Esther ckwell stared at the door long after Mia walked out, her hand still resting on the edge of her desk.

    Her office suddenly felt too small, too quiet. She could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall.

    She pushed herself away from the desk and stood quickly, almost too quickly.

    She began pacing around her office.

    She pressed her palm to her forehead, dragging it down her face.

    “What the hell am I doing?” she muttered under her breath.

    She is not supposed to believe this. She is not supposed to let herself be carried away by a damn dream.

    Dreams are just empty pictures in your head when you close your eyes. Nothing more.

    This wasn’t some silly movie where people could see the future in their sleep. It was ridiculous to even think about it.

    And yet…

    She stopped pacing, her arms wrapping around herself tightly as though she could hold her heart still.

    Whatever the reason, she believed her.

    The moment those words left Mia’s lips, the way her voice trembled, the way her body stiffened… Esther had seen it all. She had seen the horror in the girl’s eyes when Charles ckwell’s name left her mouth.

    That wasn’t a girl making up stories. That wasn’t someone being dramatic. That was someone fighting with herself, forcing the truth out even though it terrified her.

    Esther squeezed her eyes shut.

    She knew Charles.

    She knew him better than anyone. She knew what he was capable of. She knew how his mind worked, how patient he could be when he wanted something. He had always been that way, calcting, waiting, watching, never forgetting what he thought belonged to him.

    He wanted her back.

    Of course he did.

    That wasn’t surprising?

    He has tried begging them toe back, tried all his pity cards but it didn’t work, it’s not surprising he is turning to kidnapping.

    Esther’s jaw clenched so hard it hurt.

    Chapter i223 /i

    That bastard must be crazy.

    11

    If Charles thought for one second that Alex would walk away from everything he had built, from everything he had fought. tooth and nail to protect, just to go back to that rotting empire Charles called a legacy, then he was more delusional than she had ever imagined.

    Alex wasn’t that boy anymore. He wasn’t broken. He wasn’t chained to Charles’s name.

    Still…

    She sank down on the edge of the couch in her office, pressing her phone between her hands. Her fingers kept twitching.

    She had seen her son fight too hard to build a life worth living. She had seen him w his way out of the darkness Charles

    had them in.

    Alex had done everything to get them out of that town, away from that monster she called a husband.

    Her breathing grew uneven, and she forced herself to take deep breaths.

    She doesn’t even want to think about why the girl gets visions in a dream, that’s what it is right? How is that even possible…. Something like that only happens in movies, not in real life.

    It was ridiculous but she believes her.

    That girl had not wanted to speak. She had forced herself to. Esther could see it.

    And the moment Mia said Charles’s name, it was as if her mask shattered.

    She was terrified of him…

    That was enough. Enough to look into this. Enough to believe her

    She didn’t care how insane it sounded. She didn’t care if peopleughed in her face or told her she was losing her mind. She believed that girl.

    Her eyes flicked toward her desk, to the stack of papers she had been working on.

    She had forgotten why she even called Mia into her office in the first ce.

    What did it matter now?

    Nothing else mattered until she figured this out.

    She rose again, clutching her phone tightly, pacing once more.

    They havee this far, she was not about to let that monster take everything away from her.

    Charles wants Alex back, his fucking empire is copsing. He will do anything to get Alex back to Willowcrest….. To make Jullian is punching bag again.

    And she will rather die than let that bastard hurt her children again.

    11:08 Fri, 29 Aug

    bR /b

    She’s going to trust Mia Turner.

    47%

    39)

    The entire day at work Mia’s heart was jumping at every little noise.

    The m of a file cab down the hall, the sound of hurried footsteps, even the elevator dinging…it all made her flinch.

    Her stomach would twist, her chest would tighten, and her eyes would dart toward the door as if expecting it to swing

    open at any second.

    In her head she kept seeing it over and over again. A pair of police officers barging in, their voices loud and cold as they called her name. Or maybe not the police. Maybe Charles ckwell himself, with that monstrous look in his eyes, with his people surrounding him, blocking every possible escape.

    Her body stayed tense from morning until evening.

    But nothing happened, no police, no Charles ckwell, no security.

    The only thing that happened was time. Time dragged her through the endless hours until finally, the clock told her it was closing time.

    Relief should havee then, but it didn’t.

    Her hands trembled slightly as she packed up her things. She could still feel the weight of Esther ckwell’s gaze from earlier, could still hear the woman’s questions echoing in her mind.

    She was still in disbelief about the way Esther had reacted.

    Did she really believe her?

    Or had she just dismissed her kindly, the way you’d dismiss a child who came running with a nightmare?

    She didn’t know.

    Esther had asked questions. Real questions. Like she actually wanted to know more about the dream.

    She even apologized to Mia for being burdened with something so heavy, so frightening. And then she thanked her. Thanked her for telling her, as if Mia had given her something important.

    That didn’t sound like dismissal.

    It sounded like belief

    Right?

    Mie shook her head as she clutched her bag tighter, walking quickly out of her office. She kept reying it, needing to

    convince herself Esther must have believed her

    Her legs moved faster as she exited the building. She didn’t want to be there any longer than necessary.

    11:08 bFri/b, 29 Aug

    47%

    She waved down a taxi, climbed in, and told the driver her son’s school. The entire ride her fingers drummed nervously on her bag. She couldn’t wait to see Aiden’s face, to hold his little hand in hers, to know he was safe.

    When the taxi pulled up to the school, she leaned forward quickly, telling the driver to wait for her. She didn’t want to waste time finding another ride back.

    She stepped out, forced a smile, and walked toward the entrance.

    The atmosphere around the school felt calmer…Parents chatting with teachers, children ying andughing… everything looked normal and safe.

    She let out a small breath and waved politely as she passed other parents. She even managed a quick greeting to a mother she vaguely recognized.

    It was fine.

    Everything was fine. There was ho Charles ckwell or his men…

    She’s just over thinking…..she knows that…..

    She reached Aiden’s ssroom.

    Aiden’s teacher was standing at the door, talking to another parent.

    “Miss Rivers,” The teacher greets, her smile polite at first. But then she blinked, her smile slipping.

    *Aiden is not here,” She said like she’s confused why she is here.

    Her heart dropped so fast she had to resist the urge to press a hand against it.

    She takes in a deep breath reminding herself to breath

    Her mouth went dry. She had to force air into her lungs before she could even speak.

    Her mind grabbed onto the first exnation it could find. Ethan. Yes, Ethan. Ethan hade to pick him up.

    “iMy /ibrother, she whispered, her voice shaky, desperate. “Ethan Did… did Ethane?”

    Miss Rivers nodded a little too fast, like she was trying to reassure her. “Yes, yes…your brother came here with anotherdy and picked him up.”

    Mia froze

    Her brother. And anotherdy?

    “Whatdy?i” /i

    415