Chapter 1
A toy car was thrown from the seventeenth floor of our estate.
It struck my daughter on the head.
After three days in the ICU, she stopped breathing.
I collapsed, having cried until I could no longer breathe; grief hollowed me out. I made the decision to take our upstairs
neighbor to court. My husband, Brandon Whitmore, held me close, his voice thick with sympathy.
“No matter what you do, I’ll support you. We will get justice for Bella.”
But on the day of the trial, the property management company claimed the surveillance footage from that day had been
“accidentally” corrupted. They insisted I had seen wrong.
They called it a tragic accident–a child’s mistake.
I couldn’t accept it. I lost it right then and there.
Brandon said he was worried about my health and ordered someone to inject me with a sedative.
When I woke up, he wasn’t by my side.
Instead, I heard a woman’s voice coming from the dimly lit stairwell just outside.
“Brandon, thank god you paid off the property manager. But I swear I didn’t mean to…”
“That toy car was the one you gave Caleb for his third birthday,” she murmured with guilt. “He treasures it so much, he’s
been crying for it in his dreams the past few nights.”
Brandon comforted her with a low chuckle. “It’s fine. I’ll get him something even bigger and better tonight.”
“And that girl?” he added coldly. “So what if she’s dead? She was just unlucky. Caleb is the only heir I’ll ever acknowledge.
As long as I’m here, you two have nothing to worry about.”
***
In the gloomy corridor, Bianca feigned hesitation.
“Ava just lost her child. She must be devastated. You should probably stay home with her tonight. I’ll celebrate Caleb’s
birthday on my own.”
“But he really misses you. If he finds out you’re not coming, he’ll cry his heart out… and honestly, I miss you too.”
Her eyes shimmered with tears. Brandon’s expression softened.
He pulled her into his arms, voice gentle like I hadn’t heard in years.
“I’ve never missed a single one of his birthdays in five years, have I? I may not be able to marry you, but I’ll always be the rock you and our son can lean on.”
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“As for Ava, she’s a grown woman. It’s time she learned how to be strong.”
Bianca sighed and pushed at his chest with faux reluctance, whispering, “I get what you mean. But Ava’s still young.
Sooner or later, she’ll get pregnant again. You really think she’ll let Caleb inherit everything if she has another kid?”
“Forget it. I don’t want to put you in a hard spot. I’m content just seeing you from time to time… even if it’s unfair to our
son.”
Brandon’s eyes softened–too much. His expression shifted, as if he’d already made the decision.
He pulled out his phone and called the property manager.
“I’ll wire you two million more. In a few minutes, I’ll pretend to leave the house. You bring your guys over with iron rods
and take care of it. Make sure Ava’s womb is destroyed and she can never have children again.”
“Bianca, I promised you Caleb would be my only legal successor. I meant every word. No one will stand in your way–not
even my wife.”
From the shadows of the stairwell, I watched the two of them wrapped in each other’s arms.
I stumbled back into the bedroom.
I dropped onto the bed, numb, body trembling, tears streaming down my face.
So the footage didn’t get destroyed by accident.
Brandon had destroyed it to protect the woman he truly loved.
The man I’d devoted seven years to had already had a secret child and a mistress living one floor above me.
What was I, then?
And what was Bella–my poor, sweet Bella?
“Ava, are you crying?”
I hadn’t heard Brandon enter. He grasped my hands, eyes on me with concern.
“Ava, I know you’re still heartbroken over Bella. She was my daughter too. I’m hurting just as much as you. I’d trade places
with her in a second if I could.”
“But life has to go on. You’ve been skipping meals a lot recently and you’ve lost so much weight. It breaks my heart. I’l
run to the mall and grab you some supplements.”
If I hadn’t heard what I did earlier, maybe I would’ve been moved.
But behind every soft word he spoke now was a plan to destroy me.
“Brandon, I don’t want to be alone tonight,” I whispered. “Please don’t go.”
Brandon hesitated for just a second before smiling helplessly.
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“Be good, Ava. It’s for your own sake. Once you’re healthy, we can try for another baby. Okay?”
He peeled my fingers off his wrist and walked away without looking back.
Seconds later, the door burst open.
A group of masked men stormed into the room, grinning with cruel delight and wielding iron rods.
One of them kicked away my phone before I could call for help.
They pinned me down.
And then the iron rods came crashing down.
Blow after blow landed on my stomach. The pain was so sharp it blacked out the edges of my vision. My forehead bulged
with veins and it felt like they would burst from the agony.
Blood gushed from between my legs. My body convulsed.
Only when I passed out did they stop.
One of them laughed, assuming I was unconscious.
“Good thing Mr. Whitmore was worried something might go wrong and let us into the living room ahead of time to put
Miss Sterling’s mind at ease–otherwise that woman really would’ve cut off my paycheck!”
The voice belonged to the property manager.
And just before the darkness took me, I thought bitterly:
Brandon, you really went this far just to clear the path for your son and mistress?
When I opened my eyes again, I was back in bed.
A private doctor stood at the foot of the mattress, sighing, cast a pitying glance at me and left.
Brandon sat at my bedside, red–eyed and solemn.
“Ava, I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I should’ve checked the locks before I left. That’s how those thugs got in.”
“The police said they were masked–might be tough to catch, but I swear, no matter what it takes, I’ll find them and make
them pay.”
“But… the doctor said you suffered severe trauma to the abdomen. Your uterus was permanently damaged.”
“You won’t be able to conceive again.”
“But Ava, please believe me. I still love you. Even if you can’t have more children, I’ll take care of you for the rest of my life.”
But I knew the truth.
There was no police report.
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He’d helped those men escape Seravelle before I even woke up.
I stared at him, expression blank, not bothering to expose his lies.
Brandon glanced at his watch, a flicker of impatience in his eyes.
“Ava, I have a very important client meeting tonight…”
“I’m fine,” I said softly. “You can go.”
He smiled with relief.
“That’s my girl. So understanding. Get some rest, okay? I’ll come home early.”
He gave my forehead a perfunctory kiss, then hurried off without looking back.
Ten seconds later, I heard a door slam upstairs–and the sound of laughter from a woman and child.
I dragged my aching body to the living room.
He must’ve been in such a rush to see his beloved Bianca that he forgot his other phone on the sofa.
A phone I never even knew he had.
In all our years together, I had never known he had a second phone.
I picked it up.
The password was Bianca’s birthday.
Chapter 1
