Chapter 1

The night my daughter, Sophia Ross, lay dying, I begged my husband, Daniel Ross, who was with the Syndicate, to unfreeze my accounts.

But he listened to his mistress instead, convinced I was trying to compete for his attention with our child, and hung up on me.

Before dawn, my daughter died in my arms.

After burying her, I dialed Daniel's greatest rival. "I'll accept the marriage alliance you proposed. But I have one condition."

*****

Sophia trembled weakly in my arms while Daniel locked the last of my bank cards completely.

The Ross family's private clinic was in the northern suburbs of Westbridge. It was nearly two hours away from Central Medical Center, the only place that could treat Sophia.

Rain lashed against the windows as the doctor on night duty handed me the transfer form.

"The Ross family's ambulance downstairs is your fastest option," the doctor told me, his voice solemn. "The city's public ambulance service will take at least ninety minutes. She can't wait that long."

I stared down at the thin paper in my grasp, my fingers too numb to close fully around it.

My six-year-old daughter, Sophia, was curled up in the hospital bed, her face so pale that it blended almost perfectly with the white pillowcase.

When she saw me turn around, she managed a weak smile. "Mom, is Dad coming?"

"Yes," I answered quickly, the panic in my voice impossible to hide.

The Ross family's ambulance was parked downstairs, but the driver wouldn't take us anywhere.

He looked at me through the window, his eyes apologetic behind the glass. "Mrs. Ross, Mr. Ross just issued a direct order. He's suspended all your vehicle access and account privileges. I can't drive you anywhere without his approval."

Ten minutes ago, I'd swiped my card at the hospital counter.

A red light flashed, and the screen displayed a single clear message that my account was frozen.

In our second year of marriage, Daniel told me that as his wife, I didn't need to set up a personal account outside the family funds.

I had taken his words as a genuine sign of trust back then. I pooled all my assets, including my mother's inheritance, my pre-marriage savings and every penny I owned, and transferred everything into the family's joint trust.

I didn't realize the truth until this desperate night. His version of shared ownership only meant he held full control over all my money, and he could take it all away whenever he pleased.

I called Daniel. He didn't answer my first call.

On the second attempt, he picked up the phone but didn't say anything. I heard the distinct clink of wine glasses and soft string music playing in the background.

Tonight was the big dinner before Daniel officially became the Ross family head, and Viola Lane was there as his date.

On the third try, he finally spoke up after picking up the phone. "Elena, I'm busy."

His voice was as icy as the rain pounding outside the clinic walls.

"Sophia's in critical condition. The doctor says she needs to be transferred immediately. Please, unfreeze my accounts and unlock the vehicle access for me. We can talk about everything else later," I said, my voice urgent.

There was a brief silence on the other end.

Then Viola's gentle voice brushed against the receiver. "Daniel, I never thought she'd use the kid to get your attention."

I clenched my phone. "Keep Viola away from the phone, Daniel. If you don't trust me, listen to Sophia for yourself. She's right here with me."

I set the phone down by Sophia's pillow.

Sophia could barely keep her eyes open. She stirred faintly at the sound of her father's name and whispered weakly, "Dad..."

Her whisper was so faint that the pouring rain nearly drowned it out entirely.

But Daniel's voice remained unwavering and dismissive. "I saw the clinic's report from this afternoon. It's just a regular fever.

"And Viola played me an audio recording. You said you planned to take Sophia out of Westbridge and keep her from me forever."

"That report was written four hours ago. Her condition took a sudden turn for the worse just now. You can call the doctor yourself to confirm," I said.

"I won't indulge this act of yours. You're using a simple fever as an excuse to run away."

"That audio clip was edited. What I actually said was, if you continue letting Viola live in our family home, I would take Sophia to my mother's house by the sea for a while."

"That is enough, Elena." Clear impatience laced every word he spoke.

"Nobody leaves Westbridge before the succession ceremony. Your accounts and the vehicles are staying locked until it's over. Calm down first, and then take Sophia back home."

I looked at the hospital bed.

Sophia's small hand slipped out from under the blanket. The red hair tie I'd fastened around her wrist that morning was still there. She'd promised me that once she got better, she'd wear it in her hair and go to see the sea together with me.

"Daniel, I'm not trying to run away," I said. My voice trembled so hard that I could barely recognize it. "Please, just let me access the medical account. The doctor says she doesn't have enough time to wait."

He was silent for several seconds, and I thought he finally got it.

But his response was cold and unyielding. "Last month, she had a fever, too, and you made it sound like she was at death's door. Elena, stop using our daughter to get my attention."

"This time is different," I said.

"If you keep calling me with these outbursts, I will have my lawyer file divorce paperwork."

The call ended abruptly.

I stared at my darkened phone screen, and suddenly, every sound around me blurred into complete silence.

The doctor came out of the exam room, urging me to rush the transfer process.

I took off my wedding ring and set it on the hospital counter before sliding my earrings, necklace and watch beside it.

"Will this be enough?" I asked.

The staff member shook her head.

The Ross family's ambulance wasn't under the hospital's control, and personal valuables couldn't replace official electronic access approval. All she could do was keep calling the hospital ambulance, hoping it would arrive faster.

The driver downstairs wouldn't risk defying Daniel's orders. Right now, all I could do was hold Sophia and wait.

She grew lighter and lighter, like a mist dissolving into nothing in my arms.

The rain slowed down by the time the hospital ambulance finally arrived, but the delay had already cost us our chance to get her treatment at Central Medical Center.

At 4:17 a.m., the doctor took off his mask and shook his head at me.

Sophia died in my arms.

Her final words were a quiet whisper, asking why her father never came for her.