Imprisoned While Pregnant, She's Back for Payback novel Chapter 427

Chapter 427 Angry Ken

Tess’s lips curved into a sharp smile, her tone cutting like steel. “I’m a mother too. No matter what happens, I would never leave my child behind.”

Ken’s chest rose and fell with rage, his words spilling out fast and raw. “You can say that because you’ve never lived through terror! You’ve never had someone threaten your family, so you think it’s easy to judge them!”

Lyra’s face changed in an instant. She bent down quickly, gripping his trembling hands with both of hers. “Honey, what do you mean by threats? Were your parents threatened? Tell me what happened. I’ll help you.”

Ken’s furious eyes softened when they met her gentle face. His anger melted beneath the warmth, as if invisible hands were wrapping around his pain.

His body shook from head to toe.

The nightmare replayed in his mind.

Men had barged into his home not long ago, tearing through the rooms like a storm. They smashed and tossed everything in sight. His mom tried to stop them, but they shoved her hard, and she hit the floor with a cry.

The leader’s face stayed hidden. His voice was low and harsh. “Bring Nicholas out here!”

His dad should have been working in the mill that day. But his mom had called, her voice urgent, telling him to come home at once.

And she told him what had happened at home.

He arrived ready to fight, but the moment his eyes landed on those men, the fury drained out of him, leaving only dread.

“Have you made your decision?”

The largest man stepped closer, his body so massive it blotted out his father’s frame completely.

Cold fear wrapped around Ken’s chest and squeezed tight.

“Yes! I’ll do it! I’ll help!”

His dad’s voice cracked under the weight.

The man who once stood tall seemed to shrink into something frail and bent.

“Do as you’re told. And your wife and kid are coming too.”

His father collapsed to his knees with a thud, his words desperate.

“Please, let my boy stay. He’s still in school. Don’t take him.”

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Ken’s mom clung to him, her arms locked tight around his shoulders. Her eyes burned with panic. She pulled a pair of scissors from nowhere and pressed the blade against her own neck, daring them to try.

The men hesitated. The leader pulled out a phone and made a call.

Lyra’s voice was tender, urging him on.

“Do you remember what they called the person on the line?”

Ken’s teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached.

“Mr. Ember.”

That name seared itself into his memory. The devil who destroyed his family.

The memory left him shivering, his whole body gone cold.

Tess and Lyra locked eyes, heavy with the same thought.

Tess leaned closer, her gaze steady.

“We can help you find them. But you need to come with us. Will you?”

Ken’s brows pulled tight. He stepped back, suspicion flashing like fire.

“You knew all along. You came here just to find me.”

Lyra’s lips curved with a faint smile. She hadn’t expected him to be this quick.

“You’re right. We’re going after the ones who took your parents. But to fight them, we need proof.”

Tess nodded once, showing no hesitation.

Ken lowered his eyes. His lashes cast long shadows across his pale cheeks. Silence dragged on, heavy and suffocating. Both women thought he would refuse.

Then his head lifted, and his eyes lit with fierce resolve.

They arranged leave from his school. By the time Tess and Lyra led him back to the hotel, the sky was already sinking into dusk.

As Tess stepped onto the second floor, she froze. A small figure crouched outside her door, looking so lonely that the sight pierced her heart.

Lachlan’s head lifted at the sound of footsteps. His tired eyes sparked with sudden light when he saw her.

He scrambled to his feet and rushed toward her. But blood rushed to his head from crouching too long, and his body faltered, nearly falling.

Tess caught him quickly. The weight of her forgotten promise crashed over her. She had promised to take him to his grandmother’s grave, to the ruins. But she had pushed it aside.

She had found what she came for. She could leave Krigan tomorrow. But she had not kept her word to him.

She was supposed to take him to her grandmother’s final resting place.

“Who is that?”

Lachlan’s eyes landed on Ken, filled with curiosity but edged with something sharper.

“He’s coming with us tomorrow. We’re leaving for Aetheris.”

Lachlan’s eyes narrowed. He seized on the word. “You’re leaving tomorrow? But you promised me! What’s Aetheris? I’m coming too!”

His voice rang with protest.

Tess pressed her fingers to her temple with a sigh. “Fine. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take you there. In the afternoon, we leave for Aetheris.”

Lachlan’s shoulders eased, but only slightly. “And Aetheris? I’m going with you.”

Tess’s brows knit tight. Her voice sharpened.

“Why would you come?”

Lachlan stared back, unflinching. He tilted his head like a stubborn stray animal that refused to

“Because I want to stay with you.”

The words came out bold, almost reckless.

Tess let out a breathless laugh, half frustrated, half amused. If she had known he would cling like this, she never would have spoken to him that first day.

Her thoughts must have flickered across her face, because his eyes dropped. His spark dimmed. His head bowed low, his shoulders heavy. He looked like a stray pup left alone in the rain.