Chapter 92 Chapter 92
Amelia
I sat on the edge of the couch, my fingers twisting together in my lap. My phone rested on the table in front of me, screen facing up, volume high. I was Waiting for a call, from the detectives or an unknown number. It’s been over twenty four hours abd still nothing.
Beside me, Adele gently rubbed my back, she had taken the day off at work to come stay with me. “You need to breathe,” she said softly. I didn’t realize I had been holding my breath again.
“Have you tried calling Declan?” she asked carefully. “Something in me just can’t put this past him, he is a vile person, maybe he’s behind this.” I have called his number several times yesterday, he wasn’t picking up and at some point his number wasn’t going through.
My stomach twisted. “I have called him,” I whispered. “He’s not picking up.”
Adele frowned. “That’s suspicious.” Everything felt suspicious now.
“Maybe we should find out where he’s staying,” she continued. “If he’s really involved, we can’t just sit here. We could have someone watch him. At least know what he’s doing.”
I was going to speak to Maxwell about it but he has been avoiding me since last night and practically on call the whole time. We both didn’t go to work today, yet he hasn’t left his phone since.
Before I could respond, I heard footsteps, Maxwell walked into the living room. He didn’t look at me, he was on the phone.
“Just make sure you watch him closely.” He said, he finally looked at me. “…I don’t care how discreet you have to be,” he was saying, his voice calm but hard. “Keep a watch on her parents too. Every movement, one is to be left out.”
My heart dropped.My parents? I shot up from the couch. “What?” I blurted out.
He held up one finger without looking at me, signaling me to be quiet while he listened to the person on the other end. Anger rushed through me. “Maxwell, my parents would never—”
He turned slightly away, still on the call. “Make sure her parents are monitored,” he repeated. “And don’t make it obvious.”
My hands started shaking. “They would never kidnap their own grandchildren!” I cried. “Why would they raise the alarm if they were the ones who took them?”
He finally looked at me then and the look in his eyes made my stomach drop.There was no warmth there. He lifted the phone back to his ear.
“And keep my wife under watch too,” he added flatly. “Closely.”
The words felt like a slap. Adele stiffened beside me.
“Maxwell,” I whispered, disbelief flooding me. “You think I would—”
He ended the call. He slid the phone into his pocket and walked a little closer, stopping a few feet away from me.
“You don’t know what’s coming for you,” he said quietly.
The calmness in his voice scared me more than his anger from last night. I had made mistakes. Terrible ones. But I would never hurt my girls.
Adele stepped forward before I could say anything. “Maxwell, please,” she said, trying to stay calm. “Don’t make rash decisions. This isn’t the time to let anger control you.”
He turned to her slowly. The look he gave her was sharp enough to cut. “Keep your mouth shut,” he said coldly. “Stay out of this. Or I will have you thrown out of this house.”
Adele didn’t flinch. “If not for you,” he continued, his voice rising, “none of this would have happened. I would never have crossed paths with Amelia ever .”
Adele’s eyes flashed, she stepped in front of me “Oh please,” she snapped. “Don’t you dare put this on me. No one asked you to cheat on your ex wife, you did that willingly.”
Maxwell’s jaw tightened.
“You think you are innocent in all this?” she continued. “You walk around threatening to take children away from their mother and throw her into an asylum, and you expect her to run into your arms with a pregnancy confession?”
The room felt like it was shaking. “What woman,” Adele pressed, her voice fierce now, “would tell you she had your child when that’s the kind of man you are?”
Maxwell took a step forward, but she didn’t back down. “Whatever Amelia did,” she said firmly, “she did to protect herself and her daughters. And if it comes to custody? We will fight. To any length.”
My heart was pounding so loudly I could barely hear my own breathing. Maxwell opened his mouth to respond but my phone rang. All three of us froze, I looked down at the screen, it was an Unknown number.
My hands started trembling immediately. Maxwell’s eyes locked on the phone. “Pick it up,” he ordered.
Adele whispered urgently, “Answer it.”
My fingers felt numb as I swiped to accept the call. “H-hello?” My voice barely came out.
For a second, there was only static, then a sound. Soft at first then clearer. My daughters were crying in the background, my chest tightened so hard. My knees nearly gave out.
“Mommy!” one of them sobbed faintly in the background.The world around me disappeared. “Please!” another cried.
Tears flooded my eyes instantly. “Babies? Babies, I’m here!” I choked out. “Mommy’s here!” Maxwell was in front of me now, his face pale but controlled, trying to listen.
A woman’s voice came onto the line. “If you ever want to see them again,” she said slowly, “you will follow instructions.”