SHIMMA’S POVI took a deep breath, trying to calm myself when the door opened.But to my surprise, it wasn’t Lucas. It was someone else—a lady. An elderly lady, at that.“H—Hi, good day, Ma’am,” I greeted, my heart pounding in my chest.“Hi?” the lady said, giving me a curious yet confused stare.“How can I help you?” she asked.“Uhm… I was asked to come to this address. Do you happen to know any man who goes by the name Lucas? He sent me this address,” I explained.“Lucas?” she said softly, as if trying to remember. “There’s nobody I know who has the name Lucas. I live alone here. My husband is late; I’m so sorry,” she said. I nodded, swallowing my disappointment.He had faked another address. What the hell is wrong with that son of a bitch? Why can’t he just stop? I’m tired—tired of this whole bullshit! I want my kids back! I want my life back! I want my peace back!I forced a smile at the lady, who was already about to go back inside.“Thank you so much,” I said.“You’re welcome, m
MATTIAS’S POVI kept following behind Lucas until we got to a deserted area where barely anyone could be.He kept going, red dust blocking my vision, but it wasn’t going to stop me.Finally, he stopped, probably out of gas or maybe he had already given up. But that didn’t mean I would take it lightly on him.He stepped out of his car even before I could reach him. He pointed a gun at my car, then, with his other hand, he opened the door, dragging my son Noah from the car. I could see Nora struggling to get out, but he shoved the door before she could even reach it.I quickly took my gun, stepping out of my car and rushing toward them with my gun pointed at him. But he didn’t point the gun back at me; instead, he aimed it at Noah.The moment Noah saw me, he screamed, his eyes wide with fear and relief.“Daddy!” he screamed, attempting to run toward me, but my little boy was held back by a man who was supposed to be his dear uncle.It was almost impossible to believe Lucas would ever do
MATTIAS’S POV (continued)It’s—It’s him… Lucas! It’s Lucas!I heard myself scream. But before I could make sense of everything, before I could understand why he had been opposite my house for so long and no one seemed to have suspected, I mean, who would have thought?He zoomed off, driving away at high speed.I immediately followed behind him, my heart racing as I picked up my phone. My eyes darted between the road, Lucas’s car, and my phone.I dialed the detective’s number, hoping he would pick up quickly.“Pick up! Pick up!” I mumbled, and finally, his voice came through.“Hello,” he said in a soft, calm, yet curious tone.“I saw Lucas; he was just opposite our building. Send some officers to check the house. My kids might be in there or with him in his car, and he is driving really fast. I’m behind him. Get back to me soon, okay?” I said, hanging up before he could even respond. I was driving so fast that I could barely talk.I had to get to him. I couldn’t let him escape. This wa
“Hello?” I said, my voice crackled.“Are you ready?” he asked, as if this were a game to him. Fucking bastard.“Yes, I am,” I replied in a low, calm tone. Part of me was relieved and ready to see my children, but most of me was uncertain about whether the tracking devices would help. What if he was too quick? What if someone got hurt? What if someone died in the process? And it happened not to be Lucas. Oh God!He ended the call without another word, leaving me confused. He didn’t tell me where to go. Was he coming here himself? What was his next move?Mattias and the detectives looked confused because it was on speakerphone.“Why didn’t he tell us the address? What is wrong with that fool?” Mattias asked, his voice laced with frustration.“Buzz! Buzz!!”My phone buzzed with a notification. I opened the text message, and there it was—the address. I recognized it. It was about a half-hour drive.“Is that the address? Let me see,” Mattias said as I handed the phone to him.He glanced do
Night came, and it was impossible to fall asleep. It was the third night, and my children still weren’t back. I hadn’t felt, held, or seen them with my own eyes. This was cruel. Life was being so fucking cruel to me.I looked at my phone, checking if I had missed any messages or calls. He said he would send a new address, but I hadn’t heard from him since then, which only worsened my anxiety.Mattias, on the other hand, wasn’t home and wouldn’t return until later in the morning. He was making plans with the detective and the officers on how to take Lucas off guard.He had begged me to get some sleep before leaving, reminding me of my pregnancy and how much rest I needed for the baby’s health.But no matter how hard I tried to fall asleep, the only thought haunting me was the cry of my children. My babies.I missed them so much. I missed playing with them, reading to them, and telling them bedtime stories. I missed bathing them and cooking for them. I missed their tiny hugs and soft, c
SHIMMA’S POV….As I drove to the supposed location, I couldn’t stop praying and hoping everything would go well.There was a strong possibility that Lucas wasn’t there, but I had to focus on the positive side. Still, what if he really was there? What would he do to me if I got to him before Mattias and the police officers did?I just wanted my babies back. That was all that mattered. It was strange that this was happening again during my second pregnancy. I knew what I faced at the hands of Lucas when I was first pregnant, and now that I planned to move on—just when I thought everything was alright—he decided to take away the two people who mattered to me the most: my Nora and Noah.I couldn’t help but wonder if they had good food, slept properly, or even had nice baths.What if one of them had a fever and there was no one to take care of them? What if both of them were sick? It had been days. Days!God! I desperately wanted to see my kids. I couldn’t take this anymore. No one had the