Chapter 105

Chapter 105
  Maximus:

It’s been five long days and still, no word about my kids.

Heartbroken doesn’t even scratch the surface. I feel like I’m falling apart.

I’m currently pacing the living room, lost in thought, haunted by a thousand questions that won’t let me rest.

Will I ever see them again? Will I ever get to hold them, hear them call me Daddy just like they did that day?

God, that memory… it brought the biggest smile to my face.

But now? My mind’s a mess. I can’t think straight. And worst of all, I know this is on me.

All of it.

I messed up. I left Selene when I shouldn’t have. I should’ve been there. For her. For the babies. I should’ve protected them with every ounce of strength I had.

Now I can’t even stand the sight of myself.

Selene replies to my texts, yeah… but it’s not the same. Not the way I need her to.

And I get it. I really do.

Because if I were her, I wouldn’t forgive me either.

And then there’s Jess.

I can’t stop thinking about her. Could she be behind this?

I don’t want to believe it, but the thought won’t leave me alone.

Still, I’ve sent people after her. If she’s involved, I want her found and dragged back here. I want her to pay for lying to me.

Torture? Yes. I want her to feel every ounce of the betrayal she served me.

But more than anything… I need to know who the father of Kylie is.

Who the hell did she sleep with?

Because once I find out, I swear to God, I’ll make sure he suffers too. I don’t care who he is. I. Don’t. Fcking. Care.

My thoughts are spiraling when the front door creaks open behind me.

I spin around, my heart skipping for a second—half hoping, half dreading what I might see.

But it’s not who I expected.

It’s my mother.

She storms in, practically flinging the door off its hinges. Her bag drops onto the chair like it weighs nothing.

“Maximus,” she breathes out, rushing toward me.

When she finally stands in front of me, her eyes pierce mine. She just stares. Silent, searching..before finally asking the one thing she’s been obsessing over since the truth came out.

“Have they been found? Have my grandchildren been found?”

I roll my eyes, trying hard not to groan.

Ever since Raymond ran his mouth and told her the truth I’ve been keeping buried, she’s been relentless. On edge, pacing, calling, digging.

And honestly? She’s driving me insane.

She’s been showing up at the house almost every day now, tossing out questions like grenades. How did this happen, who took them, why would anyone do this?

As if she’d actually do something if I had the answers.

“Maximus, answer me!” she snaps, voice sharp and cracking at the edges. For a moment, I swear I see the glint of tears forming in her eyes. “How could you keep something this big from me?”

Not again.

“Mom, please. Just calm down—”

“No!” she cuts me off harshly. “Don’t you dare tell me to calm down. I just want to see my grandchildren! I want to hold them. Your children. Not that bastard Jess gave birth to!”

My brows knit tightly. “Mom, Kylie is—”

“Not your child,” she hisses, stepping closer. “Send her to her grandmother, Maya. I’m done raising her. I won’t do it again. I only want Anna... and—”

She stops, blinking as if her own memory stabs her in the chest.

“Asher. Yes. Anna and Asher!” Her hands fly to her head and she staggers back slightly, her voice cracking as her breathing quickens. “Oh God, please… please let them be okay!”

“Mom, listen to me,” I say, trying to steady her, “we’ve got people on it. They’ll be found.”

But she’s not listening anymore. Her sobs grow louder, her lips trembling as she mutters prayers and pleas under her breath.

My legs are starting to ache from standing too long, so I finally take two steps forward and sink into the couch with a heavy sigh.

My eyes settle on my mother, and I can’t help but watch her. She’s still pacing, still whispering prayers. It’s hard to believe this is the same woman who once hated Selene with every bone in her body… and yet here she is, completely shattered over the disappearance of Anna and Asher. Selene’s children.

I’m glad she’s changed, though. I just hope Selene can find it in her heart to forgive her. To forgive me.

All I want is to be with my children again. My precious babies. To hold them. To hear them laugh.

Suddenly, the front door bursts open and Raymond’s voice slices through the tension in the room.

“Maximus!”

I jerk upright, my eyes darting toward him, hoping—praying—he’s got news. Something. Anything. From the police. About Anna and Asher.

But something’s off.

Raymond’s trembling.

“Raymond?” I rise halfway from the couch. “What is it? What’s going-“

Before I can finish, the door swings open again.

And this time… it’s my father.

“Dad?” I shoot to my feet completely, my body going rigid as our eyes lock.

What the hell is he doing here?

He never visits. Hell, I can’t even remember the last time he stepped into this house.

“Maximus…” he says after a heavy pause.

My jaw tightens. “What are you doing here?” I growl, louder than I intend to.

Part of me expects him to explode, to bark back and remind me who he is.

But… he doesn’t.

He just stands there, calm. Watching me.

“I’m just here to apologize,” he finally says.

I blink, stunned. “What?”

“I know I’ve been hard on you,” he continues, voice quieter now, “on your business… on everything, really. I just wanted you to know I’m sorry. Deeply sorry. I’ve been a bad father, I know that. I hope we can get closer… you know, just like we used to. You’re my first and favourite son.”

I can’t help but let out a low chuckle. He must be joking.

He pauses, staring at me then adds, “I also heard about what that wench Jess did. And about Selene… that she had my grandkids. Twins. A boy, even.”

I let out a dry scoff.

Of course he knows.

I whip my head toward my mother..and there it is.

She won’t meet my eyes. Her head’s bowed, her gaze darting everywhere but in my direction.

So she told him.

“Mum,” I snap, my voice sharp with disbelief. “Why the hell would you tell him when I specifically asked you not to? I made it clear—”

“I…” she stammers, eyes flicking nervously. “I…”

“Son, She didn’t tell me,” my father cuts in.

My head jerks toward him, and for a second, my brain stutters. 

Did he just call me son?

“How then did you know?” I demand.

He exhales slowly, almost like he’s trying to tread carefully. “Well… she didn’t tell me directly. But I overheard her talking to one of her friends. Something about Jess having a bastard, and how God compensated her with two beautiful kids from your ex-wife.”

“What the hell?” My eyes widen.

Beautiful kids? She hasn’t even met them!

I run a hand over my face, pacing now, the pressure building in my chest. They’re not safe anymore. Not with people talking. Not with him knowing.

“You know what? I’m done. I’m currently—”

But my sentence cuts off.

A sharp, loud sound slices through the haze, making everyone in the room freeze.

I shove my hand into my pocket, fingers fumbling until I feel my phone. The screen lights up.

A new message.

It’s from the private investigators.

I open it…and freeze.

An address. And just three words.

“They’ve been found.”

My heart lurches. Everything around me blurs for a second.

“Maximus, what is it?” my father asks, his voice a low echo in the background.

I don’t respond. 

Instead, I yank my keys out of my pocket, adrenaline kicking in as I turn on my heel and storm out of the room.

“Raymond, let’s go,” I bark, grabbing his arm and dragging him with me.