FAZER LOGINEmma held the note in both hands as it says, “I stepped out for a bit.” She read it again, then looked toward Serena’s empty bed. “This doesn’t sound like her.” Nathan took the note. He read it twice. “When did she leave?” Emma shook her head. “I don’t know. I thought she was asleep.” Clara came closer. “Did you hear the door?” “No.” Nathan looked at both women. “Then maybe she didn’t leave through the front door.” He turned toward the stairs. “Security.” A few minutes later, the head security guard hurried inside. “Sir?” “Check the cameras,” Nathan said. “I want to know when Serena left and who she was with.” The guard nodded and brought up the footage. They watched in silence. The screen showed Serena stepping outside in dark clothes. A small bag hung from her shoulder. She looked around before walking through the gate. A black vehicle was waiting right outside the gate. Serena opened the passenger door and got inside. Nathan’s face tightened. “Who was she with?” The
Adrian’s hands tightened around the steering wheel as Serena’s vehicle disappeared farther into the darkness. He reached for his phone and called the police. “Hello?” “This is Adrian Laurent. I was at the station earlier today with Serena regarding the kidnapping of her kids. Currently I’m following her. She left her house about twenty minutes ago without telling anyone.” The officer’s voice became serious. “Where are you?” Adrian gave him the location. “Do not approach her. Keep your distance.” “I know.” “Where is she heading?” “Toward the old industrial district.” There was a short silence. “Stay on the line. We’re sending a unit.” Adrian looked through the windshield. Serena’s car was still ahead of him. “I’m sharing my location now.” “Good. Keep doing that.” He ended the call and sent his live location. His heart was beating hard. He knew Serena was desperate. Her children were missing. Every minute without them must have felt unbearable. If someone had told him hi
By night, the police station had become quieter. Most of the people who had spent the day there were finally leaving. I stood near the entrance with Emma and Clara, looking at the officers who had stayed with us through everything. “Thank you,” I said. “For everything you have done today.” One of the investigators nodded. “We’re not finished yet, Mrs Serena.” “I know.” “We’ll continue working through the night.” “I appreciate that.” “Thank you for staying with us,” Emma said. The investigator gave her a tired smile. “We’ll keep you updated.” I looked at the clock. It was late. “I’m going home.” The investigator looked at me. “Do you want me to send some officers with you?” I shook my head immediately. “No.” “Are you sure?” “Yes. I need some time alone. I’m exhausted.” He hesitated. “Serena, considering everything that has happened, I would feel better if you had someone with you.” “I understand, but I just need to sleep.” He studied my face before finally nodding. “Fin
We had moved to the station for further investigation. I sat in the police station with my hands locked together, staring at the phone on the table. I had checked it so many times that my fingers were beginning to hurt.Still nothing.No message. No call. No news about my children.I looked at the clock. Another hour had passed.“Serena.”I raised my head. One of the officers stood in front of me. “Yes?”“We need you to remain patient.”I almost laughed. Patient. How was I supposed to be patient when my children were somewhere I couldn’t reach?“He said forty-eight hours,” I reminded him. “How much time do I have left?”His expression became serious.“You still have time. Our team is working on it.”“Working on it isn’t enough.”Adrian, who had been sitting beside me, placed a hand on my shoulder. “Serena, let them do their job.”I turned to him. “They’re my children.”“I know.”“No, Adrian. You don’t know what it feels like to sit here while every minute disappears.”He didn’t argue
At the Vale's mansion. Lia had barely left the house when silence filled the living room. Serena’s parents remained where they were, neither willing to speak. The argument with Lia these past few days still hung between them. Her angry words had forced them to face things they had spent years avoiding. Lia’s mother looked toward the door. “The envelope.” Her husband looked at her. “Yes I know. We left it at Serena’s house, don't bring it up please.” Then silence. The envelope contained the documents they had planned to use against Serena. They had wanted to shake her confidence and distract her from her business. But, when they saw the faces of her kids, it was their own confidence that was shaken instead. So they forgot it there. His face slowly fell. “She must have found it,” his wife whispered. Neither of them spoke. If Serena had opened that envelope, she now knew the truth. She knew she had been adopted. Serena’s mother covered her mouth as tears filled her eyes. “She k
Chapter 162: Forty-Eight Hours I didn’t remember how I got to Sunshine Academy. One moment, I was standing inside Lumina with Emma and the investigators. The next, I was rushing through the school entrance, my heart pounding so hard that it hurt. “Where are they?” I asked. Nobody answered. I saw Adrian near the security room. His face was pale, his eyes red. The moment he saw me, he walked toward me. I stopped in front of him. “Where are my children?” His lips parted, but no words came out. “Adrian!” He lowered his eyes. “I told you they're gone.” My knees almost gave way. “No.” He reached for me, but I stepped back. “No. You couldn't protect them? How could you let them take my children?” “I came as fast as I could.” “But they were already gone?” “Yes.” I covered my mouth as tears filled my eyes. “My kids…” Adrian nodded slowly. “They’re alive.” I looked at him. “What? How do you know that.” He pulled out his phone and showed me the photograph. My children. They we
He smiled. Soft. Warm. Almost boyish. “There you are,” he murmured. My heart dropped. Because even now… He still thought I was Lia. He stepped in, jacket already off, shirt partially unbuttoned, the scent of whiskey and cologne clinging to him. His movements were unstable from drinking, but ther
The days before the wedding passed like a blur I couldn’t escape. People moved in and out of the house carrying fabrics, jewelry, flowers, and invitations while I stood in the middle of it all feeling completely detached. Measurements were taken and dresses were fitted. Every room was filled with
“There’s a family willing to help us,” my mother explained quickly. “Very powerful. Very wealthy. But they have conditions.”My stomach tightened. “What kind of conditions?” I asked.My sister let out a soft, shaky breath. “They want their son to be married so that they can get a grandchild out of
That night, I sat alone in the vast bedroom that wasn’t mine, wearing a white light robe they had given me after the wedding with no panties under. My hands were clenched so tightly in my lap that my nails left little crescent marks on my palms. I felt nervous.The door opened.He stepped in, jacke







