104

104
  Selene: 

My hands shake as I prepare for surgery. 

This has never happened before. Not once in my life. I’ve always been confident in the OR, always ready. But today, something feels off. 

My hands are dry, rough, unsteady. I know I won’t be at my best, but I can’t let my patient down. If I don’t do this, he will die.  

I take a deep breath, forcing myself to focus, but the weight in my chest won’t lift. It’s been two days since my children disappeared. Two days of silence. No ransom, no demands. Nothing!

The detectives are doing everything they can, but whoever took them is smart. No traces, no leads.  

I feel like I’m unraveling. What is my world without Anna and Asher? They drive me crazy, always getting into trouble, always testing my patience…but I wouldn’t trade a second of it.  

And now, no matter how much it kills me, I have to work with Maximus. I can’t do this alone. I’m barely holding on as it is.

Tears blur my vision as I rush into the bathroom, bumping into a few doctors on the way. I don’t stop, don’t even bother to apologize. 

The moment I’m inside, I slam the door shut.  

I grip the sink, staring at my reflection in the mirror. The exhaustion is written all over my face. Dark circles, hollow eyes, the weight of everything pressing down on me. 

I look like a woman unraveling.  

The door creaks open, and Avery steps in. The second I see her, I break.

I throw myself into her arms, clinging to her as sobs wrack my body. The tears I’ve been holding back come pouring out, soaking into her clothes.  

I’ve been pretending to be strong for my mom’s sake. She’s already devastated, barely holding it together after two days without her grandkids. 

If she sees me breaking down, it’ll shatter her completely, and I can’t do that to her. She’s already suffering enough.  

But the truth is, we all are. Nelly especially…she won’t stop blaming herself, saying if she hadn’t left them, this wouldn’t have happened. But it’s not her fault. She wasn’t the one who took my babies.  

Just the thought of something happening to them sends another wave of agony crashing over me. I sob harder, my body shaking in Avery’s arms.  

She tightens her hold on me, her voice filled with worry. “You’re scaring me, Selene. I’ve never seen you cry like this..not after the poison incident, not even after the accident. What’s wrong?”

Avery gently pushes me back, brushing the tears from my cheeks. Her brows knit together, and that familiar look crosses her face. The one she gets when she’s trying to decide whether to ask me something. 

She bites her lip, the telltale sign that her curiosity is eating away at her.  

“Don’t tell me it’s Mason or that bitch of a stepsister. Just say the word, and I’ll deal with her,” she says, trying to lighten the mood with a joke about Jess. But it falls flat. 

Nothing can make me smile right now. Not unless Anna and Asher walk through those doors, alive and well.  

But what if they don’t? What if I’m clinging to a hope that doesn’t exist? 

What if my babies are gone? The thought tightens my chest, making it hard to breathe.  

I shake my head, swallowing hard. “I wish it were Mason or Jess. At least then, I’d know how to deal with it.” I pause, sniffling, my voice breaking as I confess, “But it’s not. There’s something I’ve been keeping from you, Avery.”

“Keeping from me? What’s that?”

I pause. After a few seconds, I swallow hard and then say, “The reason I hate Maximus so much... is because he divorced me while I was still pregnant.”  

Her eyes widen. “W..what?”

“Yes. He didn’t know about the pregnancy, but that doesn’t excuse what he did. If he’d had even a shred of love for me, he wouldn’t have divorced me. Not like that. And now my children are gone. They’re missing, Avery.” I say, my voice breaking. “What if... what if someone just wanted to hurt them? Kill them? How am I supposed to survive without Anna and Asher? Why is this happening to me?”  

Avery stays silent, her expression frozen in shock. I can tell she’s trying to process everything…that I had kids with Maximus, that I kept it from her all this time. 

I expect her to be angry, maybe even lash out, but instead, she focuses on calming me down.  

“Relax, Selene. Take a deep breath,” she says gently, tapping my shoulders. “Having a panic attack won’t help. We need to think. Do you have any suspects? Since Neo is in jail, it can’t be him. What about your stepsister? This seems like something she’d do.”  

I shake my head. “No, it doesn’t add up,” I murmur. “Jess doesn’t even know I have kids. As far as she’s concerned, I’m barren, and I want to keep it that way. She’s never met them.” I sniff, wiping my nose. “Maximus, on the other hand… he only found out recently when he ran into them at the mall. And right after that, they disappeared.” My voice tightens. “If I have to suspect anyone, it’s him, not Jess.”  

Avery frowns, thinking it over, but I don’t stop. “And as for Neo? I don’t even want to talk about him.” My stomach twists at the thought. “The fact that someone I’ve known for so long is capable of something like that…” I shake my head, forcing the thought away.  

I exhale shakily. Maximus is the only one who has a real reason to hide them. He wouldn’t fight for custody..he’d do something underhanded instead. 

I break down even more, my sobs ragged. “I just wish he would tell me where they are,” I cry, my voice cracking. “They’re all alone. I know my babies must have cried themselves to sleep by now. I feel so lost, Avery. I don’t know what to do.”  

I’m spiraling. I don’t even know what to believe anymore. Part of me wants to think that Maximus isn’t the one behind all this—that maybe I’m just clouded by my own hatred for him. 

But the doubt lingers.  

I try to picture anyone else who might know about my kids, but nothing comes to mind. The thought gnaws at me. 

And what Avery said rings in my ears: I can’t rule out anyone, not until I have my children safe.  

My pager buzzes suddenly, breaking through the chaos in my mind. I glance at it, trying to steady my breath.  

“We’re needed in the ER,” I say, wiping my face with the back of my hand. “Let’s go. I can’t do any surgeries today. I’m not in the right headspace for it. I’ll have Doctor Johnson take over.”

I pull away from Avery, but she pulls me back, her grip firm. “You’re not breaking down again,” she says, wiping my tears away. “I’m here for you, Selene. I promise. Your children are going to be okay. When this is over, I’ll finally get to meet them. But right now, your patients are waiting. Let’s go save lives.”  

Her words, steady and comforting, somehow give me a little strength. She takes my hands and pulls me out of the restroom, but the moment we step into the ER, everything shatters.  

“Nelly!” I cry out, my voice loud with panic. “What happened to you?”  

But Nelly doesn’t respond. Her body is limp and her clothes soaked in blood. 

I freeze, my heart racing. I don’t even know where the blood is coming from, and the sight of it makes my stomach turn. I stand there, frozen, staring in disbelief. 

What the hell is going on?