Mag-log inAmanda's POV I didn’t plan to speak, not at first. I stood there while the tension stretched, while Ryan and Thomas faced each other like two storms about to collide. I listened to the sound of my own breathing and realized something strange, I wasn’t shaking anymore. Fear had ruled me for so long that I had forgotten what it felt like when it finally loosened its grip. Thomas was unraveling. I could see it now. The way his eyes darted, the way his voice rose and fell too quickly, the way his hand kept moving like he needed something to hold onto. Control had always been his weapon and right now, he was losing it. He knew all his tactics wouldn't work this time, the money and power couldn't save him, even if he tried. Ryan stood there, solid, watching him, watching me. He didn’t rush. He didn’t interrupt. He trusted me to find my footing. That was when I knew. This wasn’t his fight anymore. It was mine. "Thomas." My voice cut through the air between us, clear and steady.
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 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







