Seven Days Seven Nights

Chapter 198

Chapter 198 They Finally Connected On The Phone

“Nicholas, where are you going?”

“Your wounds haven’t healed yet, Nicholas. Slow down.” Madelline hurriedly followed him in her wheelchair.

On the other side, Nancy was extremely worried. She had called five times, but there was no answer. She sadly put down her phone, her face filled with concern and disappointment.

Seeing Nancy’s expression, Linda understood everything. “Still no answer?”

Nancy nodded, feeling even more discouraged. She didn’t know what to do.

“Linda, it’s been two days. No one is answering the calls, and there has been no response to my texts or messages. Do you think something has happened to him?”

As soon as this thought crossed her mind, Nancy became even more frantic. Her anxiety was escalating, and she couldn’t calm down.

“He has always been responsible and diligent in his work. But disappearing like this without a word for so long… It’s unlike him,” Linda remarked.

“Have you tried contacting anyone else who is close to him? Or has Nicholas contacted someone else?” she suggested.

“I tried reaching out to Lynn, but she said she couldn’t get in touch either. As for Mom and Dad, I’m even more afraid to ask. If, by any chance, something did happen to him, I’m afraid they won’t be able to handle it. The situation will only get worse,” Nancy explained.

She added, “No, Linda, I can’t just sit here and wait any longer. I’m going abroad. I have to find him.”

Nancy stood up, ready to start packing for her trip.

Linda placed her hand on Nancy’s shoulder, trying to calm her down. “Alright, Nancy, don’t rush. Being anxious won’t solve anything. Let’s go over it again. When was the last time you couldn’t reach Nicholas? Were there any strange signs at that time?”

Nancy thought hard and then answered, “It was two days ago in the afternoon. He knew about Julian bothering me, so he video-called me to comfort me. We had a good conversation, and then I took a nap. When I woke up, I couldn’t reach him anymore.”

A sudden realization hit Linda. This meant she was the last person to have contact with Nicholas that night.

For some reason, her mind immediately went back to the sound of the knock on Nicholas’ door that night, and the words he had spoken on the phone.

At that time, he said, “Why are you here again?” Who was he talking to back then?

In that moment, Linda felt like she was trying to untangle a complicated web of threads. Moreover, as she thought about the knock on the door that night, she had a very bad feeling.

However, she didn’t dare to tell Nancy about this. If Nancy found out, she would only become more anxious and start imagining things.

That was the last thing Linda wanted.

“Nancy, calm down. I’m going to call Luke. He might have more ideas than us.”

“Okay.”

After helping Nancy sit down on the couch, Linda dialed Luke’s number.

“Still no luck?” Luke was surprised.

Yesterday, Linda had asked him about Nicholas’ situation. He had also tried calling but received no

answer..

Considering their encounters with difficult clients and intense contract negotiations, it was not unusual for Nicholas to work for more than ten hours straight. Blocking all signals during sensitive negotiations was also standard procedure…

So, he hadn’t thought much of it.

However, now that he learned Nicholas was still unreachable, he realized the seriousness of the situation.

“Alright, have Nancy wait. I’ll have someone check on the situation right away.”

“Okay, hurry. Nancy is extremely worried.” Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

After ending the call, Luke immediately dialed Nicholas’ number.

He half-expected it to go unanswered. But to his surprise, it connected right away.

“What’s going on over there, Nicholas? Linda and the others are worried sick, thinking you’ve disappeared. Nancy has been desperately looking for you.” Luke got straight to the point.

“I’ve run into a bit of trouble. My phone just started working again. I’ll call Nancy back immediately.”

“Alright.”

Ending the call, Nicholas quickly put on the white shirt he had borrowed from the hospital. However, with all the bandages on him and his hands trembling, it took longer than usual.

But Nicholas couldn’t bear the slowness. He needed to call Nancy back as soon as possible, or she would become even more worried. The thought of her being anxious tore at his heart.

Beside him, Madelline couldn’t/stand it any longer and offered, “Nicholas, let me help you put it on.”

He had already refused once when she tried to give him the shirt, but now, seeing how he was struggling and using too much force, she couldn’t just stand by and watch. Soon, some of the bandages had come loose, and the wound had reopened, allowing some bright red blood to seep through the white bandage.

The sight of the red against the white was particularly striking and alarming.

Though his injuries were only superficial, they still required proper rest for recovery.

“No need, I can do it myself,” Nicholas refused again.

This time, Madelline insisted. She wheeled herself right up to Nicholas and looked up at him, saying, “I understand why you want to put on the shirt. You don’t want Nancy to see that you’re hurt and worry about you.”

“But with the bandages bleeding like this, if you keep struggling, even if you get the shirt on, blood will still seep through. She’ll still notice. It’ll all be in vain. Rest assured, I’ll just help you put on a shirt. I won’t do or think anything else.”

Hearing this, Nicholas softened. He handed the shirt to Madelline.

“Sit on the chair,” Madelline instructed.

With her help, Nicholas was soon dressed in a white shirt. Though it couldn’t be perfectly neat due to the bandages underneath, his good physique meant that it wasn’t noticeably different, especially when viewed through a phone screen.

After one last check, Nicholas immediately called Nancy back.

He didn’t choose a video call because he was afraid that Nancy might notice something. A phone call was more reliable. But having not seen each other for two days, he was sure Nancy would be eager to see his face. If she requested a video call, he was prepared and could switch seamlessly.

On Nancy’s end, seeing Nicholas’ call coming in, she could hardly believe her eyes.

Clutching her phone, she almost thought she was dreaming.

“Linda, it’s Nicholas… H-He’s calling,” Nancy said, her voice trembling violently as she stared at the name on her phone.

Linda acted quickly. “Answer it! Why aren’t you answering?”

“I’m scared… I’m scared that someone else is using his phone, and it’s not really him.”

She was more afraid that the call would bring bad news.

Linda fully empathized with Nancy’s emotions. It was common for families to receive calls from the police, rather than the missing person, after several days of disappearance, usually to identify a body.

Nancy was likely fearful of that possibility.

When one is desperate, caution tends to prevail as they fear jinxing the situation.

The phone continued to ring persistently.

Taking a deep breath, Nancy answered the call.

Before responding, she fervently prayed in her heart. Nicholas, let it be you. It must be you. You must be safe!

Trembling, she slid to answer and pressed the phone against her ear.