Walter’s day started out like any other, but as soon as he got home, the loud, desperate cries of his baby son broke the peace. Rushing toward the nursery, a place filled with soothing lullabies and loving coos, his heart soared. The room was quiet and creepy, except for the creepy sound coming from the dictaphone that was sitting where Logan’s crib used to be. Walter felt a chill run down his spine when he heard the wails. He saw the ransom letter on the wall next to it. It was clear and cruel: “Leave $200,000 at the pier if you want to see your baby again.” Should he approach the police, his fate would be irrevocable. He panicked and thought about recent events, especially the intense dispute he had with the janitor at the hospital. Could it have gotten so bad?
The next few hours turned into a nightmare. Walter rushed to get the ransom money by selling his savings and borrowing money from everyone who would lend it to him. Every second without Logan seemed like an eternity of fear. He held on to hope with shaky hands as he eventually did what the abductor told him to do and put the hefty bag at the empty pier. But the horrible ploy quickly became clear: the locker that was supposed to hold his son was empty, and a hole cut in the rear showed that the ransom had been stolen without any exchange. The individual who took the money was only a pawn, not knowing what was really going on behind the scenes. Logan was still missing, out there somewhere, and no one could reach him.
Walter’s world fell apart even further when he learned that his wife, Abby, was missing. It was like the nightmare was never going to end. Her phone was dead, and all of her things were gone, as if she had erased herself from the world. The horrible reality started to come out slowly: this was not a normal kidnapping. It was a planned, evil scheme, and Abby was at the center of it all. The woman he loved and trusted had planned the kidnapping of their son. The treachery hurt him like acid, unsettling his sense of reality to its core.
Walter swiftly came up with a plan with the support of a trustworthy doctor, refusing to let despair take over. They faked a medical emergency, knowing that Abby’s drive to protect would make her go to the hospital. When she got there, she wasn’t alone; Walter’s brother was with her, and they were both in on this terrible conspiracy. Logan was safe in her arms, but they were holding him in a weird way.
The cops quickly came in and took Abby and his brother into custody. But as they were being taken away, Abby’s comments cut Walter like a knife: “Logan isn’t even yours,” she said. “You couldn’t get me pregnant, but your brother could.” The news broke Walter’s heart. He thought the man was the father of his child, but he was a stranger, and the family he had trusted was beyond repair.
But in the midst of the ruins of dread and treachery, Walter developed a calm, strong will. He held Logan close and felt his small chest rise and fall in his arms. He knew that blood didn’t make him a father; love, protection, and devotion did. Walter said in a strong voice, “I’ll adopt him if I have to.” “I’m going to raise my son right while you two rot in jail.” In that weak but strong moment, Walter’s love was stronger than any falsehood. It was a light of hope in the dark.