The weight of Zach's confession hung heavy in the air, a palpable tension stretching between him and the kidnapper. He had bared his soul, revealing the reckless night, the hit-and-run, the subsequent flight, and the crushing guilt that had followed him for years. He had laid bare his deepest regrets, hoping the raw honesty would be enough.
Silence stretched, a suffocating blanket in the darkness. Zach held his breath, each second an eternity. The kidnapper’s silence was more menacing than any threat. Finally, a low chuckle broke the stillness.
“Interesting,” the voice rasped. “So, you ran. You hid. You avoided responsibility. And now, you expect me to simply hand over your wife because you’ve confessed your sins?”
A cold dread washed over Zach. He had hoped his confession would be a bargaining chip, a path to Mekaila’s release. But it seemed he had underestimated the kidnapper’s ruthlessness.
“I… I don’t know what else to do,” Zach stammered, his voice trembling.
“You could have done something a long time ago,” the kidnapper countered, their voice laced with a chilling amusement. “You could have faced the music. You could have taken responsibility for your actions. But you chose the easy way out.”
Zach felt the blood drain from his face. He knew they were right. He had been a coward, running from his mistakes instead of confronting them. His past had caught up to him, and now, it threatened to destroy everything he held dear.
“But Mekaila is innocent,” Zach pleaded. “She had nothing to do with this.”
“True,” the kidnapper conceded. “But she’s paying the price for your cowardice. It’s a harsh lesson, wouldn't you say?”
Zach felt a surge of desperate anger. He wouldn’t let his past destroy his future. He had to fight. He had to find a way.
“What do you want?” he demanded, his voice regaining its strength. “What do I have to do?”
The kidnapper paused, the silence filled with a calculated deliberation that sent shivers down Zach’s spine. Then, the voice, colder than ever before, spoke.
“I want you to find her. Find the person you hit that night. Find out what happened to them. And then, and only then, will we talk about Mekaila.”
The line went dead. Zach stared at the phone, his mind reeling. The kidnapper hadn't released Mekaila, but they hadn't killed her either. He had a new mission, a terrifying but necessary task. He had to confront the truth, not just of his past, but of the consequences of his actions. He had to find the person he had hurt, and he had to face the music, no matter the cost.
"What should I do now! Why it's happening to us? God why me! Why us ! I know I did something wrong in the past but it's just a fucking accident!" He said to his sel without noticing that here daughter is in his back.
"Daddy" mechaela said softly, "are you alright? What's make you so pissed off?"
"Did you hear everything I said honey"?
"No daddy, not all but what was that? Why it's look your blaming God?" 
Nothing honey, where's your sister?"
"Upstair, she's looking for her drawing."
"Well daddy was busy for now go play with your sister sweet heart, would that be okay?"
"Yeah as you said so, but may I ask something dad?"
"Sure what is it?" 
"Where's mommy? I really miss her already, I can't sleep all this coming nights far away from her anymore, can you bring us to mom?"
Zach almost cried and he didn't know what should he respond to his lovely daughter. Tears dropping on his face while hugging his daughter.
"She'll be home ASAP, buy why don't you enjoy With your sister for now honey" he touch her cutie face and said " always remember we live you so much, even mom wasn't here with us, remember that she love us all okay?" 
"Are you crying daddy?"
"No of course not, why should I cry, every time with you all was a good vibes hahaha, come let's to go upstair."
"We're going to play together."
"Yeah honey, it will be fun right?".
"Yeheeeeeey I love you daddy soon when mom's home I tell everything joyful moments she missed, then we're going to repeat everything we done and play together with herrrrrrrr."
He looked at the pictures of his family scattered across the coffee table while he carrying mechaela, his heart aching with a renewed sense of purpose. He wouldn’t let his past define his future. He would fight for Mekaila, for his daughters, and for his own redemption. He would find her, and he would make amends. The dawn of a new day wouldn’t bring fragile hope, but a chilling determination. The reckoning had begun.