Chapter 1
The moment my plane went down, my husband couldn't wait to move his mistress and their daughter into my estate.
Seventy-two hours ago, I finally woke up.
But there is no time for ghosts.
Right now, I am standing in the freezing rain, gripping my cracked phone, watching the live feed from the hidden security cameras I installed years ago.
My seven-year-old daughter, Aria, is on her knees.
She is wearing a washed-out grey shirt—the same one I bought her three years ago. Her tiny hands are covered in chilblains, furiously scrubbing the hallway floor.
Standing over her is Elena, Julian's mistress. Next to Elena is her eight-year-old daughter, Chloe.
Eight.A year older than my marriage to Julian.The math hits me harder than a physical blow.
Chloe is dressed in a custom Dior gown, though her face is unnaturally pale. A hospital ID bracelet peeks out from beneath her lace cuff. She drops a massive glob of birthday cake onto the pristine carpet.
"Clean it up," Chloe sneers, kicking Aria's thin shoulder. "Nanny's children aren't allowed at my party."
"Stop crying," Elena says, sipping her champagne. "Your father pities you. Earn your keep."
Aria gasps. Her chest heaves as she frantically reaches for the blue asthma inhaler in her pocket.
Elena snatches it away. "No medicine until it's spotless."
My blood runs cold.
I ram my shoulder against the heavy iron side gate, punch in my master code, and burst into the hallway.
Elena raises her hand to strike my suffocating child.
I catch her wrist in mid-air. With a violent twist, I shove her backward. Elena's head smacks against the mahogany console table, and she drops to the floor, clutching her bleeding nose.
I grab the inhaler, drop to my knees, and press it to Aria's pale lips. "Breathe, baby. Mommy's here."
Aria takes a ragged, shaking breath. She looks up at me.
Then, she violently flinches.
She doesn't hug me. Instead, she curls into a tight ball, instinctively shielding her head with her arms. She shrinks against the wall, desperately trying to hide her dirty clothes.
"Mommy...? Don't look at me," she sobs, trembling violently. "Daddy said I am the bad nanny's child... I'll dirty your dress."
My chest tears open. He erased her identity in her own home.
"What the hell is going on?!" Julian storms down the stairs, freezing the second he sees my face.
"S-Sera?" He grips the railing, the color draining from his face. "You're dead."
I stand up, keeping myself between him and my terrified daughter.
"The ocean didn't want me, Julian."
In the distance, the loud wail of ambulance sirens cuts through the rain.
Julian's shock hardens into a calculated glare. He steps down, blocking the doorway. "Listen to me very carefully, Sera. Legally, you do not exist."
"Aria needs a hospital," I say coldly.
"The paramedics will take her," Julian whispers, his voice dripping with venom. "But I have sole custody. If you try to step out that door with her, I will tell the police an unidentified woman broke in and tried to kidnap my child. They will tear her out of your arms."
I freeze.
I look at Aria, who is shaking uncontrollably at the sound of his raised voice. A physical fight with the police right now would traumatize her forever.
"Paramedics! Down here!" Julian yells, switching his tone to a desperate, caring father.
They rush in and gently lift Aria onto a stretcher.
"Don't ever come back here," Julian sneers, following them out into the rain.
Standing in the dark hallway, I pull out my phone and dial my attorney.
"It's Sera. I'm back. And I need a legal team at City Hospital, right now."