So at that moment, when Raymond actually called Cecilia's number, something happened that only deepened the sinking feeling in his chest—the call didn't even ring.
No dial tone. No connection. No indication that the phone was even turned on. Just silence, followed by a cold, lifeless message: "The number you are trying to call is currently unavailable."
Raymond froze for a second, staring at the screen.
He blinked, as if that would change what he was seeing. But nothing changed. That flat silence, that failed connection—it hit him harder than he expected. Not because it was just a failed call, but because it wasn't supposed to happen. Not now. Not when everything was already falling apart. Not when Valentina was missing. Not when he was running out of time.
He brought the phone down slowly, his fingers tightening around the device, his breath growing shorter.
"What is going on?" he muttered under his breath, his voice low, dark, and shaking slightly with confusion.
