The Moon Knows How to Play

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

I drove as fast as I could toward Zeraphine Subdivision, the pounding of my heart matching the roar of the engine. A thousand possibilities spun inside my head, each worse than the last, and panic clawed its way up my chest. While speeding down the road, I grabbed my phone and dialed the police.

"Good evening, sir, ma'am, this is the police line. Please state your emergency."

"My wife and our baby are in trouble!" I shouted, voice shaking with rage and fear. "Zeraphine Subdivision, house 47. I received a death threat—they're being held captive inside my house!"

"Okay, sir, calm down—"

"Shit! You think I can calm down knowing my wife is in serious danger?!" I barked, my grip tightening around the wheel.

"We will do the best we can, sir. Officers will be dispatched to your house immediately. But for now, we need to confirm the validity of the threat." The female officer's voice was steady, but in the background I could hear other voices—fellow policemen mobilizing.

I couldn't waste another second. I ended the call and focused on driving, foot pressed hard on the accelerator. Fifteen minutes passed in a blur of headlights and asphalt. Finally, I neared Zeraphine Subdivision.

When I reached our house, the sight froze my blood. The gate stood wide open. The front door too. No light inside—just darkness, still and menacing.

I jumped out of the car without bothering to shut off the engine, my legs carrying me toward the house. "Elunar?!" I shouted, my voice breaking the silence. My chest heaved violently. If anything happened to her... God help whoever was responsible.

"Elunar?!" My voice echoed off the walls of our home, now looking abandoned and wrecked. I fumbled for the switch and flicked on the lights. The sight gutted me—broken flower vases scattered across the floor, glass windows smashed, cabinets upturned, chaos everywhere.

My fists clenched. Instinct screamed at me: upstairs.

"Elunar?!" I ran to the bathroom, threw open the door. Empty. My pulse thundered. Where was she?

Then, amidst the silence, a muffled sound reached me—a groan, strained and desperate, as though someone tried to speak but was silenced. The moment I heard it, my heart skipped. I knew that voice. No doubt in my mind.

I sprinted to our bedroom, and there...

Elunar was tied to a wooden chair, her wrists bound, duct tape pressed harshly across her mouth. Tears streaked her cheeks, her eyes wide with fear. My gaze dropped lower—and froze. A gun, cold and black, was aimed directly at her swollen belly.

And holding it—

"Eclips."

I gasped, breath leaving me.

She smiled, lips curling into something cruel. "Surprised?"

"Eclips?" My voice cracked in disbelief.

She laughed lightly and nodded. "The one and only."

"W-What? How—how could you do this? She's your sister!"

"Her?!" Eclips spat the word, her face twisting with hatred. "Never will I treat her as my sister!" Her tone dripped venom as she glanced at her wristwatch. "Wow... only three minutes left before the thirty—minute deadline I gave you ran out. I was so excited to cut off one of her fingers."

I glared at her, rage boiling, but she only laughed, a devilish smirk curving her mouth. "Come on, laugh with me! Isn't it funny?"

No. Nothing was funny. My fists shook at my sides. Even now I struggled to believe what I was seeing—that Eclips, her own flesh and blood, would hold a gun to her sister's pregnant stomach. Elunar had warned me. I hadn't listened. And now—this.