Chapter 252

Serena's POV

"Stay calm. Rachel won't harm Milo or Stella," Lucas's steady voice came through the phone.

I couldn't accept his composure. "How can you be so sure about her?"

"At least not now," he replied deliberately, each word carrying absolute certainty.

My anger flared. "Milo got hurt because of her! Stella was terrified seeing it happen!"

"Children get minor bumps and bruises. It's normal," he maintained his calm tone.

I gripped the phone tightly, barely containing my fury.

Lucas continued, "Don't go anywhere without me. Rachel won't hurt the children, but she might try to hurt you."

I hung up abruptly.

When it came to the twins, I found it impossible to maintain my usual composure. But facing Lucas always left me feeling powerless to argue.

Two days later, at 3 AM, Lucas returned.

I've always been a light sleeper and heard movement outside, but I chose to stay in bed, simply turning over to continue sleeping.

Suddenly, I heard the bedroom door open softly. I pretended to be asleep, not wanting to engage.

Just then, I felt the mattress dip slightly beside me. Still annoyed and having been on edge for days, I turned around roughly - only to freeze at the sight of two small smiling faces looking back at me.

"Mommy!" Milo's sweet voice rang out as he threw himself at me, wrapping his little arms around my neck.

Stella followed behind him, her eyes sparkling as she whispered, "Mommy, we're home." She carefully moved closer, gently hugging my waist.

Holding these two warm little bodies, I felt my heart instantly melt.

"Mommy, did you miss us? We missed you so much," Milo said, clinging to my neck with a hint of reproach in his voice. "We didn't want to go to Portland with Aunt Rachel at all, but then Daddy said you were there too, so we couldn't wait to come see you!"

Stella nodded in agreement. "When brother said he wanted to see Mommy, I insisted on coming too." She looked up at me earnestly. "I needed to watch over him."

"Did your daddy bring you here at this hour?" I asked.

"Mm-hmm," Milo loosened his grip on my neck to look at me. "We were sleeping so soundly, but when Daddy said we could see Mommy now, I woke right up! Mommy, did we disturb your sleep?"

"Not at all," I smiled, stroking his soft cheek. Then remembering something, I asked, "How's your leg?"

"It's fine now! I just twisted it a bit the other day. The doctor fixed it up, and it stopped hurting yesterday," he explained quickly.

Stella chimed in, "I went to the hospital with brother." She declared proudly, "I held his hand the whole time, and he didn't cry once."

Only then did I realize it had truly been just a minor injury. Rachel had deliberately exaggerated to provoke my anger.

"Mommy," Milo yawned, "can we sleep with you? I'm so sleepy."

Stella looked at me with hopeful eyes.

"Of course," I agreed immediately. "Let Mommy help you get ready for bed."

"Thank you, Mommy. I love you so much," Milo said sweetly.

Stella quietly let me help her remove her jacket, whispering, "Mommy, I love you too."

We snuggled under the covers together, with the little ones on either side of me. Milo, curled up in my arms, murmured, "Mommy, I love sleeping next to you. You smell so nice."

Stella nuzzled against my arm, softly agreeing, "Mommy does smell nice."

"It's late, time to sleep."

"Goodnight, Mommy," the twins said in unison.

"Goodnight, Milo, Stella."

The room fell silent. Within a minute, Milo was snoring softly. Stella carefully tucked her brother's blanket around him before closing her own eyes. Watching them, I couldn't help but admire how quickly children could fall asleep. I gently adjusted their covers, making sure they were warm enough.

In the dim light, I studied their peaceful faces. Stella's protective nature toward her brother never ceased to amaze me. Though twins, she had always taken on the role of the watchful older sister. The way she checked on Milo before allowing herself to rest spoke volumes about her maturity and caring heart.

The moonlight filtering through the curtains cast a gentle glow across their faces, highlighting their resemblance to Lucas - the same defined features, though softened by childhood innocence. Stella especially had inherited her father's thoughtful expression, even in sleep.

The anger I had been holding onto for days began to dissipate as I lay there, surrounded by their gentle breathing. This moment felt precious - just the three of us, safe and together.

I lay awake, tossing and turning in bed, unable to find sleep. These past few days in this house had been painfully monotonous. Though I occasionally worked on my laptop, most of my time was spent in an endless cycle of restlessness. The pattern had become predictable: sleeping during the day left me wide awake at night, my mind racing with thoughts I couldn't silence.

Tonight, my thoughts kept circling back to my recent argument with Lucas. In the quiet darkness, everything seemed clearer. Now that I could think rationally, I understood that Rachel would never actually harm Milo or Stella. Given her current position, she needed to stay in their good graces. I had to admit - I'd overreacted that day.

Rachel's actions were calculated, designed to provoke exactly the response I'd given her. She knew I would get angry, and she used that to create distance between Lucas and me. I had to acknowledge the bitter truth: I'd fallen right into her trap.

Still, I couldn't completely dismiss the possibility that she was using the children to threaten me, however subtly.

I rolled over, facing the sleeping forms of Milo and Stella. I always kept a dim night light on when they slept with me - a habit I'd developed to make it easier to check on them and adjust their blankets during the night.

Looking at their peaceful sleeping faces stirred something deep within me. Only a mother could truly understand this indescribable feeling of joy and contentment that comes from watching your children sleep safely beside you. Stella looked particularly angelic in her sleep, so different from her usual composed, princess-like demeanor during the day. She had curled up next to me, her delicate fingers unconsciously clutching the edge of my sleep shirt.

I couldn't resist gently stroking their cheeks. In her sleep, Stella nuzzled against my hand, a slight smile gracing her lips. Milo continued his peaceful slumber, letting out tiny snores.

I'll protect you both, no matter what, I silently promised.

The next morning arrived with gentle sunlight filtering through the curtains. I'd grown accustomed to sleeping in until after 10 AM these days. Perhaps due to my late-night contemplation, the twins were still sound asleep. Milo maintained his adorably peaceful expression, while Stella hadn't moved from her position, her small hand still firmly gripping my shirt as if making sure I wouldn't disappear.

I carefully extracted myself from bed, gently loosening Stella's grip from my clothing, taking extra care not to disturb either of my sleeping angels. After freshening up, I made my way out of the room with my crutches, quietly closing the door behind me.

The living room was occupied only by the household staff, a sight that had become familiar over the past few days. It made me wonder if Lucas had even returned home. Then it occurred to me that he might still be sleeping.

"Would you like breakfast, Miss Sinclair?" one of the staff members approached me.

"I'll wait a bit," I replied. "Until Lucas and the children wake up. I'm not particularly hungry yet."

"Mr. Harrington is already awake," she quickly informed me.

This surprised me, as I hadn't seen him.

"He got up earlier, but when he saw that you and the children were still sleeping, he returned to his room," she explained. "He asked to be notified when you woke up. I can go tell him now."

I nodded, then reconsidered. "I'll go myself."

"Of course."

I felt somewhat guilty about our previous argument regarding the children. Besides, I wanted to ask about Jace's situation as soon as possible.

I made my way to Lucas's room. Just as I raised my hand to knock, the door opened on its own. Without giving it much thought, I stepped inside.

There stood Lucas in the middle of the room, completely unclothed, his hair still damp from what appeared to be a recent shower.

Sensing someone's presence, he turned around.

Our eyes met, and I felt my face flush crimson instantly.

I spun around to leave, my heart racing as fast as my thoughts.