All Chapters of The Sweetest Stepmom: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The house settled into an uneasy quiet once the police car pulled away, Vanessa's warning still hanging in the air like smoke that hadn't finished clearing. "What did she mean," Amelia asked, turning to Daniel. "What is Grace willing to do." Daniel's face had gone gray with exhaustion and something closer to fear than Amelia had seen from him yet. "I don't know," he admitted. "But my daughter has spent her entire life believing the ends justify almost any means, as long as the outcome protects what she considers rightfully hers. If tonight's plan failed, I have no reason to believe she'll simply accept defeat quietly." "We need protection," Ethan said, already reaching for his phone. "Real security, not just the household staff. If Grace is capable of orchestrating a car accident, forging a judge's signature isn't going to be her limit." "I'll call in a private security firm I trust," Daniel said. "They can have a team here within the hour. Discreet, but thorough." Patrice, still

Amelia's heart slammed against her ribs as Grace approached the booth, her two silent companions fanning out to flank the diner's exit with a casualness that felt anything but accidental. "You can leave," Grace said to the two men, her eyes never leaving Amelia's face. "I don't think this conversation requires an audience." They retreated to a nearby booth instead, close enough to intervene if needed, far enough to pretend they weren't listening. Grace slid into the booth beside Jason without asking, forcing him to shift uncomfortably against the window. "You look tired, Amelia," Grace said pleasantly, as though they were old friends catching up rather than adversaries meeting for the first time. "I imagine the last two days haven't left much room for sleep." "What do you want," Amelia asked, keeping her voice steady despite the fear pulsing through her chest. "The same thing I've wanted since I learned you existed," Grace said simply. "Clarity. Certainty. The truth, whatever it

The officer took the phone carefully, examining the message and photograph with the practiced calm of someone trained not to let panic show, even as his eyes flicked briefly toward his partner in a way that suggested this had changed the entire shape of their investigation. "We'll need to trace this number immediately," he said. "And I want a forensic analysis of that photograph. Backgrounds, lighting, anything that might tell us where he's being held." "The message mentions the DNA lab," Amelia said, her voice shaking. "Whoever sent this knows about the test Grace and I arranged less than an hour ago. That means they're watching me closely, or they have someone close enough to know what's happening in real time." "Or they were already planning around that possibility," Daniel said grimly, having arrived at Noah's doorway sometime during the conversation, his face pale with a fear that mirrored everyone else's. "If someone anticipated Grace might eventually try exactly this kind of

The words landed like ice water down Amelia's spine. "What do you mean he's not with you," she said, her voice sharpening despite the tremor underneath it. "You just called claiming you'd been watching him for years. Tell me exactly what happened, right now." Sarah's voice on the other end cracked, all pretense of calm control finally shattering completely. "I hired someone through a contact I trusted, someone who owed me a favor from years ago, back before I had a legitimate practice. I told him to take Noah somewhere safe, somewhere quiet, just long enough to force a conversation with you. He confirmed the pickup, sent me the photograph you already saw. That was two hours ago. He was supposed to check in every thirty minutes after that. He's gone silent." "You hired a stranger to kidnap a child and you don't even know where he is right now," Ethan said, having leaned close enough to hear every word, his voice shaking with barely restrained fury. "I know it sounds insane," Sarah s

Amelia's heart pounded as she followed the officer inside, Ethan half a step ahead of her, both of them moving faster than caution probably allowed. "Let me talk to her," Amelia said. "Please. Before anyone does anything that could frighten Noah further." The lead officer hesitated, clearly weighing protocol against practicality, then nodded once. "Slowly," he said. "And if she reaches for anything, you step back immediately and let us handle it." They found Rachel exactly as described, sitting on the floor of a small, sparsely furnished room, Noah curled against her side, his triceratops clutched tightly to his chest. Rachel's eyes were red rimmed, her earlier composure entirely gone, replaced by something hollow and exhausted. "Amelia," Noah said the moment he saw her, his voice cracking with relief, though he didn't pull away from Rachel immediately, some confused loyalty keeping him rooted in place. "I'm here, sweetheart," Amelia said softly, crouching down slowly at a carefu