CHAPTER 38

With a final tearful goodbye, they left the safe house, their hearts heavy with a grief that rivaled the fear gnawing at them. Back at their empty apartment, the silence was deafening.

The weight of their decision pressed down on them, the playful chaos of their twins replaced by a suffocating stillness.

"We can't stay here," Derrick said, his voice echoing in the empty room. "If Bobby's watching us, this place is compromised."

"Where do we go?" Sarah asked, her voice hollow.

Mr. Black, ever the strategist, had a plan. "There's an abandoned cabin in the woods," he explained. "Used to belong to my family. Secluded, off the grid. You'll be safe there."

Sarah felt a chill run down her spine at the thought of abandoning the city and venturing into the wilderness. Even more horrifying was the idea that Bobby would discover them and turn their kids against them.