Shaun eyes fluttered open, and he stared around feeling disoriented. When he tried to sit up, a wave of dizziness washed over him. Something felt wrong, and his mind raced to piece together the fragments of the previous day.
Samantha. He felt the absence of her and the kids and she wasn't in bed with him. There weren't any sounds of the kids. When Shaun glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was Saturday, so she wouldn't be at work. A pang of worry went through him.
"Samantha?" Shaun hoarsely called out, his voice echoing in the room. Suddenly the memories flooded back. Coming home to meet Noah in his house. The needle stick. Noah telling him he was going to do his own paternity, before everything went black. A sense of dread settled in as he wondered what happened after.
Shaun swung his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed his temples, trying to shake off the lingering effects of whatever Noah had given him. After checking the bathroom, realizing she wasn't there. The kids' bedroom was empty, and their car seats were gone.
He felt a heavy weight in his chest. Noah had taken them. His twin, the person he had avoided and hid from for three and a half years, had taken his family. Noah must have found out. There was no way to explain why they were gone. Samantha would not leave willingly with him unless she learned the truth.
He grabbed the phone to call Samantha, his fingers trembling as he dialed, desperately hoping to hear her voice. The phone kept ringing, amplifying his anxiety, while he paced, waiting for her to pick up and she never did. It went to her voice mail, and even hearing her voice telling callers to 'leave a message after the beep,' soothed him in a small way. For a brief moment he closed his eyes, her voice washing over him and at the beep he was a little more calm to say, "Samantha, where are you and the kids? I'm worried. Please call me back as soon as you can, and tell me what's going on." After hanging up, he just stood there staring at the phone.
Shaun didn't have a choice. Samantha was his whole life. Thoughts of the past flooded Shaun's mind. He thought of how painful it had been, when he found out she and Noah were going to married. He couldn't let her go off and marry his brother. It would have broken him in a way that he couldn't recover from. So he had put certain things in motion, carefully crafted a plan that ensured Samantha became his.
He went back to their room and sat on the bed staring at the picture of them on the bedside table. He had to think of something. He had to find a way to explain this to Samantha. The reality of the situation was daunting, and he was faced with the knowledge that he'd have to keep the truth from her. He wouldn't be able to explain why he did the things he did. She'd hate him. She probably did right now if she knew the truth, and he was hoping she didn't. Determined to find her and the kids, he thought through his options. First, he needed to know where she was, and the only place she'd be was the most obvious one - with Noah. He had to get to her before Noah drove a wedge between them.
Shaun got his laptop and started searching Noah's name. As the search results populated the screen, he was met with an array of images-Noah at various events, smiling widely, often with different women on his arm. He was surprised at all his twin had accomplished. He had never kept track of his brother's life. Shaun came across an article about Noah opening a restaurant right here in the city. Then the information he was looking for, came up. Livsten Heights.
