Bathroom Ambush (Part 1)
Thea’s POV
I sat in the living room, struggling to relearn basic words and numbers. If I wanted to
return to my teaching job that I loved, I needed to master these again. Phoenix was sleeping in the portable crib I’d dragged down from upstairs. I didn’t like leaving her alone in her room, so we were both here. She lay quietly while I studied like I was back in school again.
My head was still buzzing from learning the truth about Kane yesterday. I couldn’t believe
someone had deceived me so cruelly. Even more unbelievable was that I hadn’t noticed it
at all during those months we dated.
I couldn’t understand what had pushed me into his arms. Was it because Aurora came
back, and I wanted to show Sebastian that his relationship with her didn’t affect me? Or was I so desperate to be loved, to be noticed, that I jumped at the first man who showed
interest?
It was fucking frustrating not knowing what I’d been thinking. Unless my memory returned, I’d always wonder what drove my actions.
My phone’s ringtone interrupted my thoughts.
I picked it up, but unfortunately, I couldn’t recognize the number flashing on the screen. So far, I’d only saved Sebastian’s, Rayne’s, Kestrel’s (the head of warriors assigned to protect me), and Leo’s school office numbers.
After a moment’s hesitation, I tapped the green icon to answer.
“Hello?” I asked tentatively.
“Hey, Thea… how are you?” The voice was gentle, but I didn’t recognize it.
“Who is this?”
There was a rush of breathing on the other end, making me feel like shit. I’d obviously hurt the caller’s feelings.
She answered slowly: “It’s your mother, Seraphina.”
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Bathroom Ambush (Part 1)
I hadn’t seen her since leaving the hospital. Sebastian told her and Maximus to give me some adjustment time before visiting.
Though everyone confirmed they were indeed my biological parents, and Leo told me I’d personally told him about being adopted by the Kincaid family before introducing him to Seraphina and Maximus, I still found it difficult to immediately accept this reality.
I cleared my throat awkwardly. “Hi… sorry, I just didn’t know whose number this was, and I don’t recognize your voice.”
She quickly responded, “It’s okay, I completely understand.”
“Did Sebastian give you my number?” I asked.
Just like yesterday, he’d gone to work reluctantly today. If not for an important alliance meeting, he would’ve stayed with me. But he did promise to return home immediately
after the meeting.
“Yes, I hope you don’t mind,” she said hesitantly.
From the brief time I’d spent with her at the hospital, she seemed like a very gentle woman. I’d wanted Sebastian to tell me their story, to explain why I ended up as a Kincaid daughter. But he said that wasn’t his story to tell–they should be the ones to fill in those
blanks.
I still couldn’t imagine how such a gentle couple could raise someone as manipulative as Kane. I mean, who does that? Who seduces and sleeps with a woman he intends to kill? I struggled to understand it.
“I want to invite you out for lunch,” she continued, pulling me from my thoughts. “I’ll be honest and direct–I miss you, Thea. You’re my daughter, and watching you in a coma for months, then finally waking up but not letting me hold you because of memory loss… it breaks my heart.”
The heartbreak in her voice was unmistakable. Even through the phone, the emotion touched something inexplicable inside me.
As a mother, I could understand her feelings. If either of my children forgot me, it would destroy me.
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Bathroom Ambush (Part 1)
“I’m really not sure,” I told her honestly. “Sebastian says it’s not safe for me to go out now because the person who attacked me hasn’t been caught.”
What I also didn’t understand was why anyone would want me dead. Had I pissed someone off so badly they decided I deserved to die? I typically kept to myself, so it made no sense for someone to want to hurt me. I mean, who could I have offended when I barely had any friends?
“Don’t worry… I’ll come pick you up,” she said. “We’re Kincaids, Thea. I guarantee no one would dare mess with you.”
There was that surname again. Sebastian had told me Phoenix’s last name was Kincaid. The name sounded familiar, like I’d heard it somewhere.
I wanted to refuse, but ultimately decided to accept. Maybe I could get more information about Kane. “Alright, let’s meet.”
She squealed with delight, telling me they’d pick me up in a few minutes, then hung up.
I hurried to change Phoenix’s diaper and then changed my own clothes. I opted for a comfortable casual outfit–more practical for breastfeeding Phoenix than a dress would
- be.
I waited patiently, excitement beginning to bubble up inside me. I couldn’t stay locked up in the house forever. It was time to get out. What was the worst that could happen?
Seraphina and Maximus arrived about thirty minutes later. As I’d said, I hadn’t been out since returning from the hospital.
I was eager to see how the city had changed during this time. Four years is a long time–it couldn’t possibly have remained the same.
When the doorbell rang, I got up excitedly to answer it.
“Are you and Phoenix ready?” Seraphina asked.
She was as excited as I was. I let them both hug me. Being in their embrace felt good, familiar, like this was something I regularly received from them.
“Yes, let me get her.”
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Bathroom Ambush (Part 1)
I turned back to the living room, picked up my daughter, quickly said goodbye to Mary, and left the house.
I was about to get into their car when a man stopped me.
“I’m sorry, Luna, I can’t let you leave,” he said.
Bathroom Ambush (Part 2)
Thea’s POV
I knew he was one of Kestrel’s men, though I didn’t know his name despite seeing him patrolling the yard a few times.
“Why not?”
“I’m just following orders,” he replied politely, but it really annoyed me.
“Call him,” I demanded, my voice harsher than intended.
He reluctantly pulled out his phone and dialed. I could have called Sebastian myself, but I
didn’t want to admit to anyone that I was having trouble recognizing saved names on the
phone.
“What’s wrong?” Maximus asked from behind.
I held up my hand to stop him. I wasn’t trying to be rude–I was just frustrated. I hated feeling like a prisoner in my own home.
Then the guard handed me his phone.
“What is it?” Sebastian’s voice was hard and rough.
“Sebastian, why won’t your men let me leave?” I asked, mimicking his tone.
“Where do you want to go? You can have him take you, or he can drive you.”
“Seraphina invited me to lunch with her and Maximus… I’ve got nothing to do, so I thought I’d go out with them.”
I expected him to argue, but he didn’t. Instead, he just sighed and asked to speak with Maximus. I handed the phone to him. He walked a few meters away. When he finished talking, he came back and returned the phone to the guard.
“Well?” Seraphina asked her husband.
“He agreed, as long as we take extra guards,” he turned to the man and said. “Take a few men. You’ll follow in a car. My men will drive ahead of us, and you’ll follow behind.”
Bathroom Ambush (Part 2)
He nodded, “Yes, Alpha Kincaid.”
They quickly organized everything. Minutes later, we were on the road.
The car was quiet, and before I knew it, we arrived at a luxurious restaurant. The driver parked, and Maximus helped Seraphina and me out of the car.
“May I hold her?” Seraphina asked as we walked.
I saw no problem with it, so I handed Phoenix to her. She gazed at my daughter, her granddaughter, with a radiant smile on her face.
Maximus led us into the restaurant. Some guards stayed outside, while several followed us
- in.
The waiter immediately guided us to the VIP area. Obviously, the couple was wealthy and well–known. It reminded me of Sebastian’s family.
“Can you tell me more about Kane?” I asked as soon as the waiter left after making sure
we were settled.
Maximus and Seraphina exchanged glances, then turned to me.
“So Sebastian told you about him?”
“Yes, but only that he’s your adopted son, Phoenix’s father, and that he’s in prison.”
Given that Sebastian really disliked him, I knew he couldn’t know much about Kane. These two people had raised him–maybe I could learn more about him through them.
“What do you want to know about him?” Seraphina asked.
“Do you visit him?”
They both nodded. Phoenix was awake now, but I didn’t take her back from her grandmother. She wasn’t crying, so there was no need.
“Yes, I know most people wouldn’t agree, but despite what he did, he’s still our son. I just pray you don’t hate him. He was wrong, but I swear he’s not a bad person.”
Honestly, I couldn’t really hate him. It’s hard to hate someone you don’t know and have
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no memories of. Right now, my opinion of him was based on what others told me.
I listened carefully as they told me everything about Kane. They also told me what had happened and how I became a Kincaid daughter.
Although I listened attentively, I was still confused about Kane when they finished. They kept saying what a good person Kane was. If I’m being honest, I felt like they were trying to sell me on an idea, highlighting all of Kane’s good qualities without telling me what kind of person he actually was.
It all just made me more eager to meet him. If I wanted to know what he was like, seeing him face–to–face would be better than asking others about him.
“Excuse me,” I told them, needing to catch my breath.
Leaving Phoenix with them, I asked the waiter to show me to the restroom. My head was pounding badly, like I’d received too much information and didn’t know how to process it.
I walked to the bathroom and splashed water on my face. I was taking a deep breath, exhaling when the door opened.
“What are you doing here?” I was surprised to see Aurora.
Even more surprising was that she was with Callista. I didn’t know they were friends. Did Aurora know Callista had been pursuing Sebastian for years?
“I’m here to warn you,” she replied, both of them staring at me with hateful eyes.
“So you thought the best way was to ambush me in the bathroom?”
“We were having lunch here when you walked in with your parents,” Callista shrugged.
Remembering how disrespectful Aurora had been last time, I dried my hands and prepared to leave. She grabbed my arm to stop me.
“Sebastian is mine, Thea, stay away from him,” she growled, her voice full of bitterness.
“Oh, really? Then why isn’t he with you? Why does he come back to me every day, not you? Why does he sleep with his arms around me every night, not you?”
Honestly, I was surprised by my own boldness. This was so unlike me. Normally, I would
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Bathroom Ambush (Part 2)
yield to her because I didn’t want conflict.
She pushed me hard, and my head hit the wall.
“I know you orchestrated all this, trying to trap him again. Making him pity you so he’d come back to you. But I’m warning you, it won’t work. I’ll expose your fake amnesia scheme, and once I do, Sebastian will come back to me.”
Due to the intense pain in my head, I couldn’t focus on what she was saying, and then I collapsed to the floor.
The last thing I saw was Aurora looking down at me, her face filled with worry and panic, while Callista wore a malicious smile.
