Chapter 19
Samantha’s POV
I immediately connected my charger as I settled on a chair in my hotel room after I was transferred here. Annie’s name glowed on the screen, followed by a string of messages that I was not able to access earlier since my phone immediately died.
The first one brought a smile to my lips:“The twins wanted to stay up late, but don’t worry, I tucked them in on time. Devon tried to convince me otherwise, though!”
Scrolling through the others, I could almost hear Annie’s cheerful voice narrating their antics: ‘Diana refusing to eat her carrots, Devon pretending to be a superhero, both of them begging for bedtime stories about wolves.’
But it was her last message that made my heart clench:“They’ve been asking for you all day, Samantha. Devon said he missed your hugs, and Diana said she did not like how long you are gone.”
I stared at the words, blinking hard. For a moment, the chaotic events from the day melted away, leaving only the ache in my chest, to see my twins again. They were my family now, my reason to fight, to survive, to keep moving forward, and this was the first time I had been away from them for too long.
I brushed away a tear threatening to fall and took a deep breath, trying to push aside the lingering thoughts of Dominic and focus on my twins. My phone buzzed again — this time, a video call from Annie.
The screen lit up with her smiling face. “Hey, Samantha! I thought you would want to say goodnight to the kiddos. Let me grab them.”
Relief washed over me. “Thanks, Annie. You are a lifesaver.”
She stepped away, calling for the twins in the background. But then, something shifted. Her voice grew louder, sharper, more... urgent. “Devon? Diana? Where are you?”
I straightened in my chair as the relief evaporated in the air and was replaced with worry. “Annie? What’s wrong?” I asked.
Annie’s face appeared again and I could clearly see the worry etched into her features. “They are not here. They were in their room a few minutes ago... wait, what’s this?”