I held Sofia in my arms as Vincenzo’s men escorted us back to the estate where I lived.

"Seven days from now, I will come get you. Have your valuable things ready," he said on the phone.

I hung up and started packing.

The first thing I took was Mom's emerald necklace and the Astor family trust fund papers. Then, I got my passport, bank cards, and the hidden evidence I had kept for years.

I moved fast and packed everything into an ordinary-looking suitcase.

Sofia was asleep upstairs, unaware that I would soon be taking her away.

Just then, the sound of keys turning in the lock echoed from the foyer.

Realizing that Henson was home, I quickly kicked the suitcase under the bed and got up, walking out of the bedroom. He stood there in a crisp suit, holding a bouquet of white roses.

"Baby." He came up and wrapped his arms around me from behind. His warm kiss landed on my neck, right where the Costello family tattoo was, a rose with thorns.

"I'm sorry about the camp trip. I shouldn't have left you two. Thank goodness you're both okay," he said gently.

His embrace used to make me feel safe, but after what I heard, it just made me sick. I caught the scent of sweet jasmine perfume on him, Angelina's signature fragrance.

My stomach churned. I wanted to throw up, but I forced myself to stay composed. "It's fine," I said, turning to take the roses. "Family business comes first."

He stared into my eyes, as if searching for something.

I kept my smile.

We had been married for 10 years, and I used to feel safe beside him. After hearing what he and Angeline talked and did, though? All I had left was pretense.

He caressed my cheek and whispered, "You must've been terrified."

"It was alright. Sofia was brave."

"That's good." He kissed my forehead. "I'm going to take a shower."

I watched him walk into the bathroom, my fingers digging hard into my palms. Before long, my nails broke through the skin, and the pain kept me alert.

This was not the time to alert him, because I needed to wait patiently and ensure they all paid the price.

Just then, Henson's phone rang. It was lying on the bed, and I saw the name "Honey" flash on the screen. I stared at the word, and my heart went cold.

The ringtone kept going, and the sound of running water in the bathroom stopped.

I turned to leave, but it was already too late.

Henson rushed out in his bathrobe and grabbed the phone. His voice was laced with urgency as he asked, "What's wrong?"

I could hear Angelina crying. "Henson... She sent people to threaten me... They said they'd make me disappear from New Anchester... I'm so scared... I'm carrying your baby..."

Henson's expression changed instantly. He looked up, his eyes sharp like daggers. "Was it you?"

"What?"

"Don't play dumb!" He lunged at me, grabbing my shoulders. "You sent people to threaten Angelina! Where did you take her?"

"I didn't..."

A sharp slap landed across my face. My head whipped to the side, and my lip split open, the taste of blood flooding my mouth. I clutched my face, staring at him in disbelief, my expression full of shock.

He looked at me, a flash of pain crossing his eyes as he moved to embrace me. However, I quickly sidestepped.

We stood in silence, then the phone rang again. Without a word, he turned and left. I held my face, still tasting blood.

I could not wait any longer, desperately wanting to leave. So, I rushed to Sofia's room, scooped up my sleeping daughter, and headed from the master bedroom toward the back of the walk-in closet.

There was a hidden door there, a secret passage I had insisted on having installed during renovations years ago.

I opened the door and carried Sofia inside. The passage was narrow, lit only by dim emergency lights, and our shadows stretched long behind us.

As we neared the exit, I breathed a sigh of relief. A hand suddenly shot out from the darkness and clamped down hard on my arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" Henson stood there, his eyes ice-cold.

"Let go of me!" I struggled against him. His grip was terrifyingly strong, nearly crushing my bones.

"Why are you trying to leave? You're the Donna of the Costello family. Are you really this upset over Sofia?"

He was furious beyond measure, dragging Sofia and me back out. Then, he hauled us all the way to the underground garage and opened the back door of a black sedan.

He shoved me inside roughly and slammed the door shut. After that, he climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine.

"Daddy, where are we going?" Sofia sobbed, barely able to catch her breath. Henson glanced at her in the rearview mirror.

That look was cold and unfamiliar, as if he were looking at a stranger.

The car tore out of the garage and onto the dark streets of New Anchester. I held Sofia tight, my heart pounding hard during the entire ride.

The car stopped at East Harbor. Through the window, I saw the silhouette of a skyscraper. This was a Costello family investment project, but it was not finished yet. At the moment, it was just a skeleton of steel beams and concrete.

Henson got out, and cold wind rushed in as he opened the back door. His eyes were ice-cold as he hissed, "Get out."

"Henson, where are you taking us?" I held Sofia tighter.

Suddenly, he reached in and yanked Sofia from my arms.

"No!" I lunged forward, but two bodyguards emerged from the shadows and pinned my shoulders down hard.

I could only watch helplessly as Henson carried Sofia toward that building with no safety measures in place.

"Henson! She's just a child!"

My voice echoed across the empty waterfront, but he did not even look back.

Sofia struggled in his arms, screaming, "Mommy! Mommy!"

The bodyguards dragged me along behind them. I fought the whole way, my nails raking bloody scratches across their arms, but they did not even flinch.

There were no lights inside the building, only the beams of flashlights cutting through the darkness. Soon, we got into a construction elevator, and the metal door closed with a jarring screech.

The elevator rose to the top floor, where wind blasted in from all directions. There was only the steel and concrete framework, scaffolding suspended hundreds of feet in the air, swaying in the wind.

The river below sparkled with reflected light. From this height, a fall would mean certain death.

Henson carried Sofia toward the edge of the building, and I held my breath. There was a makeshift construction lift there. It was just a few rusted metal plates and steel cables, dangling in midair.

"No..." My voice came out completely hoarse.

He placed Sofia in the lift, her tiny body swaying in the wind.

"Mommy..." She reached out, her eyes full of terror.

I desperately tried to rush forward. However, the bodyguards blocked me and forced me to the ground, my knees hitting the icy concrete.

Henson stood by the lift, his hand gripping the emergency brake lever. His voice was eerily calm as he asked, "Where's Angelina?"

"What?" I looked up, not understanding what he was talking about.

He stated coldly, "Don't play dumb, Aurelia. You sent people to kidnap her. Hand her over now."

"I didn't!" I practically roared. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Liar."

He released the brake lever slightly. The lift plunged, and the steel cables screeched horribly as Sofia's screams tore through the night.

"Mommy!"

The lift stopped about 30 feet down, swaying in the wind.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" I fell to my knees. "Please, just let her go..."

"Then talk." Henson looked down at me from above.

Moonlight shone on his face, and for a moment, I could not recognize him. Just moments ago, he had been apologizing for leaving us at the camp.

At this moment? No matter how much I begged, he would not relent.

My voice trembled. "I really don't know where Angelina is... Henson, I swear, I don't know anything..."

Sofia's cries grew weaker and more desperate. I crawled toward him, grabbing onto his pant leg.

"Henson, please just investigate first. Don't take it out on Sofia..." Tears blurred my vision. All my pride and dignity were crushed into the ground.

"You think I'd believe you?" He grabbed me, pain flashing in his eyes. I was thrown down, my lips smashing against the concrete.

His voice filled with rage. "Is she even my daughter? Why would you hurt my real child for this mongrel?"

"I didn't!" He completely ignored my explanation, his fingers moving again as the lift dropped once more.

Sofia had stopped crying, passing out from fear. I trembled all over, standing up and staggering toward the edge of the scaffolding.

No matter what, I had to get to Sofia.

"Aurelia! What are you doing?" Henson shouted, his voice changing.

I stepped onto the scaffolding, the rusted metal creaking beneath my feet. I had to climb down to the lift; I just needed to hold Sofia.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed me hard and yanked me back. I hit the ground hard as Henson pinned me down, his arms locked tight around me.

A flash of panic crossed his eyes. "Are you insane? Do you have a death wish?!"

I fought desperately. "Let go! I want to save Sofia!"

"For that mongrel..." He suddenly released me, his voice turning ice-cold. "You really would do anything... So why did you marry me? Why did you act as if you loved me so much?!"

"She is your daughter!" I sobbed.

He yelled, "She's not! She's proof of your betrayal!"

Then, he walked back to the lift, wind whipping through his hair. He looked like a madman.

His voice was carried off by the wind. "Listen, Aurelia. I'm not letting that brat go. You'd better tell me where Angelina is right now."

He paused, looking at the lift suspended in midair, Sofia lying motionless inside.

"Otherwise... I will make her pay with her life."

Henson pulled a document from his suit jacket, the paper rustling loudly in the night wind. "Take a look at this."

He threw the file at my feet. I trembled as I picked it up, and under the moonlight, the words came into focus.

[DNA Paternity Test Report. Test subjects: Henson Costello, Sofia Costello. Conclusion: Paternity excluded.]

My hands shook so badly I could barely hold the paper. I was absolutely certain Sofia was Henson's daughter. After we got married, I had only ever been with him.

"Impossible... This is fake..."

"Fake?" Henson scoffed, walking toward me.

He said, "I had my private doctor run this three months ago. I used Sofia's hair and my blood samples. The results are in your face."

He bent down, his voice ice-cold as he growled, "She's not my daughter."

"You know exactly what you did during those three days you spent with Vincenzo..." He spoke slowly, deliberately.

"It was purely business negotiations!" I practically screamed.

"Business? What kind of business requires you to stay at his private estate?"

"I was trying to save the Costello family–" My voice grew weaker.

"Save the family?" He cut me off, a twisted smile spreading across his face. "You carried a Moretti bastard and disgraced the Costello bloodline!"

Each word was like a knife, carving into my heart. I fell to my knees, utterly speechless.

Ten years of marriage, everything I had sacrificed for this family, and the man I loved, all turned into a cruel joke.

Henson turned away in fury and walked toward the elevator control box.

"No!" By the time I realized what he was about to do, it was too late.

He raised his foot and kicked the control box hard. Sparks exploded, illuminating his twisted face.

The sound of the circuit shorting was deafening. Then, one of the main cables snapped with a piercing metallic screech that echoed through the night sky, and the lift began tilting violently as it plummeted.

The elevator lurched violently.

"Sofia!" I screamed.

I watched as she tumbled inside the lift.

"No... No!" I rushed toward the edge, but the bodyguards held me down tight.

I watched helplessly as the lift dangled in midair on just two remaining cables, ready to fall completely at any moment. Just then, Henson's phone rang, the sharp ringtone drifting on the wind.

He answered the call, sounding irritated. "What is it?"

"We found Angelina. She's at her mother's house, safe and sound."

I listened to his underboss' report, and a spark of hope ignited in me.

"Please..." I sobbed. "Henson, let Sofia go, she's innocent..."

"Innocent?" He walked to the lift and looked at the unconscious Sofia. There was not a trace of emotion in his eyes, and he was looking at her like she was a nuisance.

"Why would I spare a mongrel?"

I struggled and shouted, "Henson! She's your daughter!"

He replied calmly, "She's not. She's your brat with Vincenzo."

He turned his back on the lift, as if Sofia’s life meant nothing at all. I stared at the swaying platform as the remaining cables groaned under the strain.

Sofia could fall at any second.

"No!" I used every ounce of strength to break free from the bodyguards' grip.

I rushed to the edge and jumped, wanting only to hold Sofia, my most precious treasure.

A hand suddenly grabbed my wrist, my body jerking to a halt in midair as I was yanked back. My back slammed hard into the concrete floor. As the searing pain hit me, I nearly blacked out.

Henson pinned me down, his grip crushing my wrist, his nails digging into my skin.

He panted and growled, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?! I won't let you!"

I looked at him, tears blurring my vision. He held me tight and whispered in my ear, "It's okay, Aurelia. Once that runt is dead, we can start over."

He kissed my forehead, the gesture terrifyingly gentle. A metallic sweetness surged up my throat, and my vision suddenly went black as I lost consciousness completely.

The last thing I heard was the sound of the lift falling in the distance. Then, a deathly silence.