Chapter 4

Veronica grabbed Domira and started hammering on the door. "Hey! Anybody out there? We need help."

Scott had bolted up the stairs, his gut pulling him straight toward the hospital room. But Selena was sprawled across the hallway floor, right in his path.

"My ankle! I think I twisted it badly." Selena's voice wobbled with pain. "Scott, please. I can't get up."

Scott froze in place.

Inside the room, Veronica's heart felt like it was about to burst through her chest. She screamed, "Scott! Forget about me, but get Domira out, please!"

Scott's face twisted. He moved to step around Selena, but she caught his arm and looked up at him, her eyes wet and wide. "So her kid matters? What about mine? Scott, I'm pregnant."

The words hit him like a slap. He bent down without another thought and scooped Selena into his arms. "Veronica, hold on! I'm coming right back."

"You son of a bitch!" Veronica's voice cracked as she threw herself against the door again and again.

Scott never turned around.

'Of course, he didn't. Why would he? After all this time, why am I still standing here waiting for him to look back?' Veronica thought bitterly.

Domira's coughing pulled Veronica out of her head. The smoke was getting thicker. She spun around, and her eyes locked onto the window.

After Scott carried Selena clear of the building, he tried to charge back inside.

Two firefighters grabbed him by the arms and held him there. "You lost your mind? That fire's eating through everything in there! You go back in, you don't come out."

Scott's eyes were wild, red-rimmed. His voice came out raw. "My wife is in there! My little girl is in there!"

Nobody had ever seen Scott like this. The CEO of Harrington Enterprises, always so polished and put together, looked completely unhinged.

One of the firefighters tightened his grip. "Sir, I don't care who— Wait. Look!"

Up near the window, a rope made of twisted sheets hung down against the side of the building. Veronica was inching her way lower, Domira strapped tight to her back.

Domira was holding on, her tiny face white as a ghost. She had her lips pressed together, not making a peep. She didn't want to scare her mom.

Veronica's movements were slow but sure. The sheets cut into her palms, leaving them slick with blood, but she kept going, jaw clenched, refusing to stop.

Scott stood frozen for a heartbeat. Then his legs were moving before his mind caught up, sprinting toward the base of the building.

With the last bit of strength she had, Veronica made it to the ground. She caught a blurry glimpse of Scott's panicked and desperate face, and then everything went black.

The smell of antiseptic pulled her back.

Veronica lay still for a moment, groggy and confused. Then her eyes flew open, and she shot upright. "Domira—"

"She's next door." Scott's voice came from somewhere close. "She's okay."

He was sitting beside her bed. Dark circles were under his eyes. His face was drawn and wrecked. When he saw her awake, something in his shoulders loosened.

Then his jaw tightened again. "What the hell were you thinking, climbing down like that? Do you have any idea how close that was? I told you to wait for me!"

Veronica's chest ached, but her voice came out flat. "I don't trust you."

Scott stared at her. "What do you mean you don't trust me?"

Veronica kept her eyes on the ceiling. "You said you were done with Selena. A few months later, you two were glued together again.

"You swore you'd be there for our anniversary. The night came, and you took Selena to watch fireworks instead.

"The day Domira was burning up with fever, you took her call, said you'd be right back, and vanished."

She could have gone on. The list was too long.

Scott opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He sat there, the weight of it sinking in. After failing her that many times, of course, she'd stopped believing anything he said.

He tried again. "I—"

"It's fine." Veronica cut him off, her voice tired. "I don't hold it against you anymore. You care about Selena. I get it. So once Domira's surgery is behind us, we'll end this. You can have your life back."

That was the second time she'd brought up divorce.

Scott's brow furrowed. "You're upset. I understand that. But don't blow everything up because you're angry. Without the Harrington name, you wouldn't make it a week out there."

Veronica shut her eyes. She was done talking.

Scott didn't seem fazed. Over the next few days, he took care of her with a gentleness that felt almost strange.

The CEO of Harrington Enterprises, the man everyone answered to, was in the kitchen making her soup, sitting by her bed, coaxing her to take her medicine.

When Veronica refused to look at him, Scott carried Domira into the room. He cupped her little cheeks in his hands and put on a soft voice. "Mommy's mad at Daddy. Think you can help me make her smile again?"

"I'm mad at Daddy, too!" Domira pulled her face away from his hands. She was small, but she understood plenty. Her little mouth set in a pout. "Daddy didn't save me. Or Mommy."