Chapter 4The New York Legend

The news of Natalie's "accident" was all over the papers the next day.

But this time, my father didn't storm home in a rage. In fact, he started coming home more often. He never mentioned Natalie's name again.

I didn't understand what had changed, until one night I overheard my mother talking with our head of staff in the study.

"Natalie's baby is gone, and her face is permanently disfigured. Mr. Blackwood has likely decided she's no longer of any value to him. It seems he's planning to return to the family, to you and the young master."

My mother stared out the window at the inky black sky. Her voice was flat. "We'll see."

In the weeks that followed, my father came home earlier and earlier. He brought me mountains of toys and my favorite snacks. My mother's jewelry boxes overflowed with new pieces, and her closets were bursting with designer clothes.

Even my mother seemed to be thawing. I saw her smile more.

One day, my father announced he was taking us to visit my grandparents. They lived far away, a long drive from the city.

As we were driving over a massive bridge, my father suddenly pulled the car over. I thought he wanted to stop and enjoy the view.

The next second, the car doors were yanked open. My mother and I were dragged out onto the pavement.

My father's gentle facade had vanished. His eyes were filled with a cold, murderous intent.

"I told you Natalie was no threat to you, Elena," he snarled. "But you went after her again and again. Because of you, she can never have children. Because of you, her face is ruined, she can't even bear to be seen in public. Do you have any idea how much that has destroyed her?"

"All these weeks, coming home, being nice to you and the boy... it was all an act. Just to get you to lower your guard, to get you in a car with me today without your army of bodyguards."

At his signal, his men seized me and threw me over the railing into the churning river below.

As I fell, my mother lunged for me, wrapping me in a desperate embrace. Her tears, hot against my cold skin, fell on my face.

I heard my father's voice drift down from above, chillingly calm.

"Don't blame me for this, Alan. Your mother just wouldn't listen. She was turning you against me. I just have to teach you both a little lesson."

The moment the icy water swallowed us, I think I finally understood the look in my mother's eyes when she would sit alone in her room, staring at old photos of them together. I remembered her quiet whisper: "Times change, and people change with them."

My father's heart was as cold and merciless as the river now consuming us.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. My mother, wrapped in bandages, sat beside me. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. She hugged me so tightly it hurt, whispering apologies over and over. She said it was her fault, that she had let me suffer.

But Mommy, you were the one who was suffering the most. And you never once complained.

That night, my mother told me to go to sleep early. She said she had some business to take care of. An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach, so I snuck out and followed her.

I watched her go to the new villa my father had bought for Natalie. She and her team of bodyguards smashed everything inside to pieces before tying Natalie to a chair.

It wasn't long before my father arrived, looking frantic. The moment he saw my mother, his face became a mask of pure fury. "Elena, are you trying to drive me to my grave?"

My mother just laughed, a cold, sharp sound, as she toyed with a small, gleaming dagger. "I'm simply returning the favor. Why is it that when I do it, it's considered a death threat?"

She pressed the tip of the dagger to Natalie's throat. A thin line of red appeared.

My father fell to his knees without a moment's hesitation. "Elena, I'm begging you. Don't hurt Natalie. She's innocent in all this. Let her go, and I'll do anything you ask."

"You're doing all this for a divorce, right? Fine! I agree! We'll get a divorce." He immediately had someone bring him divorce papers, signed his name, and held them out to her.

My mother didn't even glance at them. She tore them to pieces.

"You said it yourself, Robert. No divorce. Only death. And tonight, I'm going to kill you both!"