Chapter Two

Chloe's POV

The next day was Rosie's birthday.

It was also the day she died.

I stood in the estate's massive kitchen, icing a cake with shaking hands.

Five years ago, on her last morning, my five-year-old girl had kissed Damien's cheek, then mine.

"When I come home, I want a cake made by both of you!" she had chirped.

Damien and I were already fighting over Serena back then. Rosie was so little, but she was so sensitive. She was trying to fix us.

Then she died. She burned to ashes waiting for us.

The cake she asked for was five years late. Damien had completely forgotten. But I didn't.

When I arrived at the cemetery, I froze.

Serena and his seven-years-old son, Leo were standing in front of my daughter's grave.

Leo had a thick red crayon in his fist. He was aggressively scribbling over the photograph on Rosie's headstone.

"I don't want to share my daddy with her!" the boy whined, scratching out Rosie's smiling face. "If she's ugly, Daddy won't like her!"

Serena stood there, watching him with a smug smile.

"Don't worry, baby," Serena purred. "She's dead. Dead girls can't compete with you."

She laughed softly, stroking her son's hair. "It's a good thing I gave Damien's enemies his schedule five years ago. Now you're his only heir. Everything in the Khoury family will be ours."

Blood roared in my ears. The world tilted.

I didn't think. I just charged.

I shoved Serena hard. She screamed and tumbled to the grass. Leo fell backward, bursting into loud, obnoxious tears.

"What are you doing?!"

A cold, furious voice whipped through the air.

I didn't turn around. I took the cake box and smashed it directly into Serena's screaming face. Frosting and sponge cake exploded everywhere.

"Damien, save me!" Serena wailed, scrambling back. "We just came to apologize to Rosie! Why is she trying to kill us?! Leo is innocent!"

Damien grabbed my arm, yanking me back so violently my shoulder popped.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Damien roared. "He's a child!"

"I don't care! They're murderers! I want them both dead!" I screamed, my eyes bloodshot, lunging for Serena again.

Crack.

The sound of the slap echoed through the quiet cemetery.

My head snapped to the side. The metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth. My ear was ringing.

Damien stood there, his hand still raised. For a split second, a flicker of panic crossed his eyes, like he couldn't believe what he'd just done.

"Chloe, I..."

I touched my cheek. I looked at him with pure, unadulterated hatred.

"If you love her so much, if you love her bastard son so much, why won't you divorce me?!"

The word divorce triggered something dark in him. His guilt vanished, replaced by terrifying possessiveness.

"Don't even think about it," he snarled, his face inches from mine. "You ran away from me once. I will never let you go again."

He turned to his men. "Take her back. Lock her in her room. She doesn't leave without my permission."

That night, the bedroom door clicked open.

The mattress dipped. Damien's warm hand slid around my waist. His breath hit my neck.

"Does your face still hurt?" his voice was thick with guilt. "I'm sorry. I was just so angry. Serena almost died giving birth to Leo. He's fragile. I can't stand seeing him hurt."

And Rosie wasn't fragile? My daughter was so brave she didn't even cry when the kidnappers tied her up, because Damien had taught her to stay calm in danger.

Because she believed her mommy and daddy were coming to save her.

Damien kissed my shoulder. "I moved them to the West Wing. You won't have to see them. We can go back to how we were. You miss Rosie, right? We'll just have another daughter..."

Before I could push him away in disgust, his phone rang.

"What? Leo's running a fever?"

Damien shot up from the bed. He kissed the top of my head rapidly. "I'll be right back. Wait for me."

Just like five years ago. Dropping everything. Running to them.

I turned off the lamp and stared into the dark. I wasn't going to wait anymore.

The next morning, the door crashed open.

Damien stormed in, his face looking like murder. He threw a phone onto the bed. My phone.

"I know Rosie's death broke you," Damien hissed, his chest heaving. "But how could you do this?"

I looked at the screen. Someone had leaked the truth about the kidnapping online. The internet was tearing Serena and Leo apart.

"I didn't do this," I said coldly. "And even if I did, isn't it the truth?"

"You are unbelievable!" he shouted.

He pulled out a typed statement and shoved it into my hands. "Post this on your account. Now. If you do, I'll pretend this never happened."

I read it.

It was a PR statement. It said the kidnappers only targeted Rosie. It said Rosie was a naughty, disobedient child who dragged an innocent little boy into danger.

It said saving Leo first was the right choice.

He wanted me to drag my dead five-year-old daughter's name through the mud. To protect his bastard.

My hands shook. I crushed the paper.

"Never," I screamed. "If you force me to post this, I will kill myself right in front of you!"

Damien's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're threatening me with your life? You know how much you mean to me!"

His jaw tightened. His eyes went dead.

"Fine. You want to be stubborn? Guards! Throw her in the estate chapel. Make her kneel on the stone. No food, no water, until she clears Serena's name!"