After wandering around for nine hours, Karen Hayes was exhausted and sitting on the curb.
The temperature had dropped below freezing, but she didn’t feel cold. She had been carrying her groceries from the market and walking for so long that her body was still warm, even a little flushed.
When she saw Nathan, she waved excitedly, thinking it was a chance encounter. “Oh, Nathan! I’m so glad to finally see someone I know!”
Karen Hayes was completely out of breath. Her phone had been pickpocketed in the crowded market, and she hadn't even noticed. She had spent all the cash she had on her on groceries, leaving her without enough money to even buy a bottle of water.
Seeing that she was safe, the anxiety that had been plaguing Nathan all night finally subsided.
He didn't message Emma right away. Instead, he helped Karen into his car, found out what happened, and then told her that Emma had been searching for her all night.
When she heard that her daughter had skipped dinner and spent the entire night searching for her in the freezing cold, Karen became anxious. “Is she okay? She just had a miscarriage last month! How could she be out in this weather for so long?”
Even though she knew her daughter was just worried, Karen was still upset. “That girl… I’m an old woman, what could possibly happen to me? Honestly, she doesn't take care of herself at all.”
Because her phone was gone, Karen had no idea it was already midnight. She thought it was only seven or eight in the evening. She even said to Nathan, “Nathan, you’re a doctor. You have to come back with me and help me talk some sense into her. She’s so reckless with her health!”
“Ma’am.”

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