he cooperated."

Sarah took a slow breath.

"The diagnosis was made twenty years ago."

Everyone listened silently.

"Shortly after the deaths of Harry Finn’s parents."

She paused.

"He was diagnosed with schizophrenia."

Silence settled across the room.

Nathan slowly lowered his head.

"So, he isn’t pretending."

Victor answered carefully.

"No. The doctor believes Harry genuinely struggles to distinguish reality from his imagined beliefs, particularly during periods of severe emotional stress."

Sarah nodded.

"Based on the medical records, he has repeatedly stopped taking medication throughout his adult life."

She looked toward Harry’s diary resting on the table.

"And every time he stopped, his fixation became stronger."

Chris quietly stared at the floor.

"So, he truly believes..."

Victor finished his sentence.

"He believes Chris stole Liliana from him. He doesn’t see himself as a kidnapper. He believes he’s correcting something that should never have happened."

Amanda covered her mouth.

"My God..."

Chris clenched his jaw. Knowing that Harry genuinely believed his own distorted version of reality did not make what he had done easier to accept. If anything, it made him more dangerous. A man who knew he was committing a crime could potentially be reasoned with. A man who believed he was rescuing the woman he loved from someone else might react violently when his fantasy was challenged.

Victor continued.

"There’s one more routine."

He switched the screen to another series of surveillance photographs.

"Every night at exactly eleven forty-five, he would leave the house. He would wear running shoes and sports clothes. He would jog quietly through Sterling Village."

Victor paused. And let the surveillance continued what he would say.

Harry’s destination was the old playground. There, beneath an ancient acacia tree, stood a single swing.

The surveillance showed Harry sitting there alone every night for thirty minutes. Never speaking and not moving much. He was simply swinging gently.

Chris quietly asked,

"Why there?"

Sarah answered.

"According to school records, that playground was where the kindergarten children usually spent recess."

Victor added,

"We believe he’s reliving childhood memories."

No one spoke. Because it made perfect sense. And somehow, made everything even sadder.

Perhaps that was the most disturbing part. Harry wasn’t simply hiding in an abandoned house with Liliana. He was living inside a past he had never been able to escape, carrying childhood memories into adulthood until they became twisted into an obsession.

At precisely six in the evening, another vehicle quietly entered the Sterling ancestral house.

A tall man stepped out. He had broad shoulders, short gray hair and calm eyes. Every movement carried quiet confidence.

Victor immediately stood.

"Commander."

The man nodded once.

"Victor."

Matthew extended his hand.

"Tactical Commander Alexander Pierce."

Alexander accepted the handshake.

"It’s an honor."

Matthew gestured toward everyone gathered inside.

"Our family."

Alexander looked around the room. His gaze briefly rested on Chris. Then on Grandmother Lucia.

Finally, he faced the operation board.

"I’ve reviewed every report." He spoke calmly.

"The objective is simple." He pointed toward the map of the Finn residence. "Bring Miss Liliana home safely."

He paused.

"Everything else comes second."

Chris looked directly at him.

"Even Harry?"

Alexander met his eyes.

"If possible, he will be arrested alive. However, if circumstances change..." His expression remained steady.

"My priority is protecting the hostage."

Chris nodded.

"That’s all I want."

Alexander pointed toward the surveillance timeline.

"We attack neither emotionally nor impulsively."

He looked around the room.

"We move only when probability favors success."

He circled one time.

7:30 A.M.

"Grocery run."

He continued.

"Harry has maintained this routine for ten consecutive days. He shops alone. He spends approximately one hour away. That window provides our best opportunity to enter the property before he returns."

Victor nodded.

"We’ve already confirmed there are no additional occupants."

Alexander continued.

"The entry team will move immediately after visual confirmation that Harry has left the village."

He pointed toward several marked positions surrounding the house.

"Outer teams secure every exit."

"Medical personnel remain on standby."

"Investigators prepare to receive Miss Liliana."

He looked directly at Chris.

"You..."

Chris immediately answered.

"I’m coming."

Alexander remained silent for a moment.

Then asked,

"Why?"

Chris looked at the photograph of Liliana. For a moment, his expression softened.

"Because after ten days..."

He swallowed hard.

"I want the first face she sees to be mine."

The room fell silent.

Alexander studied him carefully. Finally, he nodded once.

"You’ll remain with the secondary team. If we locate her and it’s safe, you’ll go in."

Chris quietly bowed his head.

"Thank you."

That night, no one slept.

Emily quietly folded a blanket, carefully placing it inside a bag as though Liliana might return at any moment. Rose prepared fresh clothes for her, choosing pieces she knew would be comfortable. Nicole packed toiletries, while Amanda prepared warm food.

They didn’t know what condition Liliana would be in when they found her. But they wanted everything ready.

Grandmother Lucia silently prayed in the family chapel.

Her hands were clasped tightly together as she whispered Liliana’s name, asking God to protect her through the final hours before the rescue.

Nathan sharpened his focus by helping the officers organize equipment.

River, Aaron and Leo sat beside Chris. No one spoke. Words no longer mattered.

Meanwhile, inside the underground room, Liliana quietly traced another mark onto the wooden wall.

Ten.

She stared at the marks for a long moment. Each one represented another day she had survived. Another day Harry hadn’t broken her. And again, she had managed to hold on to the belief that someone was coming.

She reached into her hidden pocket. The small knife remained exactly where she had concealed it.

She smiled faintly.

Somehow, her heart felt lighter tonight. She couldn’t explain why. Perhaps, it was simply hope refusing to disappear.

She had learned to survive by holding onto the smallest things—the memory of Chris’s voice, the warmth of Grandma Lucia’s embrace, the sound of Emily laughing, and the knowledge that her family would never willingly abandon her.

She looked toward the ceiling and whispered into the darkness.

"Chris, I’ll keep waiting. I know you’ll come."

She pressed her palm lightly against her chest. She could almost imagine him telling her to stay strong. So she would. She had to.

Above her, only a few hundred meters away, the people who loved her made their final preparations.

The Vehicles were checked. The equipment was secured. And the routes were reviewed.

The operation teams received their final instructions. Everyone knew that tomorrow could change everything.

Somewhere in the house, a clock continued ticking.

One minute closer. Then another.

Chris remained awake, staring at Liliana’s photograph while the rest of the house slowly fell silent.

He had spent ten days searching. Ten days praying while imagining the worst and forcing himself to believe in the best.

Tomorrow, he will finally have a chance to bring her home.

By sunrise, the waiting would end.

One way or another.