if he found out… Jace would die.

Elena’s POV

My whole body went numb as the words burned into my eyes.

Stay away from Lucien Stone… or the boy dies.

No… my voice came out cracked, with almost no sound at all and my hands shook so much the paper almost fell from me.

The nurses whispered in fear, and the guards ran down the hall, but I could not move. I just stood there, still, like my soul was no longer inside me.

“Ma’am, we’ll check the exits. We’ll lock down the building!” one guard shouted.

I clutched the note to my chest, shaking my head. “They’re gone already,” I whispered. “They planned this. They knew.”

Tears blurred my vision, but inside me something heavy fell into place. They hadn’t taken Jace by mistake, they had taken him because of Lucien. Because of this cursed marriage. Because of me.

The nurse touched my shoulder gently. “Elena, please, you need to sit down. We must inform the police immediately.”

“No police!” My voice was raw. I staggered back, hugging myself, the note crumpled in my hand. “If the police get involved, they’ll kill him. Don’t you understand? They’ll kill my son!”

The nurse’s lips parted, but she said nothing. The silence pressed in until I could hear only my own breath, harsh and uneven.

I pressed my back against the cold wall. My knees almost gave out. My baby was gone. My Jace. The only reason I lived.

And it was my fault.

If I hadn’t followed Lucien into his world… If I had stayed away from him like I promised myself… Jace would still be in my arms.

I slid down to the floor, clutching my chest, whispering over and over. “I’m sorry, Jace. Mommy’s so sorry.”

The guards came back minutes later. “No sign of them. CCTV is disabled. Whoever did this knew the hospital well.”

A sob tore out of me, but I bit it back, swallowing the sound until it cut my throat.

I looked at the note again. The threat was clear.

Lucien couldn’t know. If he found out, they would hurt Jace.

That was the moment I made my choice. I would find my son myself. I would fight with everything in me, even if it broke me.

And I would not breathe a word to Lucien Stone.

Not a word.

I held the crumpled note against my chest until it almost hurt and my hands kept shaking and my head kept saying the same words again and again. “They took him, they took him, they took him”

The nurse who found the note stood beside me, she looked pale and her eyes moved fast like she wanted to disappear and then I reached out and grabbed her wrist.

“Please,” my voice cracked, “did you see them? Anything? Their faces, their clothes, anything at all?”

Her lips trembled. “No… it was so fast. I only heard the door. When I came in, you were on the floor. He was gone.”

Tears ran down my cheeks before I could stop them. I gripped her tighter. “Think! Please! Anything…you gave me this note. Did you see who left it? Which way did they run?”

She swallowed hard and shook her head. “I …I just found the paper on the bed, I am so sorry, I swear I didn’t see anyone.”

My chest squeezed like it was collapsing. I let her go slowly, feeling my strength leave me. “My baby…” I whispered. “He’s just a child.”

The nurse’s eyes watered. “We will try again, maybe someone else saw something. But…” She trailed off, biting her lip.

But I knew the truth, whoever did this had been careful, too careful and they left nothing behind except that cursed note.

My phone buzzed suddenly in my bag, and I nearly screamed. My heart jumped so hard I almost dropped it.

I pulled it out….Lucien’s name glowed on the screen.

I froze.

If I told him… if he found out… Jace would die.

The note burned in my palm. Stay away from Lucien Stone…or the boy dies.

I wiped my tears quickly with the back of my hand and forced my breathing to slow. Then I pressed the answer.

“Elena.” His voice was sharp, cold. “I’m outside the hospital. Which room are you in?”

My chest tightened. “Why are you here?”

“I followed you last night. Don’t ask me stupid questions. I want answers.”

Panic spread through me. “You don’t need to come upstairs,” I said fast, too fast. “I… I was mistaken. Jace…he’s fine. They discharged him earlier. I was just here to sign some papers.”

Silence.

The silence was worse than shouting.

“You expect me to believe that?” Lucien’s voice was low. Dangerous. “I know what I saw last night. That boy is sick. He couldn’t just be discharged overnight.”

I forced a weak laugh. “Children recover quickly sometimes.”

“Elena.” He said my name like a threat. “You are lying to me. And I do not tolerate liars.”

My throat dried. I clutched the note tighter. “I’m not lying. I told you already, he is not mine. You don’t have to care.”

There was another silence. I could almost feel his eyes through the phone, heavy and sharp.

Finally, he said, “I will find out the truth. Whether you tell me or not.”

The line went dead.

I stood frozen, my phone still in my hand, my whole body trembling.

Lucien knew something. He always knew. But if he got too close, if the kidnappers saw, they would hurt Jace. I couldn’t risk it.

I pressed my forehead against the cold hospital wall and whispered, “Please be safe, baby. Mommy will find you.”

---

That night, I returned to the penthouse. Every corner felt darker, heavier. Lucien didn’t speak to me at all. He only glanced at me once during dinner, his eyes cold, suspicious, searching. I forced myself to eat, but the food felt like sand in my mouth.

Later, when I lay in my bed staring at the ceiling, my phone rang again.

I sat up quickly. The number was unknown.

My blood froze.

I pressed the answer with shaking fingers.

At first there was only silence. Then a distorted voice came through, low and rough.

“Stay away from Lucien Stone…”

My heart stopped.

“…or the boy dies.”

“Please!” I cried, gripping the phone like it was my last hope. “Don’t hurt him! I’ll do whatever you want….just let me hear his voice, please!”

The line crackled. A faint sound came through…my baby’s cry. Jace’s cry.

“Jace!” I screamed into the phone. “I’m here, baby! Mommy’s here!”

But then the line cut.

The phone slipped from my hand and hit the floor.