PopularNovelChapter 164
Ethan's POV
The car hummed softly as we drove, but something about the ride didn’t feel right. | sat in the back seat with
Emma, holding a cookie Daniel gave us. | stared at it for a moment, then glanced at Daniel in the front. His
hands gripped the steering wheel so tight | could see his knuckles turn white.
“Go on, Ethan,” Daniel said, his voice too nice. “Eat the cookie, Is good, | promise.”
| looked at Emma, and she looked at me. She was already nibbling on hers, and | didn’t want to seem rude, so |
took a small bite. It was sweet, but something about it tasted... funny. Not bad just... weird.
Daniel looked at us in the rearview mirror and smiled, but it wasn’t like his usual smiles when he cto see
Mom. This one looked... forced, like he didn’t mean it. “See? Tasty, right? You kids like juice? | got sfor you,
too.”
He passed two small juice boxes back to us. Emma grabbed hers right away, but | hesitated. Mom always said
not to take things from people without her knowing. But Daniel was Mom's friend, right? He wouldn't do anything
bad... would he?
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“Drink up,” he urged again. His voice sounded kind but also a little sharp, like he was in a hurry.
| poked the straw into the box and took a sip. It was cold and fruity, but as | drank more, my tummy felt funny. |
put the juice down and asked, “Are we almost at Mom's?”
Daniel's smile flickered for a second, and his eyes darted to the mirror again. “Soon, buddy. Just sit tight.”
Emma piped up next to me, her hands clutching her cookie. “Will Daddy be there, too?” she asked, her voice all
excited.
Daniel didn’t answer right away. He kept driving, staring at the road like he didn’t hear her. | could see his jaw
clenching. Emma frowned and leaned back in her seat, looking atlike she didn’t understand either.
The car kept going and going. It felt like we'd been driving forever. | wanted to ask more questions, but my head
started feeling funny. Heavy. My eyes blinked slow, and my body felt... floaty, like when Mom used to rock us to
sleep in her arms.
| turned to Emma. “Emma... you
tired?”
She yawned, rubbing her eyes. “Mm-hmm... maybe the juice is makingsleepy,” she said, her voice quiet.
She laid her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes.
Daniel glanced back at us through the mirror. “Just hold on a little longer, Ethan,” he said softly. “You'll see your
mom soon, | promise.”
But his voice didn’t makefeel better. Something wasn’t right. I blinked and tried to sit up straight, but my
arms felt- heavy. My eyes fluttered shut again.
What kind of juice makes you sleep so fast? That was the last thing | thought before everything went dark.
Daniel's POV.
The car was silent except for the steady hum of the engine. | glanced in the rearview mirror, watching as Ethan's
head lolled against Emma’s shoulder. She was slumped against the car door, her small hand still clutching the
crumpled juice box. Both of them were completely out, their little faces peaceful, almost angelic.
Finally.
| exhaled slowly, the tension in my shoulders easing for the first tsince I'd picked them up. It had taken
longer than I'd
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Chapter 164
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmplanned, but the sleeping medicine had done its job. The cookies and juice worked like a charm.
For a moment, | let myself feel relieved. No more questions, no inore suspicious glances from Ethan. That boy
had been staring atlike he could see right through me, his questions about their mom nearly makinglose
my nerve.
“When will we get to Mom?” he'd asked, his voice small but firm like he already doubted me.
“Soon,” I'd replied, keeping my voice light.
But it wasn’t enough. Emma had chimed in with her own question. “Will Dad be there too?”
I hadn’t answered that one. Couldn't. I'd just kept driving, gripping the wheel so tight my knuckles turned white.
And when their little eyes had started to droop, I'd felt a weight lift off my chest.
| tightened my grip on the steering wheel again, forcing my focus back to the road. It wasn’t guilt-no, guilt had
no place here. This was about control. About taking back what should've been mine all along.
oe
“ve®
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