“Who are they?” My voice comes out hoarse.
Jason tilts his head, feigning curiosity. “Friends.” He shrugs like it’s nothing. Like he hasn’t just torn our world apart. “Associates.” His eyes darken. “People who are very interested in making sure you and the girls stay put.”
Ella presses closer to me, burying her face in my stomach. Emma grips my hand.
He’s got an army. We have nothing.
Panic slams into me like a freight train. The safehouse, the security measures, the three men protecting us—it was all for nothing. We were never safe.
Jason crouches in front of me, tilting his head as he studies my face. “What’s wrong, Mia? You can tell me, we're still married after all”
My stomach curdles. Not by choice. He never signed the divorce papers.
I glare at him. Don’t let him see the fear. Don’t let him win.
He chuckles, amused. “Relax, sweetheart. No one’s gonna hurt you. Not unless you give me a reason.” His gaze flickers to the twins, lingering just long enough to make my blood run cold. “And I’d really hate for you to give me a reason.”
I force myself to breathe, to keep my hands steady as I stroke Emma’s hair.
My stomach churns as I step into the room. Pink walls. White curtains. Exactly like my childhood bedroom. Like the place I once called home before Jason turned it into a cage.
My fingers curl into fists, nails biting into my palms. He’s been planning this. This isn’t just about taking us; it's about control. Recreating the past, trapping me in it.
Jason leans against the doorway, arms crossed like he’s proud of himself.
I look around. Everything about this house feels fake. Like a dollhouse. A sick, twisted recreation of the life he thought we were supposed to have.
Emma clings tighter to my leg, and Ella’s little fingers dig into my arm. They feel my fear, even if they don’t understand it.
I force my lips to move. “How long?” My voice barely carries. “How long have you been setting this up?”
Jason smiles, slow and indulgent, as if I’ve just asked the stupidest question in the world. “Since the moment you walked away, sweetheart.”
My breath catches.
He gestures toward the hallway, completely at ease, like this is just another night at home. Like he hasn’t stolen us, trapped us here.
“The girls can share the blue room,” he says casually. “I know how they hate sleeping apart.”
Ella makes a tiny whimpering sound.
Ice slides through my veins. He knows. He knows things about them that he shouldn’t.
My pulse thunders in my ears. I swallow hard, keeping my voice even. “You… you’ve been watching them.”
Jason raises a brow, amused. “Of course I have.” His lips curve. “What kind of father wouldn’t?”
Emma stiffens beside me, her small fingers trembling in mine.
The room tilts.No. No, no, no.
I can’t let him claim them. I can’t let him steal them the way he stole my choices.
I push the girls behind me, shielding them as much as I can. My heart is hammering so loud, I feel it in my skull. “They’re not yours.”
Jason sighs, his smile never fading. “You keep saying that,” he muses. “And yet… here we are.”
The walls press in. The pink, the white, the perfectly controlled illusion of home.
