The Storms

Prologue 

Damien Storm made his way down the familiar path to his house, the weight of a long day at the office clinging to him. As he pushed open the front door, the usual hustle and bustle of family life seemed oddly subdued. His boys, gathered in the living room, wore expressions that immediately set off alarm bells in Damien's mind.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his steps quickening as he approached them.

"Mom is gone," Vincent, his eldest, delivered the words with a solemnity that sent a shiver down Damien's spine.

"What do you mean she is gone?" Damien's concern deepened, lines of worry etching across his face.

"We were coming home from school, and she was packing up and leaving," Vincent replied, his voice carrying a mix of confusion and hurt.

"Why?" Damien pressed, his mind racing to comprehend the sudden turn of events.

"I have no idea, Dad," said Vincent, glancing towards his younger siblings. Damien's eyes fell on the empty spaces where Brielle and Blake should have been.

"Where are the twins?" he asked, an uneasy feeling settling in his gut.

"They were in the nursery," Victor, the second child, answered. Without a second thought, Damien sprinted towards the nursery, his sons trailing behind him, voicing their concerns.

The nursery door swung open, revealing an empty crib that should have held Blake. "Blake," Damien called out, his heart pounding. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Dad, Brielle's not here," Vincent's voice wavered, his eyes on the verge of tears. A note caught his attention, neatly labeled with Damien's name. "Dad, here, this was in Brielle's crib," Vincent said, handing it over.

Damien's hands trembled as he unfolded the note, each word slicing through him like a knife. "Dear Damien, If you are reading this, it means that I have left with the twins. I never wanted to marry you or even have kids. But I had to marry you. So don't come looking for me. I will hurt them. Yours, Bertha."

The room fell into a heavy silence. "Dad, what's wrong?" Vincent's voice cut through the stillness.

"Your mother took them. She said not to try to find her," Damien replied, his anger seeping into his words. A deep breath, a crumpled note, and a shattered family stood as testament to a storm that had just begun.

"Are we going to?" Vincent inquired, his eyes mirroring the determination that now burned in Damien's gaze.

"Till our last breath. We will find them,"