AmeliaWhen I opened my eyes that morning, the first thing I noticed was the quietness. The space beside me was empty again, cold, untouched. Sebastian hadn’t come to bed last night. Or if he had, he hadn’t stayed long.I sat up slowly, frowning as I glanced toward the door. No sound from the bathroom. No movement in the room at all. I slipped out of bed, pulled on my robe, and padded barefoot down the hallway, already uneasy.The scent of alcohol hit me faintly as I descended the stairs.By the time I reached the kitchen, I followed the sharp tang of it straight to the cellar door, which stood wide open. Just beyond it, Vera was crouched low, quietly gathering broken bottles and tossing the larger shards into a dustpan. Her movements were swift, practiced, but there was tension in her silence.I stepped down into the cellar doorway and took in the sight—several empty beer bottles stacked on the table, others shattered across the floor. The mess was worse than I expected.“Vera,” I sa
SebastianAmelia had fallen asleep long ago. I could tell by the soft rhythm of her breathing, the occasional quiet snore slipping from her lips. She was deep into rest, safe for now, unaware of how wide awake I still was. My eyes were open, not that it made any difference. I hadn’t closed them once. Sleep hadn’t touched me. It wouldn’t. Not tonight.How could I sleep, knowing someone out there was hunting my family?I lay there, listening to the silence stretch across the room, broken only by the gentle sounds of Amelia beside me. But my mind refused to quiet down. The image of my parents’ lifeless bodies still haunted me—cold, still, gone. Someone had done that. And that same someone hadn’t stopped. They were still watching, still planning, still coming for us. For me. For Amelia. For Rose.A sick feeling stirred in my chest, cold and sharp. I couldn't just lie there doing nothing. Slowly, I sat up, slid my legs over the side of the bed, and rose to my feet. My steps were quiet as I
SebastianI held Rose close, her small arms still wrapped around my neck, and listened to the soft tremble in her voice as she pleaded for the man’s release. I didn’t know how to explain everything to a child. I couldn’t tell her that kindness didn’t erase danger, or that broken people could still cause real harm, even if they didn’t mean to. But I also couldn’t ignore the sincerity in her voice, the way she saw him not as a threat but as someone who needed help.So I nodded slowly, still crouched beside her. “Alright, sweetheart. I won’t ask for him to be jailed. But he’ll need help. Therapy, a full diagnosis... all the things that might keep this from happening again. What he did was wrong, even if he didn’t mean to hurt anyone. We have to make sure it doesn’t happen again, for everyone’s safety.”She leaned her head against my shoulder, her voice small but grateful. “Thank you, Daddy.”I smiled and ran my hand gently over her back. “Let’s go home now. Everything’s okay.”We walked
SebastianAfter hours of searching, the police finally found Rose. Apparently, a mentally ill man had seen her at the hospital and taken her to his home. During the drive back, one of the officers explained that this man had a history of approaching young girls and luring them away, completely unaware of the fear and confusion he left in his wake.I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my voice steady. “And why hasn’t he been arrested before?”“He has,” the officer replied. “But every time, he gets off with a fine.”“That’s not enough,” I snapped. “He should be in jail. Someone like that... his presence alone could be dangerous for children.”The officer tried to reassure me, saying they were going to take further action this time. He explained that the man wasn’t malicious, just deeply broken. Years ago, he’d lost his daughter in a car accident. She had been his only family, and he survived while she didn’t. After that, his life unraveled.Depression consumed him, cost him his job, and ev
SebastianThe hum of the engine was the only sound in the car as we crawled through traffic that refused to budge. I could feel the tension radiating off Smith even without seeing him—his foot tapped nervously on the floorboard, fingers drumming against the steering wheel like he was trying to will the cars ahead to disappear.He cleared his throat, hesitant. “Sir… it looks like we’re stuck. There’s a pretty bad jam up ahead. Might take a while.”I leaned my head against the cool glass of the window and let out a sharp breath. “Perfect,” I muttered. The timing couldn’t be worse. My nerves were already shot, and now this—trapped, helpless, and still too far from where I needed to be. I hated this feeling.Minutes dragged.I shifted in my seat, adjusting my blazer as if that would make the weight on my chest lighter. I tried to focus, tried to silence the unease crawling up my spine. Then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. The voice prompt echoed through the speaker.Incoming call from Amel
SebastianThe moment Amelia and Rose walked out, my heart felt heavier than usual, though I didn't show it. I waited a few seconds after the door clicked shut, and then I stood up with urgency, almost knocking the chair backward. I had to move quickly.My hand moved across the table, fumbling, skimming past a coaster, my keys, a half-finished bottle of water… then finally my phone. Damn it. So much for being blind. I hated how something as simple as grabbing a phone could cost precious seconds. But once it was in my hand, I didn’t hesitate.“Hey Siri,” I said, trying to keep my tone steady. “Call… the Inspector of Police.”There was a short pause. Then Siri responded, “Calling Inspector of Police.”The phone rang once… twice. Then a click.“Sir!” the voice came through, cheerful, almost too enthusiastic for the weight sitting on my chest. “Sir, is everything alright?”“Victor,” I said sharply, leaning against the table as though that might steady the quaking inside me. “I need your he