Chapter 1A Lifetime of Atonement for Her

The world flooded back into view, a sudden, blinding miracle.

Before I could even share the news with my husband, I heard his voice from the hallway, low and conspiratorial, talking to the doctor.

“Mr. Blackwood, your wife’s hands… they’re showing signs of healing again. Are you going to have me break her fingers again? This is the eighth time. She’s already lost her mother, and you… you smothered your own son. I know you want to protect Savannah, but you don’t have to destroy your wife to do it!”

“If Christine ever finishes that sketch, Savannah’s life is over,” Damian’s voice was cold steel. “Savannah is a good person. It was an accident. She and I are getting married soon, and I won’t let anything jeopardize that.”

“I promised Savannah that Leo would be my only son. I will not fail them. It doesn’t matter that Christine is childless now. I’ll take care of her for the rest of her life. Let that be my penance.”

A tremor of pure agony wracked my body.

So, the man who destroyed my world was the same one I called my husband. My mother was killed in a hit-and-run when I was eight months pregnant. In my frantic search for the driver, I too was struck by a car. I woke up blind, my fingers shattered.

And it was all to pave the way for his true love.

If this is what he wanted, then I would give it to him.

* * *

“Be quick about it. After you smash Christine’s fingers, I want her uterus removed, too. She’s already convinced herself that Leo is her child, so she probably won’t be asking for another. But we can’t take any chances. This way, I won’t have to use protection with Savannah anymore.”

The doctor’s voice was a shocked whisper. “Mr. Blackwood, she’s already blind and crippled. You killed your own infant son just to bring Savannah’s child into your home, and now you want to sterilize her? If she ever finds out the truth, it will break her.”

Damian scoffed. “So what? She’s a wreck. Who else would want her? She’s blind anyway. We’ll have the big wedding for Savannah first, and then when the press is gone, I’ll do a small ceremony for Christine. She’s easy to fool.”

“Besides,” he continued, his voice dripping with casual cruelty, “she’s a coward now. Terrified of going outside, terrified of cars. The sound of an engine makes her tremble. I’ll just keep her locked up at home, for her ‘protection.’ She has no one left. Who would she even cry to?”

“Will you be… watching, sir?”

A dry chuckle. “I’ve watched the last eight times. What’s one more?”

Footsteps approached. I scrambled back onto the cold operating table, my heart hammering against my ribs.

The doctor looked at my bandaged hands, his face a mask of pity. “She’s been through this eight times. The amount of anesthesia we’re using will cause irreversible damage. Mr. Blackwood, can you really do this to her?”

Damian kicked the base of the table, the metal ringing out in the sterile room. “Enough. Just get it done. If she’s crippled, I’ll support her. If she goes insane, I’ll support her!”

The doctor sighed, a sound of defeat. “She loved you with everything she had. She stood by you when you had nothing, helped you rebuild your empire. And now her family is dead, her career is destroyed… I hope you don’t live to regret this, sir.”

“For Savannah and Leo’s happiness, this is a small price for her to pay. I will never regret it. I just hope she stays blissfully ignorant. I’ll let her live in the fairy tale I’ve built for her. That’s the least I can do for the love she gave me.”

“Same as always,” Damian added, his voice softening into a grotesque parody of care. “Give her a heavy dose of anesthetic. I don’t want Christine to feel any pain. And go a little easier on her left hand. The thought of her having to use her mouth or feet to pick things up… I can’t bear it.”

The needle slid into my arm, but the drug felt like ice water in my veins. It didn’t work. My mind remained terrifyingly clear.

Damian’s phone buzzed. “Mr. Blackwood, the monthly hush money for the driver’s family has been sent. One million dollars.”

“Don’t bother me with these trifles again. Just remind them: if anyone asks, he was the one who hit Christine and her mother. He is to never, ever show his face or run his mouth in front of her.”

A laugh echoed on the other end of the line. “Of course not. His son thinks he hit the jackpot. A life sentence in exchange for ten million? He considers it a bargain.”

The laughter reverberated in the operating room, squeezing my heart in an invisible fist.

So, it wasn't some random driver who killed my mother. It was Savannah. And to cover it up, Damian hired a man to silence us both, a man who nearly succeeded.

My sweet boy… my baby… murdered by his own father.

He was our child, a tiny, perfect life that never got to see the sun. And for the sake of his precious Savannah, Damian snuffed him out without a second thought.

The man I thought was my savior was the executioner all along.

The regret was a poison, a burning shame for loving this monster. The hatred was a wildfire, consuming everything for falling for this beast in human skin.

The hammer fell.

Agony exploded in my hand, sharp and blinding, one finger after another, until they were nothing but a pulp of shattered bone and flesh.

Then, a cold, metal instrument invaded my body, twisting and tearing deep within my womb.

I squeezed my eyes shut, biting my lip so hard I tasted blood, trying to swallow the screams. But the tears, hot and silent, streamed down my face.