Chapter 3
Fortunately, the wounds weren’t deep. The doctor said Shirley had passed out from stress and hunger, not serious injury.
Once her injuries were cleaned and bandaged, she was put on a saline drip. The doctor advised rest and calm.
I gently stroked her hair as she slept, then slipped out of the room.
Outside, I pulled out my phone and dialed the man I hadn’t seen in over two years–my husband.
Before I left the country, I told him to take care of our daughter.
Now, after everything that had happened, I thought at the very least–he’d have shown some concern.
But not a single call. Not a single message.
The way my husband, Julian Hale, and I met wasn’t exactly romantic.
In the Voss family, the women had always held the power.
Since my great–grandmother’s time, the men who married in took our name–not the other way around.
I chose Julian for his face. He chose me for my money.
All these years, we stayed out of each other’s way–an unspoken agreement to live separate lives under one roof.
I called him several times. He didn’t bother picking up.
So I cut off every one of his credit cards.
Three months abroad, and he’d already forgotten where his money came from.
The next day at noon, I returned to the hospital with homemade chicken soup the housekeeper had prepared.
Shirley was awake.
I rushed to her side and pulled her into my arms.
“Sweetheart, are you feeling okay? Any pain?” I asked gently.
As soon as she heard my voice, she broke down completely, throwing herself into my embrace and sobbing uncontrollably.
“Mom, they said you didn’t want me anymore!”
“They forced me to sign a kidney donation consent form. When I refused, they locked me in the basement.”
“No matter how much I begged, they wouldn’t let me go. I tried to escape, but they caught me and chained me up.”
“Mom…I was so scared…and so hurt.”
Her body trembled with every word.
I rubbed her back, soothing her softly.
“It’s okay now, baby. I’m here. I would never leave you, not for anything.”
“And the people who hurt you? I’m going to make sure they pay.”
Eventually, she calmed down and sipped the soup quietly.
Just as the warmth was returning to the room, the door burst open.
There he was. My so–called husband. The man who had ignored every one of my calls last night.
Chapter 3
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“Amara, what the hell gave you the right to freeze my accounts?” he barked.
“Do you know how humiliating it was not being able to pay at dinner last night?”
Of course. Money. It was always just about money with him.
I stood up calmly, motioning for him to step outside so Shirley could rest.
But Julian didn’t care.
“You come back and suddenly the whole house is in chaos. It was just some childish squabble between kids, and you had to escalate it
like a damn war.”
“What, a couple of scratches and suddenly we’re at a top–tier hospital, in a private room? She’s not made of glass.”
“Shirley misbehaved, plain and simple. Matthew gave her some time to reflect. No big deal. Drop it and stop harassing the others.”
That’s when I noticed–he wasn’t alone. And Sofia was with him.
Same white dress. Same red–rimmed eyes. Bruised knees from kneeling the day before.
Her face was the picture of delicate sorrow, tears trembling in her lashes like she was auditioning for sympathy.
Anyone who saw her would probably want to comfort her.
I glanced at her for a second, then looked away.
“Julian,” I said coldly, “the girl sitting on that bed is your real daughter.”
“She was locked in a basement in chains. And not only do you not care- -you came here to defend the ones who did it?”
“How could you be so heartless?”
My voice rose sharply. Julian froze, stunned by the heat hobind my words
But Sofia, of course, jumped in before he could respond
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“I’m sorry, Amara. I’m sorry, Julian…” she said in a trembling voice.
“I only came to apologize to Shirley today. If she doesn’t want to see me, that’s fine. I’ll leave.”
“This is all my fault. Maybe you were right–you never should’ve adopted me.”
With that, two perfectly timed tears slipped down her cheeks, and she ran from the room without looking back.
