Chapter 4

That name stabbed Zack straight in the heart like a razor-sharp blade.

His gaze was drawn, almost against his will, to the girl standing next to Queenie.

The child was maybe three or four, dressed in soft yellow overalls, her hair in two tiny pigtails. She looked up at him, big, curious eyes fixed on his face. Long lashes. Small nose. And her lips...

Zack's breath caught in his throat.

The girl's features, the way she pursed her lips—she was the spitting image of him as a child.

"This child..." Zack's voice shook, barely holding back his emotions.

Queenie reached out, stroking the girl's hair with a tenderness that turned to ice the moment she faced Zack. Her gaze was sharp, protective. "My daughter, Elara."

Zack's mind thundered. His heart was torn between overwhelming joy and crushing agony, his vision blurring. He knew the girl was his daughter.

He started, "Is she..."

"Mr. Finch," Queenie cut him off, her tone cold and firm. "Whatever was between us ended four years ago. We're nothing now, and there's nothing to talk about. Move aside. We're boarding."

She took Elara's hand and walked right past him, not even looking back, her stride calm and unwavering.

"Mommy," Elara's soft voice piped up, "who's that man? His eyes are all red. Did he cry?"

Queenie's voice remained gentle, but her words were laced with icy barbs that pierced Zack's heart.

She said, "Just someone unimportant. Elara, remember what I said. If you ever meet someone like that, you don't need to pay them any mind."

Those words "someone unimportant" hit Zack like a blow. He stood rooted to the spot, blood running cold. He watched them walk away, Elara skipping, never once looking back.

Mandy rushed over, her face twisted with jealousy and resentment as she saw Zack looking utterly lost. "Zack, wake up. She shows up with a kid. Who knows if that's even your kid? Maybe she's here to scam you."

Zack snapped his head toward her, his eyes stormy and furious, making Mandy instinctively step back.

"Get lost." He spat out the word, his voice glacial.

Then he turned back to where Queenie had disappeared, his eyes blazing with madness and obsession.

Queenie had disappeared with his child for four years.

Now, here she was.

Zack made his vow. This time, he would tear the world apart if he had to. He would bring them back.

Zack didn't get on that flight to Velaris.

He pulled every string he had, and within twenty-four hours, he had traced Queenie's whereabouts for the past four years.

When the file was finally handed to him, Zack sat on the couch in his hotel suite, leafing through the pages one by one, his fingers icy cold.

The first year after Queenie left, she went to Norrheim. With the money from selling her apartment, she settled in a small town there.

The file held a photo: she was heavily pregnant, standing in the snow, wrapped in a thick scarf, gazing into the distance with steady eyes.

It was a look Zack had never seen before: tough, independent, not even a hint that she needed him.

The following year, Elara came into the world.

Queenie worked at the community center, teaching language and photography, and modeled on the side.

In one photo, she cradled her baby in her arms, her smile soft and fulfilled.

There was also a shot of Queenie on stage, accepting the top prize at a prestigious nature photography contest in Norrheim.

Her winning piece, Radiance in the Long Night, had earned her the gold. She stood on the podium in a simple black dress, radiating quiet confidence and poise.

In her third year away, Queenie settled in Mistfors and launched her own studio: Starfield Studio, focusing on plant photography and creating natural art installations.

According to the report, her visual designs for some boutique brands in Norrheim sent their sales soaring, doubling their numbers almost overnight.

This year, her work was featured in an international exhibition in Eldholm.

Queenie came back with Elara: not just for the show, but for something more. The report indicated she was preparing to expand her studio back home.

Zack flipped to the last page. It was the file that held Elara's profile.