CHAPTER 153: A TOTAL MENTAL COLLAPSE

William’s eyes darkened with a stormy chill.

Harper’s tears fell again, no matter how hard she tried to hold them back.

"William... he’s right. Until we actually see Sophia’s body, I refuse to believe she’s gone! She has to be somewhere out there, somewhere we just haven’t found yet!"

Harper drew in a sharp breath, covering her eyes with both hands.

What was she supposed to do?

The woman she had protected for so many years—was just gone.

Even when Sophia gave birth, when she had one foot in the grave, Harper had managed to drag her back from death... but now? Now she couldn’t find her at all.

...

Elsewhere.

Lucas had just arrived at DS Group’s branch office when he saw Damien walking out.

The moment Lucas opened his car door, he caught sight of someone charging toward him. Instinct took over—he dodged to the side, and his fist slammed into the car window!

The glass cracked instantly.

Damien blinked, startled. "Mr. Hilton, isn’t that a little too violent for a greeting?"

Blood was streaming down Lucas’s knuckles, but he didn’t seem to feel a thing.

"Why?"

Damien tilted his head, feigning confusion. "Why what? I’m afraid I don’t follow."

"You joined hands with the Morgan Family. You helped them set Sophia up. Now she’s missing—maybe dead."

"Mr. Hilton," Damien said calmly, "accusations require evidence. You can’t decide I’m guilty based on a hunch."

"I’m not guessing. I know."

Damien finally took a closer look at him—and noticed Lucas’s unshaven jaw.

Brows lifting, he said with a soft click of his tongue, "So the great Mr. Hilton has stopped shaving? I’ve never seen you this disheveled."

Lucas didn’t respond to the jab. "I saw the surveillance footage. From the moment they boxed her in, until the car went off the cliff. One of the men slipped up. He used to be a mercenary overseas. Later, he left the field and became Jacob’s personal bodyguard. Now—do you still have nothing to say?"

Damien’s smile slowly faded.

"Mr. Hilton," he said quietly, "I assume you haven’t forgotten the box I gave Sophia. I reminded her—clearly. If you both chose not to believe me, that isn’t my responsibility. And as for your so-called mercenary... seen one too many action movies, perhaps? The world may look dangerous, but not everyone is your enemy."

He stepped closer, voice low but steady.

"If you insist on chasing the wrong trail, that’s your choice. But in that case, maybe you should start thinking of a plan... for that fake marriage certificate you and Sophia used."

Damien pressed a hand to Lucas’s shoulder, nudging him out of his path, then got into his car.

"Such a shame," he said through the window, voice dripping with irony. "My car is going to need a full service now."

Moments later, he was gone.

...

"Mr. Hilton... your hand needs medical attention. We should head to the hospital."

"Get out of my way."

Lucas’s fingers curled into a bloody fist.

Another day passed. Still no news.

...

He sat alone in the dark office. The city lights outside had gone cold.

Alex cracked the door open, hesitant, then finally walked in.

"Mr. Hilton... you can’t fall apart now. You said Miss Morgan couldn’t possibly be dead. You said you would find her."

"I can’t find her..."

He had never known what heartbreak truly meant—not until now.

It felt like someone had ripped his heart straight out of his chest, leaving nothing but a hollow ache.

"Mr. Hilton, even if you don’t think about yourself, think about the kids. Six children—her children. Miss Morgan risked her life giving birth to them. And you—you’re staying away from home, drowning in grief. What are they supposed to do?"

"They... don’t matter."

"Mr. Hilton!" Alex snapped.

"It’s been days! Miss Morgan is most likely gone! How long are you going to lie to yourself? Those children are hers—she nearly died to bring them into this world. If you can’t cherish her, fine. But are you going to abandon your own blood too?!"

Alex could no longer stand the sight of him.

He had served at Lucas’s side for nine years, and yet he had never seen him look like this.

Lucas’s unfocused eyes slowly began to regain clarity.

The children...

They were his and Sophia’s children.

...

Blackstone Manor

Mrs. Wilson looked heartbroken as she watched all six children eat in silence.

She never imagined Miss Morgan would face such a sudden tragedy.

"Ahh..."

She had barely sighed and opened her mouth to offer comfort when all six children rose to their feet at once.

"Nanny Wilson, we’re finished. We’ll be going upstairs."

They moved so quickly that Mrs. Wilson had no chance to speak.

As soon as they reached the second floor, the door locked from the inside.

Billy said nothing. He pulled out his laptop, fingers already flying across the keys as he worked to track a signal.

"Billy, how is it?" Angela asked.

"The signal is still too weak. But I’ve already narrowed down the possible range. We’ll need to split up."

Angela’s tightly knotted brows finally loosened a little.

"That’s great! That means there’s a good chance Mommy is still alive!"

Billy nodded repeatedly. Faye’s eyes were red as she choked out:

"Those bad people... we can’t let them get away!"

"Don’t worry, Faye," Billy said, voice cold and steady, "I promise you—none of them will escape. Once we find Mommy, we’ll deal with them one by one."

He picked up his phone and pointed to several marked coordinates:

"There are four possible locations. I’ll send Aaron, Piper, Ava, and Sandy to search each one. You stay close to them. Mommy is already in danger—I won’t risk losing any of you too."

With the plan arranged, Eric opened the door, looked downstairs, and waved urgently.

"Go!"

They crept toward the exit—only for the front door to suddenly swing open.

Lucas stood there, reeking of alcohol, eyes glazed and unsteady.

"What are you doing...?" he slurred.

"Daddy, you—"

They rushed to support him and helped him to the couch.

Lucas closed his eyes, pressing his fingers to his temples.

"What... were you about to do?"

"Daddy, you’re mistaken. We weren’t going anywhere," Billy said quickly, signaling the others to hide everything.

"Really?" Lucas sat up, his gaze unfocused as Angela poured him tea to sober him. His vision blurred even more.

"I failed you... all of you. I didn’t protect Sophia. It was me... it was all my fault."

He collapsed into the couch, a tear sliding from the corner of his eye only to vanish before anyone could wipe it away.

Angela steadied him with all her strength.

The children worked together, lifting and dragging him to his bed.

"Angela, what do we do? Daddy... he’s not okay," someone whispered.

"We have to go," she answered firmly. "Daddy hasn’t slept in days. Tonight, let him rest."

Her fingertips brushed across the crease between Lucas’s brows, smoothing the pain etched there.

"Daddy, don’t worry. Mommy is still out there. We will find her. I promise."

"And you have to stay strong... the man Mommy loves is not allowed to cry."

Angela closed her eyes for a brief moment.

When she opened them again, her expression had transformed back into calm steel.

"Let’s move."

They slipped out into the night.

...

A long time later, Lucas’s eyes fluttered open in a haze. He reached for his phone with a shaking hand.

"Lucas, I love you."

Sophia’s final voice message—sent right before the crash—played in his ear again.

Every time it ended, he would fight through exhaustion, replay it, over and over, and over again...

Until finally—sleep dragged him under.