Chapter 382
Compared to the usual bustling atmosphere, filled with the comforting scent of freshly baked cookies and the excited chatter of children rushing to greet her, the house now seemed cold and eerily quiet.
Thalassa felt her heart sink, a subconscious worry and fear setting in.
Hadn’t Evelyn brought the children back home?
Why wasn’t anyone around?
After a moment of panic, she remembered. Elowen was on television, competing in the semi-finals of the gourmet competition.
Evelyn must still be out with the children, she reasoned.
A bit calmer, Thalassa quickly took her discharged cell phone to her room to charge.
Once the phone was plugged in, Thalassa noticed another oddity: The blankets in the room were neatly folded, just as she had left them. They were undisturbed.
Even the household items remained the same.
Something was off. If the children were back, there would surely be signs of their presence.
She felt like the house was still as tidy as when she had left, with no trace of the children.
The more she looked around, the more unsettling it felt.
Her heart, which had finally calmed down, started racing again..
Despite the phone only just beginning to charge, she couldn’t wait. She pressed the power button hard.
She turned on the phone.
Ignoring the charging, she dialed Evelyn’s number.
The phone rang for a long time, unanswered.
She was calmly waiting at first, but later Thalassa’s heart started racing as the ringing continued. She clenched the bedsheet tightly in her nervousness.
The ringing continued for a while before finally dying down. Still, no one picked up.
Feeling anxious, she tried again. Again, no one answered.
Unable to sit still, she called Hertha.
After two rings, the call was answered.-
Hertha’s voice was a mix of surprise and excitement. “Thalassa, you finally showed up. I thought you disappeared off the face of the earth.”
Thalassa could hear her worry and relief.
But she had no time for small talk. She was worried about the children and Evelyn.
She asked, “Hertha, do you know where my mother took the children?”
“Oh, they are here with me, enjoying a food truck feast,” Hertha’s voice was casual.
“Is it Mommy?”
“Did Mommy come back?”
From the phone, four innocent and adorable voices echoed.
Those voices were the most beautiful sound Thalassa had ever heard, enough to soothe all her fears and anxieties.
Her anxious heart finally settled.
Just a moment ago, she was panic-stricken, thinking that the children and Evelyn had disappeared. The fear and tension had left her weak.
Now, hearing the children’s innocent voices was like revitalizing a withered heart with fresh blood.
Even her voice turned warm and tender, “Yes, it’s me. Where are you? I’ll come to find you.”