Emma sat stiffly on the couch, her fingers intertwined tightly in her lap as she looked at the two figures in front of her. Christian and Claire both wore the same pleading expression, their eyes wide with anticipation as they awaited her answer. It was almost funny how similar they looked at that moment—wide eyes, furrowed brows, and slightly open mouths, staring at her in shock. They turned to each other at the exact same time, their expressions matching perfectly, before quickly looking back at her again. It was like watching two characters in a cartoon reacting to a surprise. Emma had noticed before how much they acted alike, but this was something else. If someone else had been in the room, they would have no doubt that Christian was Claire’s real father. She shook her head and smiled. With the way these two behaved, she knew she could never really say no to them.With a sigh, she finally relented. "Fine. Claire can continue schooling here."Before either of them could cele
After a while, Christian set Claire down and gently nudged her toward the other room. "Go inside and watch your favorite cartoon on your iPad, Kiddo. I need to talk to your mom."Claire nodded and turned to leave, but then she paused, grinning. "Okay, Daddy!" she chirped before running off.Christian froze. His heart skipped a beat at the unexpected name, warmth spreading through him. Emma saw the way his eyes softened, the way his lips parted slightly as if he wanted to savor the moment forever.Then, as Claire disappeared into the next room, Christian turned to Emma, his expression shifting into something more serious."Emma," he said softly. " As much as I love this—being Claire’s father in every way that matters— I think there's something else we need to discuss."Emma frowned slightly, her nerves prickling. "What is it?"Christian took a deep breath. "Are you certain that you want nothing to do with David anymore? That you don’t want Claire to ever recognize him as her father?"E
Allison ran her fingers along the silk fabric of a designer dress, admiring the details as she flipped through the latest collection of one of her favorite brands. Shopping had always been her therapy, a way to distract herself from the chaos of life. But before she could fully immerse herself in the experience, a respectful yet firm voice interrupted her thoughts."Madam, it's time to pick up young master Henry from school," one of her guards informed her.She glanced at her phone and tsked, realizing it was indeed time. So soon? She'd just barely started shopping.With a sigh, she turned to the store manager, who was standing beside her, treating her like a goddess because he knew just how important she was."Wrap everything up quickly," she instructed sharply.“Yes, Ma'am.”She had been so careful about Henry’s safety since the kidnapping incident and wasn’t about to take any risks. Every morning, she personally dropped him off at school with the guards and made sure to pick him u
Emma let out a deep sigh as she began to pull off her surgical clothes. Today’s surgery had been a grueling one—tough, exhausting, but ultimately successful. She had known it would be complicated, but unforeseen delays and complications had stretched the procedure far longer than expected.Reaching for her phone, she frowned at the number of missed calls. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the name—Ms. Maryjane, Claire's teacher. Damn it.She quickly checked the time. She was already an hour late picking Claire up from school. Christian had mentioned earlier that he would be traveling for a business trip, meaning the responsibility was solely on her today.She hurriedly dialed Ms. Maryjane’s number while grabbing her things, ready to rush to Claire’s school. The teacher picked up after a few rings.“Ms. Maryjane, I’m so sorry! I just saw your missed calls. I had a major surgery today, and it ran longer than expected. I’m on my way to pick up Claire now.”A brief pause. Then, Ms. M
When the call came a second time, Emma knew something was wrong. It wasn’t work—she’d taken leave, and it wasn’t family because she’d distanced herself from them. That left only one person: Sophie, her best friend, despite today being Emma’s “no disturbance” day. “Sophie?” Emma answered, confused. “Emma, the airport? Seriously?” Sophie teased, laughing. “What are you talking about?” “I’m behind you... wait, you’re not here?” Sophie’s tone immediately shifted. “No, I’m at home.” “Then who’s with David?” Emma’s heart skipped. “What?” “Never mind, it’s your anniversary—” “No, Sophie. Tell me now. Is David there? Who’s he with?” After a pause, Sophie sighed. “Let me send you a picture.” Emma opened the photo. Her breath hitched. It was David, her husband, standing with another woman, her back to the camera, hugging him intimately. The phone rang again. Sophie’s voice was panicked. “Emma, are you okay? I’m so sorry—” “You’ve done nothing,” Emma replied coldly. “
Emma woke with a start, the soft scent of flowers drifting into her consciousness before her eyes even opened. As she blinked, the first thing she noticed was the large bouquet of white roses sitting beside her bed. Immediately she saw them, a soft sigh escaped her lips. “White roses again,” she thought, her brow furrowing. “Why does he always get white roses?”She had always preferred red roses—deep, passionate, full of life. Red roses reminded her of love, of fire, of everything she had hoped for in her marriage. Yet, time and again, David would always choose to get her the white ones.But then her gaze fell to the card nestled among the blooms. ‘Pure flowers for pure angels, happy second anniversary.’Her heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t the flowers themselves that had touched her, but the words. The tenderness of the message, the love that shone through, made her chest tighten with warmth. The depression that had weighed on her since yesterday’s events vanished in an instant. H
After David left, Emma felt a sudden strange emptiness in the house. She tried to distract herself by doing something simple—anything to keep her mind from wandering. She began tidying up, folding David’s shirts and placing them neatly in the laundry basket. The simple task gave her something to focus on, but as she picked up a particularly crumpled shirt, something in the air caught her attention.A faint scent lingered in the room, one that wasn’t hers. It was floral, sweet, and unmistakably feminine. ‘Perfume,’ she thought, her pulse quickening. Her mind raced as she turned the shirt over in her hands, inhaling deeply. It wasn’t her perfume; in fact, it didn’t even resemble anything she wore. She froze. What was this? The smell felt foreign, out of place. Her heart hammered in her chest, and an uncomfortable tension settled in her stomach. The perfume was subtle, almost as if it had been transferred to the fabric by accident, but the thought that it was someone else's scent—some
"Hey, I know this feels crazy, but we’re doing the right thing. You deserve answers," Sophie said, trying to sound reassuring.Emma nodded, but the knot in her stomach only tightened. She took deep breaths, muttering and convincing herself that she indeed was doing the right thing and deserved answers.Sophie parked outside the hotel, her unease growing as she glanced at Emma, who was pale and silent. Inside the lobby, the buzz of activity only made Emma feel more overwhelmed. “Now what?” Emma murmured, her voice barely audible. “We don’t even know his room number.” Sophie shot her a reassuring look. “Leave it to me.” Marching up to the lobby manager, Sophie greeted him with her usual charm. “Hi! It’s Emma’s anniversary today, and she’s here to surprise her husband, David. Could you help us find his room?” “Ms. Evans! Mrs. Lawson! It’s an honor to see you both again," the manager greeted them with a warm smile. When he heard Sophie's request, he hesitated, his polite smile fa
Emma let out a deep sigh as she began to pull off her surgical clothes. Today’s surgery had been a grueling one—tough, exhausting, but ultimately successful. She had known it would be complicated, but unforeseen delays and complications had stretched the procedure far longer than expected.Reaching for her phone, she frowned at the number of missed calls. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the name—Ms. Maryjane, Claire's teacher. Damn it.She quickly checked the time. She was already an hour late picking Claire up from school. Christian had mentioned earlier that he would be traveling for a business trip, meaning the responsibility was solely on her today.She hurriedly dialed Ms. Maryjane’s number while grabbing her things, ready to rush to Claire’s school. The teacher picked up after a few rings.“Ms. Maryjane, I’m so sorry! I just saw your missed calls. I had a major surgery today, and it ran longer than expected. I’m on my way to pick up Claire now.”A brief pause. Then, Ms. M
Allison ran her fingers along the silk fabric of a designer dress, admiring the details as she flipped through the latest collection of one of her favorite brands. Shopping had always been her therapy, a way to distract herself from the chaos of life. But before she could fully immerse herself in the experience, a respectful yet firm voice interrupted her thoughts."Madam, it's time to pick up young master Henry from school," one of her guards informed her.She glanced at her phone and tsked, realizing it was indeed time. So soon? She'd just barely started shopping.With a sigh, she turned to the store manager, who was standing beside her, treating her like a goddess because he knew just how important she was."Wrap everything up quickly," she instructed sharply.“Yes, Ma'am.”She had been so careful about Henry’s safety since the kidnapping incident and wasn’t about to take any risks. Every morning, she personally dropped him off at school with the guards and made sure to pick him u
After a while, Christian set Claire down and gently nudged her toward the other room. "Go inside and watch your favorite cartoon on your iPad, Kiddo. I need to talk to your mom."Claire nodded and turned to leave, but then she paused, grinning. "Okay, Daddy!" she chirped before running off.Christian froze. His heart skipped a beat at the unexpected name, warmth spreading through him. Emma saw the way his eyes softened, the way his lips parted slightly as if he wanted to savor the moment forever.Then, as Claire disappeared into the next room, Christian turned to Emma, his expression shifting into something more serious."Emma," he said softly. " As much as I love this—being Claire’s father in every way that matters— I think there's something else we need to discuss."Emma frowned slightly, her nerves prickling. "What is it?"Christian took a deep breath. "Are you certain that you want nothing to do with David anymore? That you don’t want Claire to ever recognize him as her father?"E
Emma sat stiffly on the couch, her fingers intertwined tightly in her lap as she looked at the two figures in front of her. Christian and Claire both wore the same pleading expression, their eyes wide with anticipation as they awaited her answer. It was almost funny how similar they looked at that moment—wide eyes, furrowed brows, and slightly open mouths, staring at her in shock. They turned to each other at the exact same time, their expressions matching perfectly, before quickly looking back at her again. It was like watching two characters in a cartoon reacting to a surprise. Emma had noticed before how much they acted alike, but this was something else. If someone else had been in the room, they would have no doubt that Christian was Claire’s real father. She shook her head and smiled. With the way these two behaved, she knew she could never really say no to them.With a sigh, she finally relented. "Fine. Claire can continue schooling here."Before either of them could cele
Emma stirred the simmering pot of soup, the aroma filling the kitchen as she focused on finishing breakfast. She was getting everything ready when a small, sleepy voice called out to her."Mommy..."Turning swiftly, Emma found Claire standing by the doorway, rubbing her tiny fists against her eyes, with her toy in hand. Her soft curls were tousled from sleep, and she yawned as she looked around.A smile softened Emma’s face as she wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and walked over to her daughter. Kneeling down, she scooped Claire into her arms, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead."Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?"Claire snuggled against her, nodding sleepily. "Mhm... but I had a dream."Emma chuckled lightly. "A dream? Do you want to tell me about it?"Claire shook her head. "Not now, mommy. Later."Emma smiled, brushing back a stray curl from her daughter’s forehead. "Alright then. Go upstairs and freshen up while I finish breakfast. I'll come help you in a few min
Christian stepped out of David’s home, taking a deep breath to clear his mind. The weight of everything that had happened today still pressed against his chest, but for now, he focused on the sleeping child in his arms. Claire had refused to let go of him, even in sleep, her small hands clutching his shirt tightly. He couldn't help but wonder how scared Claire must have been before they found her and Henry.He glanced at Ali, his friend, who happened to be a hacker and a private investigator, one of the best in the country, nodding in gratitude. “Thanks for coming to help.”Ali gave Christian a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “I wouldn’t have let you handle this alone. You've helped me in the past; I only returned the favor.”Christian’s gaze darkened momentarily as he thought about the janitor. That dumb, senseless man was fortunate—very fortunate that he hadn’t dared to harm Claire when they traced his fat ass. If he had, Christian wouldn’t have hesitated to make him regret it.Wi
Allison didn’t waste any time—she ran toward the entrance, David right behind her. The moment her eyes landed on Henry, she gasped. A man stood at the doorstep, holding Henry in his arms. The boy’s tiny figure was curled up against the stranger’s chest, his face hidden. Next to the man stood Christian, carrying a little girl in his arms. Her face was turned away from David and Allison, concealed by his shoulder. Allison rushed forward and immediately took Henry from the man’s arms. “Henry! Oh my God—” She crushed him against her, sobbing into his hair. “My son—” Her hands ran over his small frame, checking for any injuries. “Are you okay? Henry, what happened?” But Henry said nothing. His body trembled slightly as he clung to her, his face buried in her shoulder. His silence sent a sharp pang through her heart. David rubbed his son’s head and let out a heavy sigh of relief, his tense shoulders finally relaxing. But as his heartbeat slowed, his mind caught up with the s
David’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as he drove to Henry’s school, his jaw clenched in frustration. His mind was racing, filled with a mixture of fear and rage. Who had dared to take his son? And how had they managed to do it under the high security of the school? He didn’t waste time as he made call after call, demanding answers. Each response he received was vague, unhelpful, or simply infuriating.His usual calm and composed demeanor was long gone, replaced by a storm of emotions he barely held in check. Beside him, Allison sat stiffly, her face pale and stricken with worry. Tears welled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “David,” she whispered, her voice tight with panic. “Where is our son? What if—” David’s grip on the wheel tightened even more. “We’ll find him.” His voice was controlled, but she could hear the tension beneath it. Allison shook her head, her breath coming in short gasps. “He must be so scared,” she choked out. “Henry is just a ch
Christian felt like the ground had been ripped out from under him. His heart pounded violently, his ears ringing as Ms. Maryjane’s words replayed in his head. “Mr. Muller… Claire is missing.” For a second, his mind refused to process what he had just heard. It had to be a mistake—some sort of sick joke. But the sheer terror in Ms. Maryjane’s eyes told him otherwise. Claire. Was. Missing. His blood ran cold. “How is this possible?” His voice came out sharp, slicing through the tense air. “This is the most prestigious school in the country! You have top security, the best facilities, and guarantee the safety of every child here! How the hell do Claire suddenly go missing under your care?” Ms. Maryjane visibly flinched at his harsh tone, her hands twisting together as she struggled to find words. “The last time I saw her, she was playing with Henry…” she stammered, her voice trembling, “Henry was on the swing with her. I—I don’t know when they suddenly disappeared…” Chris