AUSTIN’S POV
It’d been a few days since the night Chloe kidnapped Jamie. The fear and panic still hadn’t fully left me. But what had kept me sane through the chaos was seeing the light return to my son’s eyes.
Zoe had been visiting him every day since we brought him home. Taking him out to get ice cream, helping with his homework and playing those silly board games he always begged for. And for the first time in a while I saw Jamie smile like a kid again. Like someone who wasn’t carrying a weight too heavy for his age.
It was her.
It was having her—his real mother—back in his life. There was a difference in him I couldn’t deny. A brighter spark. The affection in his voice when he spoke about her. He was genuinely happy in a way I hadn’t seen in months. And honestly? I was grateful. No
