Every Woman My Widowed Father Dated Vanished Overnight – So I Asked My Friend to Go on One Date With Him – Page 4

Rachel called afterward.

“Your dad is wonderful,” she said.

“I can’t believe nobody gave him a chance.”

Relief washed over me.

“So nothing strange happened?”

“Nothing. He was kind, funny, and respectful. We talked for almost three hours.”

“Did he mention another date?”

“He asked if I wanted to have dinner again next Friday.”

“What did you say?”

“I said yes.”

For the first time in weeks, I slept peacefully.

The next morning, Rachel disappeared too.

I called before work.

No answer.

I tried again at lunch.

Straight to voicemail.

I sent several messages asking whether she was okay.

None were delivered.

By evening, a text finally arrived.

“Don’t contact me. Please.”

I knew immediately that wasn’t Rachel.

Even during our worst arguments, she always called instead of disappearing.

I drove straight to her apartment.

Her car was parked outside.

The lights were on.

But no one answered the door.

I knocked until my knuckles hurt, called her name through the door, and tried her phone again.

Nothing.

A neighbor stepped into the hallway.

“Is everything all right?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

I waited in my car outside her building for nearly an hour, watching her windows for any sign of movement.

Nothing happened.

The following afternoon, she finally called.

Her voice shook.

“I can’t explain over the phone.”

“When can we meet?” I asked.

“Tomorrow morning.”

I barely slept that night.

The next morning, I caught her outside her office before she went inside.

She looked exhausted.