"Ares, we need to talk about her."
Lady Bianca's voice cut through the quietness of the marble floored sitting room. She sat upright on the edge of the couch, her hands clasped tightly on her lap, her posture dignified and commanding as ever. Marcus stood by the liquor cabinet, pouring himself a glass of brandy, though his eyes never left his son. The weight of their scrutiny bore heavily on Ares, but he didn't flinch.
Julian, leaning casually against the mantlepiece, caught Ares's eye and gave a subtle nod. The plan was already in motion.
Ares let out a controlled breath and lowered himself into the armchair opposite his mother. "Mother… Father… what exactly do you want to know?"
Bianca's sharp gaze softened only slightly. "Don't play games with me, Ares. Where is your baby mama? Something's changed. Why haven't I seen Tessa?"
Marcus swirled the amber liquid in his glass, his tone blunt. "You threatened that poor innocent girl, didn't you?"
The name echoed through the room, and though Ares's jaw tightened, his expression remained carefully blank. Julian stepped in smoothly, his voice calm and persuasive.
"You must be mistaken, Lord Marcus. No one threatened Tessa. Ares has been busy with fatherhood and company matters, and I've been right beside him. You know how gossip twists the truth."
Bianca's eyes flickered to Julian, then back to Ares. "You expect me to believe that? Okay, go fetch me Tessa. I want to see her. You can't right? That's because she's not here. We can sense when you're lying, Ares. Do not insult us."
Ares leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his voice low and deliberate. "Tessa is fine. She stepped out with her friend, Chloe. You know, a night break from the babies, that's all."
Bianca's lips thinned. "Gone where?"
Ares shot Julian another glance, and his friend caught the cue instantly.
"Chloe is my girlfriend," Julian said smoothly. "Trust me your soon to be daughter in law is doing great."
Ares let the lie settle, keeping his face hard, impassive. His mother's intuition gnawed at her, he could see it, but the precision of the lie was flawless.
Marcus grunted. "So it's nothing? You didn't send her away?"
"Exactly," Ares replied. "Can I go now? These questions are ridiculous."
Bianca studied him for a long moment, her eyes narrowing. Then she sat back, folding her arms, clearly unconvinced but unwilling to push further yet.
The tension in the room lingered but Ares forced himself to remain calm.
Julian's phone buzzed softly, and he slipped out of the room, muttering something about a business call. Ares followed him with his gaze, knowing the call was with their security team. Another dead end, no doubt.
He clenched his fists. Wherever she was, he would find her.
***
The night pressed heavily over Pinewood, wrapping the woods in silence. Inside the lonely cabin, shadows stretched along the walls like dark fingers. Chloe slept soundly on the lumpy couch, her breathing steady, her face slack with exhaustion. But Tessa couldn't close her eyes.
The cabin was suffocating. Every creak of the wooden beams, every whisper of wind through the cracks in the windows made her skin crawl. She sat by the kitchen window, the moonlight casting pale light across her tear-streaked face.
Her babies' cries haunted her ears even here, miles away. She could almost see their little faces in the dark, their tiny fists reaching out for her.
She pressed her forehead to the cool glass and whispered brokenly, "My babies… my sweet babies…"
The weight of it crushed her chest. The nursery. The smell of powder and milk. The four of them crying together, their voices blending like a chorus she couldn't silence.
She slid down to the kitchen floor, her knees pulled tight to her chest, sobs racking her body. She tried to be quiet so Chloe wouldn't wake, but the grief was too big, too consuming.
"I should never have left you," she whispered hoarsely. "I should be there. I should be holding you."
Her mind flashed back to tiny hands curled around her finger, four pairs of innocent eyes blinking up at her. She remembered singing to them in the quiet hours of the night, promising them she would never leave. And now here she was, hiding in the woods, while strangers tried to soothe their cries.
The guilt burned like acid.
She wiped her face with trembling hands and glanced toward the couch. Chloe stirred but didn't wake. Good.
Tessa's heart pounded as she made her decision. She couldn't stay here. She couldn't sit in this suffocating cabin while her babies cried for her.
Carefully, quietly, she slipped on her shoes and crept toward the door. The old hinges groaned faintly, and she froze, her breath catching. Chloe shifted again, muttering something in her sleep, then settled.
Tessa exhaled shakily and slipped outside.
The night air was cold against her damp skin. The woods loomed, dark and endless, but she forced herself forward. Her tears blurred her vision, but she didn't stop. She stumbled down the dirt path, her chest aching, her legs trembling.
The further she went, the more memories crashed over her.
The first time she held them. The warmth of their tiny bodies against hers. Their fragile breathing. The way Ares had looked at them.
"He hates them." She muttered.
She broke into a run, her sobs tearing out of her throat, echoing in the stillness of the night. She didn't care who heard. She didn't care if she woke the whole damn forest.
"I'm coming back for you," she whispered through her tears. "I swear to God, I'm coming back."
Her feet pounded against the dirt road, carrying her further from the cabin. Her lungs burned, her legs screamed, but she pushed on.
She saw the headlights of a car.
She stumbled to a halt in the middle of the road, blinded by the sudden wash of light. For a second, panic surged through her. What if it was Ares? What if it was his men?
But then another thought overpowered the fear: help.
She couldn't let the chance slip.
Her tears streamed faster as she raised both arms, standing directly in the car's path. Her legs shook, but she refused to move.
The car screeched, tires skidding against gravel, and came to a stop just a breath away from her.
Tessa stood there, trembling, her chest heaving, her face streaked with tears.
The door clicked open.