Chapter 4

Photos of Edward and Chloe at the OB-GYN clinic were everywhere.

It was his first time showing up in a tabloid scandal.

I had no idea if something like this had happened before—if he'd simply managed to bury it.

This time, the internet was full of them.

It seemed Edward was finally ready to introduce Chloe to the public.

The way he flaunted it didn't look like he planned to keep her hidden.

For a moment, I felt something like hope flicker in me.

But Abigail burst into my room, clutching her phone, tears streaming down her face. "Mom, is Daddy with Ms. Austin now? Does he not want us anymore? Daddy's bad. Ms. Austin is bad. I don't ever want to like them again."

Her little face was red and blotchy, shaking with sobs.

My chest tightened.

Abigail was the child Edward forced me to have.

Whatever went wrong between adults always ended up falling on the kids.

No matter how I tried, I couldn't calm her down.

After she called Edward again and again with no answer, she dialed Chloe.

The call connected almost immediately.

"Abby, what do you need?" Chloe asked.

Abigail sniffled, furious and heartbroken. "Give me my daddy back. I want my daddy."

On the phone, Chloe let out a soft, sugary laugh, dragging out the sound on purpose—like she wanted to make sure I heard every bit of it. "Your daddy's with me, Abby. Do you want to see him?

"If you do, then stop staying with your mom. Come to my place. That way you can see Daddy every day."

Abigail cried even harder.

I snatched the phone away and sent the housekeeper upstairs with her.

On the other end, a different voice finally came through—Edward's lazy, rough tone, mixed with Chloe's occasional giggles. He asked, "What's the matter?"

My hand curled into a fist. I swallowed everything I wanted to scream.

I forced myself to stay calm. "You and Chloe let Abby find out. Come home and fix it."

Edward agreed quickly.

But the one who showed up at my front door was Chloe, smiling sweetly as she rang the bell.

I had just taken a sleeping pill and barely drifted off.

I didn't know when Abigail woke up, or what Chloe said to her.

The housekeeper shook me awake, panic all over her face. "Mrs. Collins, Abby is gone. Mr. Collins is with that little slut, and he's not answering his phone."

My legs were shaking when I climbed out of bed.

I didn't even stop to put on shoes. I just bolted out of the room like I'd lost my mind.

I ran so fast that when I hit the stairs, I missed a step and tumbled down several more.

The fall rattled my brain hard enough to snap me back to my senses.

The first thing I did was tell the housekeeper to call the police. Then I had her contact Edward's parents.

They had resources I didn't.

They were bound to find Abigail faster than I could by running around blindly.

Abigail was such a well-behaved kid. She would never leave home alone for no reason.

I searched the nearby neighborhoods while calling Chloe over and over.

I was terrified she might pull something out of spite.

She was pregnant with Edward's baby now. Was Abigail suddenly an eyesore to her?

All the patience I'd swallowed, all the times I'd pretended not to notice—at that moment, I regretted every second of it.

I finally understood that staying quiet didn't stop people from hating you.

Edward's parents arrived soon after.

The villa was packed with people, and the police were working everywhere.

But Abigail was still missing.

I kept searching all night until I collapsed and someone carried me home.

Before I even opened my eyes, Edward's mother's voice came crashing down on me. "I should've known you used some cheap trick to seduce my son into marrying you.

"Now look at you—you can't even keep track of one child. All you're good for is warming a man's bed. If Abigail isn't found, I'll make sure Edward divorces you."

I lowered my head like I had so many times before.

Whenever Edward wasn't around, I took all her insults in silence.

But this time, something in me cracked.

How many times did I have to say it before they finally understood?

I wasn't clinging to this marriage. Their son was the one clinging to me.

I slapped away the finger she was jabbing right in my face.

I was hurt and furious.

I snapped, "Then tell him to divorce me. Or do what you did last time—drug me and throw another man at me so he'd think I cheated.

"If you can't control your son, stop taking it out on me. If you've got the guts, call him here. Let him divorce me right now."

Edward was the one who wrecked my life.

So why was I the one being yelled at?

Why was I the one breaking down? Why was I the one paying for everything he did?