Bonds

-Maya's POV-

Adrenaline surged through my veins, my gaze darted back to the computer screen, the image frozen on a shot of me watching the sleeping the twins. Panic clawed at my throat, Who was watching me?

And how long had they been doing it?

Throwing the covers back in a single, frantic motion, I scrambled out of bed. My bare feet slapped against the cold floor as I raced towards the door, the chilling image on the screen burning into my memory. I had to get to the twins, see if they were alright.

Were they safe?

Had whoever was watching me done anything to them?

Reaching their room, I flung the door open with a force that sent it slamming against the wall. Relief washed over me in a tidal wave as I took In the scene before me. Nate and Ivy lay nestled together still, fast asleep, their breathing soft and even. The sight of them, safe and sound, calmed the frantic storm raging inside me for a moment.

But the image on the computer screen kept flashing through my mind, a constant reminder of the threat that lurked in the shadows. Someone had been watching me, watching the twins. What did they want? And how long had this been going on? The thought sent a fresh wave of panic crashing over me.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

I had forced myself to forget about the text, everything had been fine. It was a one time thing like Natalia said, someone thought pulling a prank would be fun. But it wasn't, someone was watching me still. They had been in the house. They had been in the twins room. They had been in the room I shared with Ivan. Ivan. I needed to find him. I sprinted out of the room and down the hallway, my bare feet pounding a frantic rhythm against the tiled floor.

I found Ivan outside, standing on the porch, his back to me. He was staring out at the star-dusted night sky.

"Ivan!" I called out, my voice ragged with panic.

He turned at the sound of my voice, his face etched with surprise. His gaze flickered over my dishevelled appearance, taking in the way my hair hung loose around my shoulders and my clothes were rumpled from sleep. Concern clouded his eyes.

"Amaya? What's wrong?" he asked, his voice laced with urgency. He took a few quick steps towards me, his brow furrowed in worry.

Before I could answer, a wave of nausea washed over me. My vision blurred, and I stumbled back a step, my hand flying out to grip the railing for support. Suddenly, the adrenaline that had been keeping me going started to ebb away, leaving behind a wave of exhaustion and dizziness.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there," He said, reaching out to steady me. His touch was gentle, sending a spark of warmth through the growing coldness that had begun to creep into my limbs. "What happened? Did you have a nightmare?"

I shook my head, forcing myself to focus. This wasn't the time to be collapsing. "No, it's not a nightmare," I stammered, my voice barely a whisper. "It's worse."

Taking a deep breath, I launched into a frantic explanation, the words tumbling out in a jumbled mess. I told him about the computer screen, Chapter 104

the frozen image on the screen, the realization that someone had been watching me.

As I spoke, I could feel the color draining from my face. Shame burned in my gut, a hot inferno fueled by the knowledge that I had put the twins at risk. Ivan listened patiently, his expression unreadable. He didn't interrupt, didn't judge. He simply waited, allowing me to purge the fear and panic from my system even though I knew he was still mad at me.

By the time I finished, I was breathless, my entire body trembling. Tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to spill over. I felt so stupid, so careless. How could I have let this happen? Why did I discard something so serious?

"Are you sure?" Ivan asked, his voice laced with a hint of doubt that sent a fresh wave of panic through me. "Maybe it's the adrenaline from what happened earlier messing with your head?" His jaw clenched slightly at the last part, a reminder of the lingering tension between us.

I shook my head vehemently, my throat tightening with a fresh wave of fear. "Yes, I swear," I stammered. "It was a live feed of me watching the twins. Frozen on the screen. You said you took out the camera in their room. That means someone had installed another one, had access to it and had been watching them. Who knows where else in the house they could have put them?"

Panic gnawed at me, a hungry beast devouring any sense of reason. Images of hidden cameras flashed through my mind, each one a potential threat to the twins' safety. The thought of them being watched, their every move monitored by unseen eyes, filled me with a suffocating dread.

Ivan watched me, his expression unreadable for a moment. Then, he reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder, his touch surprisingly gentle. "Okay, okay," he soothed, his voice calm and steady in stark contrast to the storm raging inside me. "Let's not jump to conclusions just yet. We'll figure this out."

"But how?" I cried, my voice laced with desperation. "They could be anywhere! We need to check the house, right now!"

He shook his head gently. "Look at you. You're shaking like a leaf. We can't go searching the house in this state. We'd wake the twins and probably miss something important in the process."

He paused for a moment, his eyes scanning my face. "Here's what we're going to do," he continued, his voice taking on a more authoritative tone. "You go back inside and get some rest. It's cold out here and you need to be clear-headed for what comes next."

He pulled out his phone and stepped away from me a few paces. I watched as he dialed a number, his brow furrowed in concentration. He spoke in hushed tones, his voice low and serious as he explained the situation.

After a few minutes, he hung up the phone and turned back to me. "I just called some people I know," he explained." They'll be here first thing in the morning. They'll sweep the entire mansion, check all the security footage, and find out who's responsible for this."

A wave of relief washed over me, momentarily pushing back the tide of fear. "Are you sure they can handle it?"

"They're the best in the business. They'll find whoever did this, I promise."

He looked at me for a long moment, his gaze holding mine. "Go inside, Amaya. It's cold out here. I'll handle things from here."

There was a part of me that wanted to argue, to stay by his side and help him figure things out. Byt deep down, I knew he was right. I was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. My mind was clouded with fear, and I wouldn't be much help in the state I was in.

With a final nod, I turned and walked back inside, the cold night air biting at my exposed skin. As I entered the house, I stole a glance back at Ivan, his silhouette framed by the moonlight. He stood there, a solitary figure against the vastness of the night, his phone pressed to his ear, his voice a low murmur carried away by the wind.

A strange mix of emotions washed over me-fear, gratitude, and a flicker of something else, something I couldn't quite define. One thing was Chapter 104

certain: this was just the beginning. The threat that lurked in the shadows had not been vanquished, and the next few days would likely be filled with uncertainty and danger.

Exhausted, I crept back towards the twins' room, the weight of the unseen threat pressing down on me. Just as I was about to reach, a sharp sound shattered the stillness A crash. Loud and sudden it seemed to come from the far side of the room. My blood turned to ice. Flinging the door open wide, I rushed into the room, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Ivy sat up in her crib, her eyes wide and unblinking. Her gaze was fixed on the window, which stood wide open, a gaping black hole against the moonlit night. Nate remained blissfully asleep, seemingly

oblivious to the chaos.

Dread filled me as I reached for lvy, my voice barely a whisper. "Ivy?"

She blinked, clearly disoriented from sleep. Then, she looked at me, then back at the open window, and spoke five words that filled me with even more terror than the crash itself.

"Someone went out the wind