Derek was walking to the police station, his heart heavy with worry. It had been a week since his daughter, Amber, had run away from home, and no one had seen her since.

The police had launched a search operation, but they had found no clues. It was as if she had simply vanished into thin air.

Derek had not been able to find any peace all week. He couldn’t sleep, and every waking moment was filled with fear for his daughter.

The police had tried to reassure him, telling him that this often happened with teenagers. They said she would likely come back on her own. But Derek felt deep in his heart that something was wrong.

He and Amber had always been very close. Derek had raised her alone after his ex-wife had left them when Amber was just two years old.

She had chosen another man and had never even called to check on her daughter all these years. Amber was all Derek had, and he couldn’t bear the thought of losing her.

Derek entered the police station, the cold air hitting him as he walked in. He saw the officer handling Amber’s case and made his way over.

The officer looked up as Derek approached, offering a sympathetic smile. Derek shook the officer’s hand firmly, trying to look calm.

“Any news, officer?” Derek asked, his voice strained with worry.

The policeman shook his head gently. “Derek, as soon as we know something, we will inform you immediately.”

Derek sighed deeply. “It’s been a week, and nothing at all.”

“I understand it’s hard for you. That’s why the police are doing everything possible to find Amber,” the officer replied, trying to offer some comfort.

“I worry about her,” Derek said, his eyes showing the fear he felt inside.

“We all worry when a child goes missing,” the policeman said. “The best thing you can do now is to stay home in case she returns.”

Derek nodded slowly. “Alright, thank you,” he said quietly, then turned to leave the police station.

He decided to take a longer route home to clear his head. As he walked, he tried to make sense of everything, but his mind kept circling back to Amber. Suddenly, he saw a homeless woman carrying a very familiar bag.

Derek’s heart skipped a beat. He took a closer look and realized what it was. It was Amber’s backpack! Derek approached the woman, trying to keep calm.

“Excuse me, where did you get this backpack?” he asked, his voice shaking a little.

“None of your damn business,” the woman snapped, clutching the bag tightly.

“Please, I don’t want to trouble you, but this is my missing daughter’s backpack. If you could tell me where you got it, I would be very grateful,” Derek pleaded.

The woman eyed him suspiciously but finally muttered, “Found it at the bus station; some teenage girl left it behind.”

Derek felt a glimmer of hope. “Do you know where she was headed?” he asked eagerly.

“Am I a detective?” the woman retorted, clearly annoyed.

Derek realized he wasn’t going to get more information for free. “Alright, can you give it to me? I’ll pay you,” he said, pulling out his wallet and taking a $100 bill from it.

The woman’s eyes widened at the sight of the money. She snatched the bill from Derek’s hand and gave him the backpack. Then she hurried away, probably to make sure Derek didn’t change his mind and take the money back.

Derek sat on the nearest bench and opened the backpack with trembling hands. Inside, he found almost nothing — just a water bottle and a folded piece of paper.

His heart pounded as he unfolded the paper, hoping for a clue. It was an address with “Hostess Family” written under it.

Derek quickly pulled out his phone and entered the address. His eyes widened when he realized it was in another city, the same city where Amber had wanted to go to a concert with her friend. He had not allowed her to go, fearing it was unsafe.

A wave of guilt washed over him. Had his refusal driven her away? Derek knew he had to act fast. He couldn’t wait for the police to move at their pace.

He decided to go there immediately and figure everything out himself. Clutching the backpack, he hurried back to his car.

Derek returned home but didn’t even go inside. He went straight to his car and drove to the address he found in the backpack. As he drove, he decided to call Amber’s friend, Claire, to ask if they had gone to the concert after all.

Claire had initially told him they’d decided not to go, but now he needed to know the truth. He dialed her number, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. Claire picked up after a few rings.

“Claire, did you lie to me when you said you and Amber didn’t go to the concert?” Derek asked, trying to stay calm.

“What? No. Why would you think that?” Claire’s voice sounded confused.

“I found Amber’s backpack, and there was an address in it. It’s in the city where the concert was supposed to take place. Do you understand that Amber might be in danger? You need to tell the truth,” Derek said firmly.

Claire sighed heavily. “I didn’t go to the concert because my parents didn’t let me, but Amber said she would go anyway. She asked me to swear I wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“Do you understand how foolish that was on your part? The police are looking for Amber,” Derek said, his frustration growing.

“I wanted to say something when she didn’t come back for three days, but then I got scared that I would get in trouble for keeping quiet for so long,” Claire admitted, her voice trembling.

“Never mind that now. Do you know where Amber is?” Derek asked, hoping for any useful information.

“No, she isn’t answering me either. I haven’t heard from her since she left,” Claire said sadly.

“Alright, thank you, Claire,” Derek said, his voice softening. He hung up the phone and focused on the road ahead.

If Amber had gone to the concert, she would have come back by now. But she was still missing, which meant something had happened to her. Derek’s heart raced as he drove, the hours passing in a blur.

Finally, he reached the address from the backpack. He got out of the car, approached the door, and knocked firmly. Moments later, a pleasant woman opened the door, her smile warm and welcoming.

“Sorry to bother you, but is Amber here?” Derek asked, his voice filled with hope.

“Amber? I don’t know anyone by that name,” the woman replied, looking puzzled.

“A teenage girl was supposed to come to you a week ago to stay,” Derek explained.

“Oh, right. But she never arrived,” the woman said, nodding in understanding.

“You haven’t seen her at all?” Derek asked, his heart sinking.

“No, sorry,” the woman said, shaking her head.

“Got it, thank you,” Derek said, trying to hide his disappointment.

The woman nodded and gently closed the door. Derek stood there for a moment, feeling lost. He returned to his car, feeling despair wash over him. He had lost the last clue to finding his daughter.

After sitting in the car for a while, Derek finally started the engine and began the drive home. His thoughts were a whirlwind of worry and frustration.

As he passed through the town, he suddenly saw someone he never expected to see again: his ex-wife, Amber’s mother, sitting in a café.

Derek’s heart skipped a beat. Could Amber have come to see her mother instead of going to the concert? It was a long shot, but he had to find out. Derek parked the car and took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He approached Miranda, who looked up in surprise as he neared.

“Derek? I didn’t expect to see you here,” Miranda said in surprise, her eyes wide.

“Did Amber come to see you?” Derek asked, skipping any small talk.

“What? No. Why would she?” Miranda said, glancing around nervously.

“She ran away from home a week ago. Since then, she hasn’t been in touch and left no trace,” Derek explained, his voice tight with worry.

“That’s terrible. I’m sorry,” Miranda said, her tone flat.

Derek felt a surge of frustration and was about to leave when he suddenly noticed an inhaler in Miranda’s bag.

It looked exactly like the one Amber used. Without thinking, Derek reached for it. Miranda tried to stop him, but he managed to grab it.

“Where did you get this?” Derek asked, holding up the inhaler.

“Uh…Derek, I can explain,” Miranda stammered, her face pale.

“Where did you get my daughter’s inhaler?!” Derek yelled, his anger boiling over.

“Because she’s here! Alright. No need to yell at me,” Miranda confessed, her voice sharp.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Derek demanded, his voice trembling with rage.

“Because I knew you would be against it,” Miranda replied, looking away. “Don’t worry, I was going to send her back home as soon as my mom signed the will. She said she would sign it as soon as I had a child. Amber is my only child, and I’m not planning on having any others, so I needed her just for this. As soon as mom signs the will, Amber can go back home. I’m tired of playing mom.”

“Mom??” came a tearful voice behind them. Derek and Miranda turned to see Amber standing there, tears streaming down her face. She had heard everything.

“Amber, I didn’t mean it like that,” Miranda said quickly, reaching out to her daughter.

But Amber wasn’t listening. She bolted, and Derek ran after her, still holding the inhaler in his hand. Panic surged through him as he chased her, fearing she might disappear again.

He found Amber sitting on a bench, crying with her face in her hands. Derek’s heart ached at the sight. He approached her slowly, then sat down beside her and gently hugged her.

“Amber, I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

“I should have understood everything when she said I needed to find a ‘Hostess Family’ to live with,” Amber said, wiping her tears.

“But you didn’t stay with them,” Derek said, gently brushing her hair out of her face.

“No, then she said I would live with them to meet my grandmother,” Amber explained.

“Heartless witch. Why didn’t you call me? I was so worried,” Derek asked, his voice filled with concern.

“I didn’t want you to take me away from Mom, but now I understand what a mistake that was,” Amber admitted, looking down.

“It’s okay. You just wanted to meet your mom,” Derek said, trying to comfort her.

“I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean to worry you. Now I realize you’re the best dad in the world,” Amber said, her eyes filling with tears again.

“It’s not hard when you have the best daughter in the world,” Derek replied with a smile, hugging her tightly.

Amber hugged Derek back, feeling safe in his arms. Derek then helped her up, and they began walking to the car.

“But you’re grounded for two weeks,” Derek said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Fair enough,” Amber replied with a small smile, feeling a little better.