MasukAmanda's POV The car slows down long before it stops, I know it before Thomas even turns off the engine, everything was wrong about the place.The was far from the road, hidden behind broken fences and weeds that have grown wild. The house looked dead like it had never had occupants in centuries, there was no lights, no movements, just the concrete, smell of rust and a heavy silence.My heart starts beating harder, slow at first, then faster."This is it." Thomas says calmly, like he’s announcing we’ve arrived at a hospital or a police station. "They said he’s inside."I look around again.There’s no sound of a child, no crying, no footsteps. No sign that anyone has been here recently at all.I swallowed."Where’s Levi?" I ask softly, keeping my voice steady. "I thought… I thought he’d be waiting."Thomas doesn’t look at me, he’s already stepping out of the car."He’s safe." he said quickly. "Let’s just go inside first."I followed him because I had to, because if Levi is anywhere ne
Amanda’s POVThe sound of the door locking echoed through the room, loud enough to make my chest tighten. For a second, I don’t move.I stay where I am, my back to the door, my hand hovering near the handle as if I might try it again. I don’t. I already know it won’t open. I don’t need to prove it to myself.I turn slowly.Thomas is standing a few steps away after trying to open the door, his shoulders tense, his jaw tight. The calm he wore earlier, the steady voice, the reassuring smile he kept giving me earlier had disappeared, it felt like he had finally taken the mask off his face.The air feels heavy, thick enough to press against my skin, my heart beat faster, but I force my breathing to stay slow.This is not the moment to panic.Thomas exhales sharply and drags a hand through his hair. He starts walking, back and forth, his footsteps scraping against the concrete floor. The sound repeats again and again, making me clutch the helm of my dress for support."You don’t trust me."
Amanda's POV The car slows down long before it stops, I know it before Thomas even turns off the engine, everything was wrong about the place.The was far from the road, hidden behind broken fences and weeds that have grown wild. The house looked dead like it had never had occupants in centuries, there was no lights, no movements, just the concrete, smell of rust and a heavy silence.My heart starts beating harder, slow at first, then faster."This is it." Thomas says calmly, like he’s announcing we’ve arrived at a hospital or a police station. "They said he’s inside."I look around again.There’s no sound of a child, no crying, no footsteps. No sign that anyone has been here recently at all.I swallowed."Where’s Levi?" I ask softly, keeping my voice steady. "I thought… I thought he’d be waiting."Thomas doesn’t look at me, he’s already stepping out of the car."He’s safe." he said quickly. "Let’s just go inside first."I followed him because I had to, because if Levi is anywhere ne
Amanda’s POVI let my hands shake on purpose, not too much but just enough for Thomas to notice.The car moved through the city, streetlights flashing past the window, but I kept my eyes low, fixed on my lap like I was afraid to look at anything too long. My heart was beating fast, but not because I was confused. Because I was alert, awake in a way I hadn’t been in weeks.Thomas glanced at me for the third time in less than a minute."You’re quiet." he said gently, the way someone speaks to a child who might cry. "Are you feeling okay?"I swallowed and nodded, then I shook my head, I made it messy, unsure."I… I don’t know." I said softly. "My head feels… full."That pleased him, I saw it in the way his shoulders eased, the way his grip on the steering wheel relaxed."It’s normal." he said. "After everything you’ve been through. You don’t have to think. That’s why I’m here."I turned my face toward him, letting my eyes look lost. "You promise Levi is okay?"His jaw tightened for half
Ryan’s POVThey didn’t open the door at first, even after it felt like I was banging rather than knocking.I still stood there longer than I expected, listening to the low sound of a generator somewhere behind the house, the faint sound of a television coming through the thin walls. It was an ordinary place, too ordinary for people who had done so much damage.I knocked again, harder this time.I heard the shuffling of footsteps, a lock turned, Selene’s mother peered out, her face draining of color the second she saw me."You." she whispered."Yes." I said. "Me."She tried to shut the door, I caught it with my palm and pushed just enough to make my point."We need to talk."Her husband appeared behind her, shoulders stiff, eyes moving past me as if the police might be standing right there. They both looked smaller than I remembered. not weaker, just afraid. Fear has a way of shrinking people."You shouldn’t be here." he said."You shouldn’t have touched Amanda." I replied, calm and st
Amanda’s POVI didn’t agree to leave with Thomas because I trusted him.I agreed because the sound of Levi’s name, spoken by a stranger, tore something open inside me that hadn’t fully healed yet.After the call ended, I sat there for a moment, staring at the phone in my hand like it might ring again and tell me this was all a mistake. That Levi was fine. That this wasn’t real. But the silence stayed heavy, pressing down on my chest until breathing felt like work.Thomas was already moving. He paced once, then stopped in front of me, his face carefully calm."Get your shoes." he said gently. "We don’t have time to waste."Something about how quickly he took control should have scared me. Maybe it would have, weeks ago. But right then, fear had already wrapped itself too tightly around my heart to let anything else in."I can help you." he continued, lowering his voice. "You don’t have to do this alone."Those words were rehearsed, I knew that now. But they still landed where they were







