Chapter 1He Hid Our Daughter to Break Me

I stepped out of the car to buy my daughter her favorite strawberry gelato.

But when I returned, the backseat was empty. My little girl was gone.

For the next four years, I lost my mind. I tore the city apart searching for her, chasing dead ends ninety-nine times. My mother wept until her vision faded to shadows. My husband, Dominic Astor, only looked at me with venomous disgust.

"Until you find our daughter, don't even think about living in peace!"

After my hundredth failed attempt, my heart finally turned to ash. I swallowed a handful of lethal pills.

As the poison dragged me into the dark, I heard Dominic talking to the poor scholarship student I used to sponsor.

"Dom, baby. It's been four years. When are you going to tell Caroline that Cici has been hidden away at your private estate in London this whole time?"

Dominic's voice was ice. "There is no rush. She used her family's money to force you to drop out of college. She threw those divorce papers in my face. She needs to learn that actions have consequences."

"Until her pride is completely broken, I am not stopping."

A single tear slipped down my cheek as my soul floated out of my heavy, lifeless body.

Dominic. You finally got exactly what you wanted.

* * *

I chose to die in my daughter's nursery, just to be close to the lingering scent of her baby powder.

The private elevator dinged. Dominic stepped into the penthouse, bringing a gust of cold night air with him. He loosened his silk tie and swept his gaze over the dark, empty living room.

"Caroline still isn't back? Let me guess. She bought into another scam artist's fake tip and dragged herself to some godforsaken slum."

Sophie clung to his arm like a spineless vine, giggling softly. "I have never seen an upper-crust heiress act so incredibly stupid. She believes literally anything people tell her."

"Dom, remember last time? She heard a rumor about Cici and ran straight into the slums by the docks. She almost got herself killed. By the time your security team found her, her clothes were torn and she was waving a piece of broken glass around like a lunatic. Who knows if those filthy men down there touched her..."

Dominic's eyes turned lethal. He shoved her away.

Sophie caught the shift in his mood instantly. She swallowed her words, stepping close again to wrap her arms around his neck. She breathed heavily against his jaw. "It has been so long since you came to my place. I missed you."

Dominic grabbed her waist and pinned her against the velvet sofa. A cruel, mocking smirk touched his lips.

"You really are a wicked little thing. You know exactly how to please a man, unlike her. If she had just swallowed her pride and looked the other way, her position as Mrs. Astor would be untouchable."

"But no. She had to use her family trust to ruin your education. She dared to threaten me with a divorce. If I don't crush that rebellious streak of hers, the Astor name becomes a joke."

The harsh sound of fabric tearing echoed in the quiet living room.

Expensive tailoring and shredded silk drifted to the floor. Right here, in the home we built together, they tangled together without a shred of shame.

My spirit drifted near the ceiling. I thought dying meant I would not feel pain anymore. Yet my chest ached like someone was carving out my heart with a rusty spoon.

Once upon a time, this proud man had fallen to his knees in front of me. He had gripped my wrists, his usually cold eyes brimming with desperate tears.

"Caro, please do not leave! I was drunk. I thought she was you! I kicked her out already, I swear. Just believe me this one time. Do not say the word divorce!"

I was dead set on walking out that door. So he grabbed a priceless antique crystal decanter, smashed it against the marble floor, and drove a jagged shard right into his own neck.

It was fast. Brutal. Without a second of hesitation.

I did not even have time to scream. I threw myself at him, pressing my hands against the wound, but the blood just kept pouring through my fingers. I cried until my voice gave out into pathetic hiccups.

Dominic fought to stay conscious. His rough thumb brushed across my tear-soaked cheek.

"If I die, let this be my penance. I just want you to forgive me. Live a good life with Cici."

He did not die. And I was foolish enough to let my heart soften. After months of agony and therapy, I chose to forgive him.

I never imagined my forgiveness would buy me four years of being tortured like a clueless animal.

Their heavy breathing finally stopped late into the night. Dominic lit a cigarette, staring at the front door with a tight frown.

"Where the hell is she? It is past midnight and she hasn't even bothered to text."

He snatched his phone off the coffee table, a muscle ticking in his jaw, and dialed my number.

In the dead silence of the penthouse, a sharp, familiar ringtone started playing.

It was coming from the locked nursery next door.

Dominic's hand froze mid-air.