Chapter 8 : They are still so young

"This way, you won't get lost again." Adam approached the glass, his eyes dark and sinister like a devil's.

"No...no, I can't...I can't die..." Alice slid weakly to the ground, the temperature around her making her cling tightly to the glass door, as if trying to breathe in the fresh air outside. "Let me go, I really...can't die...I disappeared in front of you, why do you have to bring me back..."

Her words had no effect, and as she lifted her gaze, all she saw were Adam's cold, beast-like black eyes, as if he wanted to kill her!

Alice clutched her chest in discomfort, tears falling incessantly. "Don't...I promise you, I won't run away again, spare me...I don't want to die, I won't run away again..."

After she finished speaking, she collapsed to the ground, unable to catch her breath.

Her vision began to blur, but the slender black shadow outside the glass door was still so clear, like a devil deeply imprinted in her fragile consciousness.

When the shadow occupied her entire field of vision, she passed out completely, tears still falling from the corners of her eyes.

It wasn't fear, it was because she was worried about the children she left behind...

If she died, what would happen to them? They were still so young...

"Ah!" Alice woke up from the abyss-like darkness, sitting up in bed, her eyes full of fear, gasping for air, beads of sweat on her forehead.

Did she die?

The familiar room left her stunned, and it took her a few seconds to realize that this was the room she had lived in before.

In other words, she didn't die?

Adam had let her out of the steam room!

Alice looked down at her hands, touched her face, and then, in a panic, ran to the bathroom mirror.

She only felt relieved when she saw her complete and intact self inside the room. Even though she didn't die, the fear of being on the brink of death still lingered over her. Adam was too cruel! Alice dared to joke about her own life and eat deadly seafood because she was sure that Adam wouldn't let her die. At least not so quickly. When animals catch their prey, they either bite off their necks in one go or play with them until they lose interest and swallow them whole. Adam belonged to the latter. But this time when she was locked in the steam room and roasted alive, she really felt that Adam was going to kill her. And the only reason he spared her was because she said she wouldn't run away again. It was too terrifying... Alice ran back to her bedroom, looking for her passport and ID, only to find that they were not there. She was so anxious that tears streamed down her face, but there was nothing she could do. She knew that her passport and ID were with Adam, and he wouldn't give them to her. Without these things, how could she return to her children? Saying that she wouldn't leave was just a temporary measure... This feeling of being given hope and then falling back into hell made Alice feel desperate and almost unable to breathe. Today was supposed to be the day she could return to her children, hold their soft, milky bodies, and listen to their childish voices... Alice lay back on the bed, her eyes full of tears. At this moment, she missed her children too much.

She waited for the night to deepen before making a video call to her children. Aunt Charlotte was struggling to take care of the three kids alone and Alice couldn't leave just yet. Her eyes remained open until 2 a.m., which was around 10 a.m. in the foreign country. She got out of bed and locked the door before heading to the bathroom and closing the door behind her. After taking these precautions, she retrieved her phone from inside her clothes and turned it on. She quickly connected with Aunt Charlotte, whose worried face appeared on the screen. "Alice..." she said. "Mom!" Alice's three children chimed in before she could say anything.Their heads crowded the screen, their big beautiful eyes shining brightly. As she looked at their innocent faces, Alice's eyes welled up with tears. She held back her emotions and asked, "Are you listening to Grandma Charlotte at home?" "Yes!" they all replied. Alice hesitated to end the call and continued to touch the screen with trembling hands, trying to alleviate her longing for them. "Mom, when are you coming back?" Lily, her daughter, asked in a weak and pitiful voice, tears streaming down her face.

"Mom will come back soon!" Isaac, the son with a loud voice and a big temper, said discontentedly, holding back tears.

"Ten days!" Kevin, the second son who was silent and mature, looked disappointed and melancholy, with tears in his eyes.

Alice felt extremely distressed.

She lowered her head to ease the impending emotional outburst.

A few seconds later, she raised her face, pulling out a strong smile. "Mom still has some things to deal with here. Once it's done, Mom will come back, okay?"

"How long will it take?" Isaac asked.

Alice didn't know how long it would take, but she couldn't say that to the children. "It shouldn't take too long, but Mom promises you that during this period, I will make video calls to you. Okay?""Mom..." Lily, who was slightly spoiled, whimpered first.

"Be good, don't cry. Mom will try to come back as soon as possible, okay?" Alice felt extremely uncomfortable, as if a knife was cutting her heart.

"Every day!" Isaac was overbearing.

Alice didn't know if she could make video calls every day, so she could only say, "It depends on the situation, okay?"

"I miss Mom..." Kevin looked disappointed, with a dimness in his eyes.

"Mom misses you too, very much..." Alice held back her tears and said.

She wished she could just jump into the phone screen and hug her children, giving them a sense of security. The heartache of being forcibly separated from her children was unbearable.

Although the child is only two years old and not yet able to speak fluently, her logic far surpasses that of children her age. Looking at the faces of the three children, Lily is a miniature version of her, while Isaac and Kevin are complete miniature versions of Adam. This makes her even more confused. She doesn't love them any less because they have Adam's face, only afraid of being taken away. How could Adam allow the woman he despises to give birth to his flesh and blood…In the video, she talks to the children and watches them eat lunch. The two-year-old child has already learned to feed himself. His chubby little hands hold the spoon and feed himself mouthfuls of food, melting and healing Alice in front of the camera. Yesterday's scare has dissipated somewhat. Just as she was lovingly watching the three children, there was a slight movement that made her tremble. Emma was quietly behind the bathroom door. However, on the other side of this door, there seemed to be something terrible slowly seeping through. The air in the room surged with an eerie unease, and the tall Adam suddenly appeared. There was no one in the bedroom, and his sharp gaze swept towards the lit bathroom.