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Chapter 46: The Call That Came From Inside the Cell

last update publish date: 2026-04-05 07:48:34

The safe house living room was crowded with police, flashing lights from outside painting the walls red and blue. Mia was curled in my lap, her small body still trembling even though the masked men were now in handcuffs on the floor. Damian stood like a wall between us and everyone else, one hand resting protectively on my shoulder while the other held his phone so tightly the screen might crack.

The doctor’s words from the cryogenic facility still rang in my ears: *The vial is gone. Someone el
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    The panic room was too small for the bomb my father-in-law had just dropped.Victoria was pregnant.With Damian’s child.The third embryo….; the one we never knew existed…..; had been implanted in her two years ago. She had been carrying our baby this entire time, using it like a weapon she could drop whenever she wanted.I felt the room spin. My knees buckled. Damian caught me before I hit the floor, his arms locking around me and Mia at the same time.Mia looked up at him, eyes wide with confusion. “Daddy… why is the shadow lady having a baby? Is it ours?”Damian’s face was ashen. He pressed his lips to the top of her head, but his voice was raw when he answered. “It’s complicated, baby. But no one is taking anything from us. Not ever.”The heavy steel door vibrated as another blow landed from outside. The intruders were still trying to cut through. The police were shouting commands in the hallway above, guns cracking every few seconds. We were trapped in a metal box while Victoria’

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    “She’s free now and coming for us,” I whispered. “She’s coming for the embryos and she’s coming for Mia.”Damian’s hand tightened on my shoulder, the only sign he had heard me. His eyes stayed locked on the lead officer, but I felt the shift in his body — the sudden, lethal calm that always came right before he became dangerous.The officer’s radio crackled again, but he didn’t answer it. Instead he looked at us with a mix of sympathy and duty. “Mr. Holt, Ms. Reyes, we can’t keep you here at the station. It’s not secure enough. We’re escorting you and the child to the safe house your team already set up. Federal agents will meet us there. It’s the only place we can guarantee protection right now.”Damian nodded once, sharp and decisive. “Good. Let’s move.”They didn’t handcuff us. Two officers flanked us as we walked out the back exit of the station and into an unmarked SUV with tinted windows. Mia stayed glued to my side, her small hand never leaving mine. The drive was tense and sil

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    The police station smelled like burnt coffee and fear. Handcuffs clicked open the moment we were inside the interrogation room, but the relief lasted exactly three seconds. A woman in a sharp suit was already waiting at the table — Attorney Lang, the same voice from Victoria’s call.She slid a fresh document across the table without greeting.“Temporary emergency guardianship order,” she said flatly. “Signed by Judge Harlan thirty minutes ago. The court has granted Victoria Holt full legal control over both Holt-Reyes embryos until a full hearing can be held. Any attempt to retrieve, access, or interfere with them is now considered theft of private property and a violation of a court order.”Damian’s hand tightened around mine so hard I felt the bones shift.“This is bullshit,” he growled. “She’s in custody for attempted murder and kidnapping.”Lang didn’t blink. “The court considered the evidence. Ms. Holt’s legal team provided medical affidavits showing she is the only remaining ful

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    The safe house living room was finally quiet. The masked men were gone, dragged away in cuffs by the police. Mia had cried herself to sleep in my arms, her small fingers still clutching her unicorn like it could protect her from the shadow lady. I rocked her gently, my own heart still racing from the blowtorch and the gunshots and the terror of almost losing her.Damian stood by the window, phone pressed to his ear, talking to his father in a low, furious voice. “I don’t care what it costs. Find that facility. Find the real embryo before she destroys it.”One of the officers cleared his throat. “Mr. Holt, we really need statements from both of you. Victoria Holt is in custody at the hospital, but she’s already lawyered up and claiming you assaulted her. We need to sort this out at the station.”Damian didn’t even look at him. His eyes stayed fixed on me and Mia. “We’re not going anywhere until my daughter is safe and that embryo is back in our hands.”The officer shifted uncomfortably

  • Familiar Strangers    Chapter 46: The Call That Came From Inside the Cell

    The safe house living room was crowded with police, flashing lights from outside painting the walls red and blue. Mia was curled in my lap, her small body still trembling even though the masked men were now in handcuffs on the floor. Damian stood like a wall between us and everyone else, one hand resting protectively on my shoulder while the other held his phone so tightly the screen might crack.The doctor’s words from the cryogenic facility still rang in my ears: *The vial is gone. Someone else accessed the tank at the exact same time.*Our second child — the embryo we never even knew existed — had been taken.A female officer approached us carefully. “Mr. Holt, Ms. Reyes, we need statements from both of you. Victoria Holt is in custody at the hospital, but she’s already lawyered up and screaming about false imprisonment. We need to know exactly what happened in that room.”Damian’s voice was ice. “She held a syringe to my mother-in-law’s IV and threatened to kill her unless we gave

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