Chapter 3

After packing up all her things, Madeline stuffed them into a box and tossed it into the trash without a second thought.

It wasn't until ten at night that Edward came home.

He walked in holding her favorite dessert, saying softly, "I bought your favorite mango pudding. Madeline, I don't want to argue with you. Let it go, okay?"

Madeline ignored him, grabbed her pillow, stood up, and walked toward the guest room.

"Are you going to keep this up?" Edward grabbed her hand.

"Edward, I told you before, if you ever betrayed me once, we would divorce," Madeline said, pulling her hand back.

Edward said, "I'm not divorcing you. I already told you, I gave Olivia your children to make it up to her. She can't be a mother anymore, and because of that, she fell into depression and tried to kill herself.

"Don't be so selfish, Madeline."

Edward looked a little helpless.

Madeline didn't want to listen to him anymore. She knew it was pointless.

As she was about to leave, Edward's phone started ringing. She glanced at it and saw Olivia's name on the screen.

Madeline's eyes darkened slightly as she turned to leave.

However, as she reached the guest room, Edward stormed over with bloodshot eyes. "How could you do this to the kids? Where did you hide Henry and Nancy?"

"Hide?" Madeline shot back, whipping around to glare at him. "Edward, have you lost your mind? No matter how much I hate you, I would never lay a finger on my children."

Edward had lied to her for five years and taken her children. And now that they were missing, the first person he suspected was her, the mother.

Edward's eyes burned red as he seized her wrist. "If not you, then who else? Olivia said the kids went to a nearby park this afternoon and never returned. The cameras only caught them walking toward the villa."

"I was packing all afternoon. If you don't believe me, check the security footage." Madeline struggled hard against his grip. "Edward, if you care, you should call the police right now instead of accusing me."

Just then, Olivia's voice came through the phone, choked with sobs. "Edward, you have to find the kids. If anything happens to them, I'll kill myself."

Edward's face fell, but he had to admit Madeline had a point.

He gritted his teeth, let go of her, and called the police, quickly explaining what happened.

After hanging up, he shot Madeline a glare. "I'll send people to search. You're coming with me. If we don't find the kids, I won't forgive you."

Madeline nodded.

No matter what Edward thought, she was the kids' mother; she would never let anything happen to them.

They hurried to the park in their car, while the Perry family's security team split into several groups to search the surroundings.

As dusk settled in, Madeline walked down a path and suddenly saw a hair clip in the grass beside the trail.

It was a pink bunny hair clip, the kind kids loved to wear.

"Here it is." Madeline's heart skipped a beat, and she rushed deeper into the path.

Edward followed right after her, looking anxious.

The path was winding. The farther they went, the thicker the trees became, slowly leading them away from town and toward the forest.

Madeline felt her heart slowly sink.

"Henry, Nancy," she ran and called out, her voice echoing through the woods, but there was no answer.

It was completely dark now, but Madeline kept going. She had a feeling the kids were close.

She suddenly saw a wooden cabin ahead. She heard voices inside and quickly ran toward them, feeling a bit hopeful.

"Henry, Nancy, are you there?" Madeline knocked on the door, her voice trembling with worry.

The voices inside stopped suddenly. A few seconds later, the door cracked open, and Henry appeared behind it.

Madeline said, "How did you two end up here? Come with me. It's way too dangerous here."

As soon as she tried to grab him, however, Henry jerked back, putting distance between them.

Nancy squeezed out from behind him. "We're not going anywhere with you. You're a bad woman."

Madeline tried to explain, but Henry reached out and pulled her into the cabin.

Nancy slammed the door shut, and the lock clicked loudly.

"What are you two doing? Open up." Madeline stumbled and then started banging on the door.

"Henry, are you sure this is okay?" Nancy's voice came from outside, sounding a little unsure.

"She deserved it. She made Mom upset, so I want her to feel upset, too," Henry said.

"Yeah. She hurt Mom. We have to punish her," Nancy chimed in, sounding more determined.

Madeline's heart felt like it had been punched, the pain so intense that she could hardly breathe. She slumped against the door, her voice trembling. "I didn't hurt your mom. Please, listen to me."

"Liar," Henry shouted from behind the door. "You're a bad woman. I'm not letting you go."

Madeline kept pounding on the door in despair, while the children's voices slowly faded.

Suddenly, thunder cracked overhead, and rain started pouring through the holes in the cabin, soaking the ground.

It was cold, and Madeline was soaked to the skin.

She knew she couldn't stay still. A heavy rainstorm in the forest was dangerous, and a landslide could happen anytime.

She stepped back, took a deep breath, and then ran straight into the door.

The door didn't budge. She bounced back and felt a sharp pain in her shoulder.

Madeline gritted her teeth and slammed herself into the door over and over. Her forehead split open, blood mixing with rain as it blurred her vision.

She screamed and used all her strength to hit it again.

Finally, the door cracked open.

A glimmer of hope flashed in Madeline's eyes. She hit it a few more times, and the door finally fell down.

She ran out, but the ground was slippery, and she was already hurt. She lost her balance and rolled down the hill.