Chapter 266\u00a0<\/p>\n
We stood there for a moment, watching them sleep. They looked so peaceful, so innocent. They had no idea what was happening at the border, no idea that their father was in danger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on,\u201d Sarah said. \u201cLet\u2019s go back to the living room.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
We left the door cracked open so we could hear them if they woke up and made our way back to the couch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I immediately checked my phone. No messages.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey won\u2019t be able to text during a fight,\u201d Sarah said gently. \u201cYou know that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d I said. \u201cBut I keep hoping anyway.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She picked up her own phone and stared at it for a moment before setting it back down. \u201cMe too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
We sat in silence for a while, both of us lost in our own thoughts and worries.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want to talk about something else?\u201d Sarah asked eventually. \u201cTo distract ourselves?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLike what?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLike the baby,\u201d she said with a small smile. \u201cWe didn\u2019t get to talk about it much before everything happened.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I placed my hand on my still flat stomach. \u201cWhat do you want to know?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything,\u201d she said. \u201cHow are you feeling? Are you excited? Scared?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth,\u201d I admitted. \u201cMostly scared, I think.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s normal,\u201d she said. \u201cI was terrified when I found out I was pregnant with Lily.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d I asked. \u201cYou seem like you were made to be a mom.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She laughed. \u201cI definitely didn\u2019t feel that way at first. I had no idea what I was doing. I still don\u2019t most days.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you make it look easy,\u201d I said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the trick,\u201d she said. \u201cYou fake it until you figure it out. And even then, you\u2019re still just doing your best and hoping it\u2019s enough.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I thought about that. \u201cWhat if my best isn\u2019t enough?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 266\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be,\u201d she said with certainty, \u201cYou\u2019re going to be an amazing mother, Athena. I\u2019ve seen the way you are with Lily and Liam. You\u2019re patient and kind and loving. That\u2019s what matters.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI lost a baby before,\u201d I said quietly. \u201cWith Daxon. What if I can\u2019t carry this one to term?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sarah\u2019s expression softened with understanding. \u201cThat wasn\u2019t your fault. What Daxon did to you was horrific and wrong. But this is different. You\u2019re with your true mate now. The bond will help protect the pregnancy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what Mara said,\u201d I told her. \u201cBut I\u2019m still scared something will go wrong.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course you are,\u201d she said. \u201cAfter what you went through, it makes sense to be scared. But you can\u2019t let that fear control you, you have to have faith that everything will be okay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wanted to have that faith, I really did. But it was hard when my mind kept going to worst case scenarios.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed and I grabbed it so fast I nearly dropped it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t from Tristan, it was from the company\u2019s security system, just a routine notification.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I set the phone down with a sigh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate this,\u201d I said. \u201cThe waiting. The not knowing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d Sarah said. \u201cIt\u2019s the worst part.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
We fell back into silence, and I found myself staring at the clock on the wall, watching the minutes tick by with agonizing slowness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eight fifteen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eight thirty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eight forty\u2013five.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still no word.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long do these things usually take?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt depends,\u201d Sarah said. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s over in minutes. Sometimes it takes hours.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not comforting,\u201d I said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d she said. \u201cSorry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At nine o\u2019clock, my phone buzzed again. This time it was actually a message.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:35 Mon, Jan 19 M\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 266\u00a0<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t from Tristan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was from a number I didn\u2019t recognize.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I opened it with shaking hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey think they\u2019re so strong,\u201d the message read. \u201cBut they\u2019re going to fall just like everyone else who tried to stand against us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My blood ran cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSarah,\u201d I said, my voice barely above a whisper.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d she asked, immediately alert.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I showed her the message and watched as her face paled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho sent that?\u201d she asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d I said. \u201cThe number isn\u2019t saved in my phone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another message came through.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTell your mate we\u2019re coming for him. Tell your brother we\u2019re coming for all of them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh god,\u201d I breathed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sarah grabbed her own phone. \u201cI\u2019m calling Orion.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe won\u2019t answer if he\u2019s fighting,\u201d I said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t care,\u201d she said. \u201cHe needs to know about this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Memories Drifted Into Soft Silence by Kyx Frost 266 Chapter 266\u00a0 We stood there for a moment, watching them sleep. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-second-gear-of-love-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26423\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}