Dark Revenge Of An Unwanted Wife The Twins Are Not Yours novel Chapter 378

Chapter 378: More Worries IV

Athena sat frozen, her chest tightening as Margaret’s words echoed through the phone like the tolling of a bell. Missing.

It did not make sense. She thought sharply. She had been careful, more careful than she had ever been with anything else in her life when she picked the place with Lucas–not wanting any backlash that might affect them after the court case at the elders’ council.

The family of three had been sent to a location buried beneath layers of secrecy, hidden even from allies, tucked away in anonymity. No paper trail. No whispers. No chance of a breach. Only her old CIA contacts had the coordinates. Not even Aiden knew the full address–But only because he wasn’t interested in it.

And yet—

Her throat closed. Her mind stumbled over the thought. How had they been found? Who could have possibly pierced the veil?

Her fingers clenched the phone so tightly that her knuckles burned white. Behind the sharp edge of panic, anger simmered. She felt it in her ribs, pulsing with every shallow breath.

For a moment she could not speak... only think in rabid circles. What was the end result of this? Why would they touch Kendra?

Margaret’s muffled sobs filled the silence. Athena pressed her palm to her temple, forcing herself to steady. She swallowed, then pushed her voice out through the storm in her chest.

"Margaret," she finally said, low, taut. "Tell me. Start from the beginning. What happened?"

On the other end, Margaret sniffled, trying to compose herself. But she was a talker before the sickness—always had been—and once the dam cracked, the words spilled out.

"I... I went to the market, Athena. Just for a little while. I didn’t think—God forgive me, I didn’t think! I only wanted to get foodstuffs. Rice, some meat, and a few things for dinner. You know I don’t like feeding them junk. Lucas was with Kendra, He hadn’t gone to work today. They were fine. They waved me off. I told them I’d be quick."

Her voice broke, but she pushed on, rushing now, as though afraid Athena might cut her off.

"The market was busy. Too busy. People shouting prices, haggling. I kept thinking of what Lucas wanted for stew, Kendra’s favorite fruits—oh God, her little hands, always tugging at me to buy more oranges. I—I didn’t notice anyone following me, or anything suspicious. I swear, Athena, I didn’t."

Athena closed her eyes, ignoring Mageret’s rambling, understanding the woman’s panic. She pictured Margaret there, moving from stall to stall, chatter spilling from her lips as she joked with the vendors. Margaret’s nature had always been warm, overly open.

Never toward her of course, in those past years. But to people around her, to her family, she had been that. She was the kind who never left silence alone. It was both her charm and her flaw.

"Go on," Athena murmured, her tone clipped but not unkind.

"When I came back..." Margaret’s voice trembled. "The door. It was open. Just hanging there. I stopped. I thought—maybe Lucas stepped out. But no. I knew. I knew something was wrong. A mother always know, you know... My legs turned cold. I wanted to run, Athena, but I couldn’t. I pushed the door, and the smell—oh, the smell of dust and metal. The place was turned upside down. Chairs broken. The table—splintered. Curtains torn. I thought maybe they were hiding, maybe they ran. I shouted their names. Nothing. No Lucas. No Kendra. Only silence."

Athena gripped the phone tighter. Her stomach knotted.

Margaret sobbed, the sound jagged and raw. "I searched every room. Every corner. The kitchen—empty. The bedrooms—mess everywhere. Not a note, Athena. Not even a warning. Nothing. Just gone. As if they had been swallowed."

For a few seconds, Athena could not breathe. Her heart twisted with Margaret’s grief. She forced herself to listen past the sobs, every word etching itself into her memory. Her mind raced, pulling pieces, trying to find the hole in her plan.

When she spoke again, her voice was steady, though her insides felt like they were splitting apart. Kendra. "Did you see anything strange before you left? Anyone hanging around? A car that didn’t belong? A neighbor watching too closely?"

Silence. Margaret inhaled sharply, as if she were truly searching her memory. Seconds stretched.

"No," she whispered finally. "No, Athena. Nothing. Just the usual faces at the market. Nothing else."

Athena pressed her fingers into her eyes, forcing back the pressure swelling behind them. "Alright," she said softly, though her jaw was hard. "Listen to me carefully. I’ll take care of this. But you must do exactly as I say. Do not go back to that house. Don’t linger on the streets. Go to the Silver Elm Hotel—third floor, room 309. My friend Eric will come for you. He’s tall, dark hair, scar under his chin. He’ll call with the code: ’Do you still keep roses?’ That’s how you’ll know it’s him. Don’t speak to anyone else. Don’t open the door for anyone else. Do you understand?"

Margaret sniffled, but her reply came firm, desperate. "Yes, Athena. Yes. I’ll go now."

"Good. Stay put until Eric arrives." Athena exhaled. "Hold yourself together, Margaret. For them."

The line ended.

Athena didn’t hesitate. She dialed Eric immediately. The man answered on the second ring, his voice alert.

"Athena."

"Where are you?" she demanded.

"Good. Listen carefully. Margaret’s compromised. Lucas and Kendra are gone. She’s heading to Silver Elm Hotel currently. Room 309. The code is Do you still keep roses? Don’t forget it. Take the jet. Tell the boss it’s an emergency. I want that tracker I planted on their phones activated. Now."

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