WHEN I ACCEPTED TO GO ON VACATION WITH MY FIANCE AND HIS TWIN DAUGHTERS, I THOUGHT WE WERE CELEBRATING A NEW BEGINNING. INSTEAD, I CAME BACK FROM THE POOL TO A MYSTERIOUS NOTE THAT CONFUSED ME MORE THAN EVER. WHEN WE GOT HOME, A SHOCKING SURPRISE AWAITED ME.
I met Matt three years ago at a charity event. He was charming and self-assured, and he had a soft spot for his daughters that melted my heart instantly. Ella and Sophie, his five-year-old twins, were the sweetest girls.
They had lost their mother when they were just one year old, and Matt had done an amazing job raising them to be well-behaved, intelligent girls.
I didn’t have much experience with children, but those two made it easy. Every time I was around, they would share stories from school, and before I knew it, they had wormed their way into my heart.
One night, after a particularly long day at work, Matt showed up at my apartment with the girls in tow. They were carrying handmade cards decorated with glitter and stickers.
“We wanted to surprise you,” Ella smiled, handing me the card. Inside it said, “Thank you for being part of our family.”
I was speechless. Before Matt, I had dated men who were incredibly afraid of commitment. Really. I was a magnet for them. I’d had so many bad dates I couldn’t remember them all. But in that moment, looking into the shining eyes of my fiancé and his daughters, I felt nothing but warmth. I loved all three of them.
That’s why there was really only one answer when Matt proposed to me after a special dinner the girls helped prepare a week later. Finally, my life was coming together, and I couldn’t wait to begin, so I moved in with Matt as soon as I could.
Then, I started planning the wedding. I had specific ideas about the flowers, my dress, the girls’ outfits, and the venue. I’m the type-A personality, so I was really in the zone, but after a couple of months, Matt started feeling overwhelmed.
“Let’s take a break before all the chaos begins,” Matt suggested one night in our bed. “A little family vacation, just the four of us. It’ll be our getaway before the big day.”
I wasn’t too keen on going when there was so much to do, including work, but I agreed. I needed it badly. We booked a trip to a cozy resort on an island.
The first two days were magical. Ella and Sophie couldn’t stop laughing as they splashed around in the pool, and I loved watching them build sandcastles with Matt on the beach.
“Dorothy, look!” Sophie shouted, pointing at a sandcastle she had decorated with seashells. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
“It’s gorgeous,” I said, taking a photo with my phone.
Matt walked over, brushing sand off his hands. “Ready for some ice cream, girls?”
“Yes!” they shouted in unison, running ahead.
Matt put his arm around my shoulders. “This was a good idea. We needed this.”
I leaned against him. “Yeah, we really did.”
I was savoring the moment, knowing that most people didn’t get so many perfect family moments. But that’s when everything changed on the third afternoon at the resort.
Matt had wanted to stay in the hotel that morning. He was feeling too tired, but the girls wanted to spend more time in the pool, so I took them.
By noon, Matt still hadn’t come down and wasn’t answering my calls, so I gathered the girls and we returned to our room.
The girls were chatting excitedly about the new friends they had made at the pool. I barely paid attention to what they were saying when I opened the door to our room. As I pushed it open, I froze.
At first, nothing seemed out of place. But my instincts told me something was wrong. I walked inside, and that’s when I noticed Matt’s suitcase was gone.
The room was perfectly tidy, and the beds were made, meaning housekeeping had been through. I went to the bathroom, and I only saw my things along with the girls’ things.
His clothes, his toiletries, even his phone charger were gone.
“Dorothy, where’s dad?” Ella asked, pulling on my hand.
My heart started racing, and I shook my head. Then, finally, I saw it—a note on the nightstand. “I have to disappear. You’ll understand soon.”
I sat heavily on the bed, the heavy paper shaking in my hands. Disappear? What did that mean? Was he in danger? Were we?
“Dorothy, are you okay?” Sophie whispered, her big ey
es filled with concern.
I forced a smile, trying to think quickly. What would any guardian do in this situation? Distract the girls.
“I’m fine, sweetie,” I said. “Let’s get cleaned up and go downstairs for some ice cream. I’m sure dad is downstairs too.”
The girls cheered up and went to the bathroom together. That was good. They hadn’t seen my panic, and I couldn’t let them—at least not yet. Not until I got some answers.
But Matt was really gone. A friendly bellboy had seen him with his suitcase, calling a cab. I tried calling him, being as discreet as possible, but he still didn’t answer his phone.
Later, I finally managed to get the girls to sleep. I had assured them that their dad had to go home early, but the lie left a bitter taste in my mouth. Alone on the balcony, I stared at my phone’s messages.
Still no word from Matt. I started biting my nails, a habit I hadn’t picked up in years, as my mind raced. Had he chickened out? Was there something he wasn’t telling me?
Just in case, I called the front desk to ask if they had heard from Matt. No. I left more messages on his phone. The morning came, and there was nothing left to do but pack our bags and head home.
