Marry My Billionaire Second Husband - Chapter 289

Chapter 289: Home Wasn’t Safe
Amelia sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She placed a hand on her slightly swollen belly, a thin layer of sweat quickly forming on her palms. A warm hand was quickly placed over hers, clutching her hand gently in reassurance.

When she looked up, she smiled at Matteo, who offered her a quick glance before turning back to the road.

“Where are we going right now, then?” she asked.

“Home,” Matteo replied. He then added, “We can’t be sure that Caleb will not look for you at the Hawthorne estate, so it’s unwise to remain there or visit until he has been arrested. Sean will be with you when I’m not there.”

Amelia could only nod. Home was fine. Home was safe. Her hand went to her tiny baby bump and she rubbed it anxiously, trying to transmit comfort to her unborn child.

They drove back home in silence. Amelia stared down at her phone, hoping for good news.

However, it seemed that the private detective and police alike had failed once again to capture Caleb. Their information had hit a wall. Like a naked mole rat, this scheming man apparently buried himself back underground to evade detection.

The next few days passed by in relative calm. While Amelia sat around at home and tried not to be bored out of her mind, Ronan, Matteo, and Aiden fed her news of what happened.

Horace Hawthorne had decided to look for his long-lost granddaughter, and Emmeline had jumped into the task wholeheartedly with a fervor that was almost maniacal. She truly seemed to believe that Annalise Hawthorne would return back to the loving mother she had known if only her real daughter was returned.

Amelia felt sorry for her cousin. She had so little of her old world left, that she could only desperately cling to whatever she had remaining.

Meanwhile, Aiden was a lot more reluctant, and he tried to use work at X’el as an excuse to worm his way out of this. He had now moved back to Isaac’s place because he certainly wasn’t going to stay in the same house as his thunderous father. He didn’t want his presence to remind his father of his mother! He couldn’t take a bullet to the heart.

However, Emmeline was not dissuaded by his lack of enthusiasm. If she could move into Isaac’s house, she would― but thankfully Isaac had put his foot down, so Emmeline couldn’t harass him in person to check his progress.

According to Aiden, she would call him once every two hours to check if he had done his part in their search, and throw more leads in his direction.

“It’s like we’re partners on a research project. I feel like I’ve suddenly become a police detective, or some poor intern under a tyrannical boss. She calls me at 2 in the morning, claiming she found something, but all I see is yet another blonde woman’s photo with no details,” Aiden said glumly over a shared phone call with Matteo and Amelia at night, and they could hear the yawn in his voice.

It was sad, but he had no one else to commiserate with.

Isaac had heard what he was doing and wished him good luck before hanging up, claiming he was going out with Dimitri. At least someone’s love life was going well.

“I’m now digging through paper trails that are so moldy it’s a miracle they haven’t created an infectious disease yet. Can’t we just gather the blood of every single woman Emmeline’s age and just test all of them?” Aiden continued to whine as he flipped through Emmeline’s reports.

“What a waste of public resources,” Matteo said dryly. “There are more people with more pressing problems to solve.”

Aiden grumbled under his breath.

Then Amelia’s phone rang, and she smiled.

“It’s my father,” Amelia said cheerfully as she stood up and walked into the bedroom for more privacy. “I’ll take this call.”

Matteo nodded.

“Hey Dad, what’s up?”

A low chuckle filled her ears, causing a chill to travel through her body. That… didn’t sound like her father, but who else could it be?

“Dad?” Amelia repeated hesitantly. “Is something the matter? You usually don’t call so late.”

“Millie, don’t you think it’s time we meet?’

The nickname was familiar, but it wasn’t her father’s voice at the other end of the line. Her blood ran cold, and Amelia nearly screamed in shock. Her knees began to tremble, and she sank into the soft mattress of the bed, desperately hoping that this was merely a bad dream.

Caleb Walton was still speaking to her.

“We haven’t caught up in such a long time,” Caleb added cheerfully, venom lacing every syllable of his words. “I took time out of my busy schedule to pay a visit to your dear father. He has always been kind to me.”

“What did you do to him?!” Amelia asked, nearly shrieking in terror. Her father was supposed to be tucked safe and asleep in Dimitri’s home; how did Caleb get his hands on him?

“Nothing much, we just talked. Why would I hurt him, Millie?” Caleb sounded genuinely confused from the other end of the call. “After all, he’s going to remain as my father-in-law. I wouldn’t hurt a family member, and like I said, he has always been kind to me.”

“I don’t believe you,” Amelia said with gritted teeth, as tears pooled in her eyes. Caleb had no qualms about hurting her to get his way. “Where is he? Let me speak to him!”

“Sure thing,” Caleb said in a sing-song tone. “Michael, do you have anything you wish to say to your daughter?”

Amelia strained her ears, but she could only make out the garbled sounds of someone trying to speak.

“Ah, the cloth gag is making things hard for him,” Caleb said with a laugh. “I nearly forgot about that. But rest assured, the cloth is clean. Your father will not suffer from an infection from the cloth, but his wounds are another story.”

“Wounds?! What did you do to him? I’ll kill you!” Amelia threatened with shaking hands.

Caleb laughed. “If you want him to die, be my guest. But if you wish to see your darling father again, you’ll go to the address I’ve sent you, alone. No Matteo, no Aiden, and no pesky bodyguard. If you don’t… I wonder how long it would take for a bullet to kill your father.”

“You’re a monster!”

“And I’m waiting for you.” Caleb blew a kiss into the phone. “See you later, Millie.”