Chapter One

Amelia's Pov

  I could barely contain my excitement. After two weeks of unprecedented business in Italy, I finally get to return home to my family and to my life, but most importantly, I finally get to return home to my $5000 orthopedic mattress, which the employee expense policy unfortunately wouldn’t cover. 

Initially, I was set to return in two days, and my husband and daughter weren't expecting me until then, but after finishing up with business here, even the delicious gelatos weren’t enough to keep me away from my home for another day, so I decided to take the first flight back to the US, just to surprise them. 

 The last time my husband, Samuel Brooks, and I spoke was before I left. We’d gotten into a heated argument because I had an itch about him being unfaithful, and I decided to scratch it by going through his devices. Fortunately, I’d found no evidence of another woman in his life, but unfortunately, he’d caught me, and we’d fought over it and hadn’t spoken since. 

 I left him a text message before leaving as well as a note, assuring him that we would talk when I got back. He never responded to any of my text messages, even while I was in Italy, but I figured he was still upset with me and decided to give him time and apologize properly to him when I got back. 

 On the other hand, our daughter, Sophie, didn't stop texting me every day to check up on me. She also assured me that Samuel was doing just fine, even going as far as telling me there was nothing suspicious about him since I left, so I had nothing to worry about. 

 After what felt like hours, the cab arrived at the pórte of my estate, and I quickly pulled myself up in relief, jet lagged, car sick, and ready to get out of the car. 

 After a quick security check, I was let through the gate and into the estate, where the cab stopped by the main house, and the heavy English accent of the cab driver cut through the silence that hung in the air. 

“That’ll be 200 dollars.” 

I whipped out a bunch of clumped 50’s and half-flung it at him, not interested if it was more than what he asked. I just couldn’t wait to fall onto my mattress and get a good nap. 

He took a friendly look at me after counting what I guessed to be seven 50’s, smiled, and drove out of my sight, and I immediately sped towards the main house, placed my thumb on the handle, and let myself in. 

I was met with the voice of The Weeknd blasting through the speakers overhead, which not only surprised me but also irritated me.

"Sophie?" I called out, barely hearing my own voice through the music. 

 I tossed my coat onto the coach, placing my luggage carrier right beside it. Where the hell was Sophie, and what could be the reason for such loud music? 

 I proceeded to use the stairs, irritation overpowering my sense of alarm. Sophie would get the talk of her life today for such irresponsible behavior, or so I thought. 

 On getting to the top of the stairs, I realized that the music wasn’t coming from Sophie’s room like I thought it would. Instead, it was coming from the master bedroom, the room I and Samuel shared. 

 My brows furrowed in confusion. What was Samuel doing playing such loud music? I’d never known him to be one to like loud music, let alone The Weeknd. 

 I approached the bedroom door in anger, and just as I was about to push the door open, I heard a voice, stopping me dead in my tracks. It was faint, almost drowned out by the music and the voice of a woman, and one I was familiar with. 

"I want more of your fingers in me, daddy," the familiar voice of my daughter purred, and in that very moment, my heart stopped. 

 I froze. What I was hearing didn’t make any sense to me; it wasn’t possible. My brain couldn’t comprehend the idea of my own daughter saying such nasty words in my personal space with her father. But like a slap in the face, I heard another familiar voice, and this time, I couldn't deny it. 

 "Do you like it when Daddy puts all his fingers in your pussy, you naughty girl?" Samuel's voice echoed in my ears, his voice loud and clear despite the loud music. 

"Oh fuck, yes, Daddy. Give it to me… please…," Sophie responded, and my stomach churned. 

My stomach did a backflip, and I felt like vomiting. 

 It felt as though my whole world had crashed down right before my eyes, and even though I knew deep down that my ears weren't playing tricks on me, I didn't want to accept that this situation could be real. 

It couldn't be real. Sophie and Samuel were father and daughter. They were related by blood, so it wouldn't make any sense for them to say such things to each other. 

  After spending a few long seconds gathering myself, I turned on the doorknob, and the second I pushed the door open, I saw something that I never in a million years thought I'd ever bear witness to. 

 On my own bed was my daughter, Sophie, kneeling on all fours while facing the door, and behind her was Samuel, my husband of over fifteen years, and even from where I stood, I could see that his fingers were inside our daughter. 

"Oh, my fucking God!" I screamed in shock, utterly horrified at the sight in front of me. 

  They both looked equally horrified to see me, and Samuel was quick to pull out his fingers from Sophie, and to my horror, Sophie let out a soft moan as his fingers slipped out of her. 

  I couldn't even begin to describe how baffled I was, and I didn't know whether to continue screaming like a mad woman or ask for an explanation because I was afraid of what I would end up hearing. 

 "Honey," Samuel called out to me, scrambling to grab his clothes and quickly stopping the music. "This isn’t what you think it is.” 

A multitude of words came rushing into my mind, and I could feel the blood rush to my head, my entire body heating up. I had questions, I had objections, and I wanted to speak, but my mouth hung open and the words stuck in my throat.

 Samuel’s eyes darted everywhere else, making sure to avoid meeting mine. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again, and the fact that he was keeping silent only made me even more furious.

 Frustrated and desperate for answers, I turned to Sophie. She sat on the bed, her face flushed and her eyes wide with an emotion I couldn't quite decipher.

 I took a deep breath, trying to regulate my body temperature and relax.

“Sophie,” I said, my voice cracking. “Since your father doesn’t want to explain, maybe you can tell me what’s going on. What am I supposed to make of what I just saw? Give me an explanation!”

 She kept silent for a while, simply looking down at her hands and twisting them nervously in her lap. Finally, she looked up at me, her eyes meeting mine with an expression that looked nothing like remorse.

 “Mom, I know you're shocked, and I completely understand why,” she began. “But Dad and I... we love each other, and that’s all there is to it.”

  My eyes widened in horror, and my heart felt like it had been ripped out of my chest. I could feel my entire body starting to shake out of pure disgust, and I couldn’t believe what I just heard.

“Do you even realize what you’re saying, Sophie?” I asked. “You’re talking about your own father! You’re confessing to being in love with your own father!”

 I felt an overwhelming urge to throw up, and I could feel bile rising in my throat. This wasn’t just a betrayal; it was an abomination, and I had to take a step back to distance myself from them and from this twisted scene playing out right in front of me.

 I turned back to Samuel, my anger now at its peak. “And you!” I yelled. “How dare you sit there and stay silent like a coward while she says this? Explain to me why the fuck your daughter is telling me that she's in love with you!" 

 "She's not my daughter!" Samuel yelled, finally breaking his silence.

 I stared at him, my mind struggling to process what he had just said. "What are you talking about, Samuel?" I asked.

 Samuel got up from the bed, moving a little too slowly for my liking. He was still naked, and the sight of him in this state with Sophie only added to the horror of the situation. 

 He bent down, picking his shorts up from the floor and pulling them on, while Sophie remained on the bed with the bedsheets wrapped around her. 

  He sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. "I didn’t expect you to find out this way, Amelia," he said. "But now that you have, you should know that I lied about Sophie being my daughter from the very beginning. She was never my daughter. She’s my lover, and we've been together even before you met her."

My heart dropped.

"What are you saying, Sam?" I asked, my voice barely audible. "You told me she was your daughter. You said you found out about her a few years ago from your high school sweetheart, and you showed me a DNA test and begged me to accept her!"

"It was all a lie," he continued, his eyes barely remorseful. "I made it up to bring her into the house because I wanted to have the woman I loved close to me, and I didn’t know how else to do it."

"I can't believe this," I murmured, more to myself than to him. "I can't believe you would do this to me."

 "Amelia, please," Samuel began, taking a step toward me. "I know this is a lot to take in, but you have to understand..."

  "Understand what, Samuel? How am I supposed to understand you bringing in this girl and making me raise her as my daughter for six years just for her to turn out to be your lover?!” My voice began rising until I could feel my vocal cords being strained. 

 The anger that flooded my veins wasn’t one that I could control, but one that began to control me. “You played on my inability to have children to fool me into accepting your mistress as my child, while you two fooled around under my nose. How the fuck do you expect me to understand something like that?!!"

  "Forgive me, Amelia. It just happened, and all I can ask is that you forgive Sophie and me," he shamelessly requested. 

I couldn’t define what I was feeling. My body was shaking, my thoughts were scattered, and I felt blood racing to my head. "I need to get out of here," I muttered out of breath. "I can't be in here. This can’t be happening; this is insane.” 

 I turned to exit the room, speechless and disoriented, but a strong arm quickly pulled me back, and in response, I threw my arms carelessly towards its owner. "Don’t touch me!” I spat, glaring up at him through my tears. "Don’t you dare touch me with those filthy hands!”

 Samuel clutched his cheek while still holding onto me. "Amelia, I know it's difficult to accept, but you can't tell anyone about this. Let's keep this as our family secret, and once we get past it, we can go back to being the happy family we've always been," he said, and my disgust reached a new peak. 

 “If you think I’m going to keep this a secret, you’re very mistaken,” I said, my voice cold. “Not only will I tell the world what a disgusting bastard you are, but I’ll also use this as evidence in court when I file for divorce. I’ll take everything from you, Samuel. Everything.”

 His eyes widened in panic, and he stepped towards me. “Amelia, you can’t do that!” he yelled, his voice trembling with anger. “You can’t ruin our family like this!”

I scoffed. “Watch me.”

 I turned to leave, my mind set on getting away from this nightmare, but before I could step out of the room, something hard and cold slammed into the back of my head. The impact was sudden and brutal, sending an excruciating pain through my skull.

 I stumbled, trying to stay on my feet, but my legs gave way, and I hit the ground hard. 

 I could feel warm blood trickling down the back of my neck, and my vision darkened. I tried to move, to crawl away, but my body wouldn’t respond, and the last thing I heard was Sophie's voice questioning if I was dead before my eyes closed.