The SUV pulled into a long, winding driveway surrounded by dense trees. The safe house came into view—a modern, two-story structure with high walls and a sleek, minimalist design. The property was surrounded by surveillance cameras, and a tall electric fence wrapped around its perimeter. The soft glow of lights from inside the house gave it an oddly comforting appearance, but Victoria couldn’t shake the fear gnawing at her.
Marcus parked the car and stepped out first, scanning the area before opening the door for Victoria and Elena. “This is the safest place we’ve got,” he said, his voice steady. “No one’s getting in here without us knowing.”
Victoria stepped out, her legs shaky as she took in the fortified property. “It looks… impenetrable,” she murmured, her hand instinctively resting on her belly.
“It is,” Marcus assured her, gesturing toward the front door. “Let’s get you inside.”
Elena stayed close to Victoria, her eyes darting nervously around the property. “I hope Zayden has bulletproof everything in here because I am not about to play action hero tonight.”
They entered the house, the interior sleek and modern with neutral tones, high ceilings, and large windows reinforced with steel shutters. Tobias and Jonathan were already inside, standing near the dining table, laptops and files spread out in front of them.
“Took you long enough,” Tobias said, his tone light but tinged with worry. His eyes immediately went to Victoria. “You okay?”
“No,” Victoria said bluntly, walking over to the table and pulling out her phone. “Look at this.” She handed it to Tobias, her voice trembling. “I got this message while we were in the car.”
Jonathan leaned over Tobias’s shoulder to read the message. His face darkened, and he muttered a curse under his breath. “‘That baby is mine. No bastard will raise it’? Who the hell sent this?”
“Damian,” Victoria said, sitting down heavily in one of the chairs. “It has to be him. Who else would say something like that?”
Tobias set the phone down carefully, his jaw tight. “It’s not just Damian. This has Xanos written all over it. They’re trying to rattle you, make you scared.”
“Well, it’s working,” Victoria snapped, her voice rising. “I’m scared, Tobias. I’m terrified. I can’t even go to my own home, and now they’re targeting my baby.”
Jonathan sat down across from her, his voice calm but firm. “We’re going to figure this out, V. You’re safe here, and we’ll get to the bottom of this message. But you need to breathe. Stressing yourself out isn’t good for you or the baby.”
Victoria leaned back, running her hands through her hair. “Breathe? How am I supposed to breathe when someone like Damian or Xanos is out there planning who knows what?”
Elena placed a reassuring hand on Victoria’s shoulder. “V, you’ve been through worse than this. You’re the strongest person I know. We’re going to figure it out.”
Tobias leaned forward, his voice steady. “We’ll trace the message. We’ll track Damian. Whoever sent this—whoever’s behind it—we’ll find them. But you need to focus on keeping yourself and the baby healthy.”
Victoria shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. “I can’t… I can’t keep doing this. Every time I think things are settling down, something else happens. I just want my baby to be safe.”
Before anyone could respond, Victoria’s breathing grew shallow, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Her hands flew to her belly, and her vision blurred as a wave of dizziness washed over her.
“Victoria?” Elena’s voice was sharp with alarm. “Hey, hey, are you okay?”
“I… I don’t feel…” Victoria’s words trailed off as her body went limp, and she collapsed against the table.