Chapter 3

The taxi driver pulled over and said politely, "Miss, we're here."

I snapped out of my daze, wiped away my tears, paid the driver, and got out of the car.

After divorcing Ethan, I had left with nothing to my name. At the end of my rope, I was fortunate enough to meet Autumn Wynn. She had saved me when I nearly died at sea, helped me find my courage again, and gave me a second lease on life.

All these years, I had never stopped searching for any trace of my daughter. But Ethan had guarded her tightly, not letting a single hint slip. With no other choice, I had to lay low and focus on improving myself.

What I never expected was for Ethan to show up on my doorstep, trying to use my daughter as leverage against me. My heart sank. I couldn't tell what game he was playing this time.

The next day, with no commercial performances scheduled, I returned to the training studio to teach the children.

There was a new little girl in class today. She looked delicate and adorable. She was shy, hiding off to the side and stealing glances at me.

The moment our eyes met, my heart softened. I reached out my hand. "Hi, I'm Ms. Lane. What's your name?"

The girl blinked at me but didn't say a word.

I didn't think much of it and smiled gently. "Would you like me to teach you how to dance?" As I spoke, I demonstrated a few simple moves with ease.

The little girl copied me, step for step. To my surprise, she was a natural.

After class, I changed and stepped outside, only to find her sitting alone on a small stool by the door, as if waiting for someone. I sat down beside her. "Would you like me to wait with you until your mom and dad get here?"

She nodded sweetly, still not saying a word.

My heart melted completely. I took a piece of chocolate from my bag and handed it to her.

"Sophie, sorry I'm late." The familiar voice made me look up sharply. Ethan walked in briskly, wearing a trench coat.

The little girl hopped off the stool and waved at me sweetly.

I stared at her, tears spilling over before I could stop them.

Sophie hesitated for a second, then reached out her small hand and wiped my tears away. "Don't cry."

My hands shook as I hesitated, then reached out and pulled her frail shoulders into my arms. I broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

So this was her. The daughter I had longed for day and night.

I didn't know how long I cried before Ethan stepped in and gently separated us. "Alright, Sophie's hungry. Let's take her out to eat."

I wanted so badly to spend more time with my daughter that I agreed to his invitation.

Ethan was overjoyed and hurried to open the car door for us.

Holding Sophie in my arms, I got into the car. I swallowed my sobs and said carefully, "Sophie, I'm your mom."

Sophie looked at me, confusion clouding her eyes. After a pause, she repeated stiffly, "Don't cry."

Even if I had been slow, I could see something was wrong. I glared at Ethan. "Tell me—what have you done to Sophie?"

Ethan's face fell. "Rachel, she's my daughter too. Don't make me out to be some kind of monster."

I didn't want to fight in front of Sophie, so holding back my anger, I asked quietly, "What's really wrong with Sophie?"

After a moment, Ethan said hoarsely, "The doctor said it's aphasia."

My chest tightened, and I pulled Sophie close, tears spilling over again.

After a brief pause, Ethan added, "The doctor suggested changing her environment for a while. Rachel, you have no idea how excited I was just now when I heard Sophie speak."

I knew something wasn't right. "Why did this happen to Sophie?"

Ethan fell silent. Under my repeated pressure, he finally told the truth. "Yvonne... she forgot Sophie in the storage room and left her there all night..."

"What?" Rage shot straight to my head—I wanted to rip Yvonne to shreds.

Ethan instinctively tried to defend her. "She didn't mean to—"

I shot him a cold, mocking glance and lowered my head to talk to my daughter instead. Maybe it was a bond written in our blood. Sophie didn't resist me at all. She leaned quietly against me, listening as I spoke.

Encouraged, I couldn't help kissing her chubby cheek.

Ethan wisely kept his mouth shut, sitting off to the side and watching me interact with Sophie, a flicker of longing passing through his eyes.

I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles the whole ride. Thankfully, we soon arrived at the restaurant.

I got out of the car with Sophie in my arms. Ethan stepped forward considerately. "Here, let me carry her."

"No," I said. I turned sideways to refuse him and carried Sophie straight into the restaurant.

Just then, a voice rang out behind us. "Honey, didn't you say you were working late?"