Chapter 161: The Search

At one point, Gabriel feels a pang of grief, of surrender. His own brain keeps slamming him with blame and questions: for instance, why didn't Claire ever properly use some modern means of communication, like a damned mobile phone? Why didn't he immediately replace the broken iPhone? What was up with that? Why didn't he know where Claire's hometown is? Why didn't he know even the names of her parents, of her brothers and sisters, if she has any? It's as if he'd only met Claire yesterday with all these unknowns in her life, and it hardly seems fair—has he been so preoccupied with himself that he forgot to ask these personal questions, get to know her better?