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.

"Where's Sofia?!" I bolted upright in the hospital bed, my chest heaving.

The white ceiling spun above me, and the smell of disinfectant stung my nostrils.

Henson sat in a chair beside the bed, holding a small silver knife. He elegantly peeled an apple and said, "You're awake."

He did not even look up, his voice terrifyingly calm.

"I asked you where Sofia is!" I struggled to get out of bed, only to find my wrist connected to an IV line.

"She's safe." He finally looked up, those eyes that once captivated me suddenly cold as steel.

I stared at him hard, my heart racing. "What does that mean?"

He set down the knife and held out the peeled apple. "Eat something. You've been out for a whole day."

"I don't want it!" I knocked the apple from his hand, and it smashed on the floor. "Tell me where Sofia is!"

Henson's tone turned threatening instantly. "Aurelia, you'd better calm down."

"Calm down?" I nearly shouted. "You dropped Sofia from that height–"

He cut me off, his tone dismissive. "Don't worry about it. I told you, she's safe."

I froze, tears immediately flooding my eyes. "Really?"

"Of course." He picked up the knife again and started peeling a second apple.

"Then where is she now? I need to see her!"

The blade paused on the apple skin as he looked up at me. "You want to see her?"

"Yes!"

He replied casually, "Then you need to do something first. Angelina's in shock, and she's in the VIP ward right now."

My heart sank. "You want me to..."

"Go apologize to her," he said slowly. "Apologize sincerely for sending people to threaten her."

"I didn't threaten her!"

"Is that so?" He stood up, looking down at me. "Then explain why she said it was you."

I opened my mouth to argue, but I realized I had no way to prove my innocence. "Henson, I swear I didn't..."

He cut me off coldly, "I don't want to hear your excuses. I just want you to apologize. After you apologize, I'll let you see Sofia."

I gritted my teeth. I was willing to do anything for Sofia, so I said, "Fine. I'll go."

He nodded, satisfied. "Good. But before that, you need to do one more thing."

A sense of dread washed over me. "What is it?"

"Angelina needs a blood transfusion, and she has a rare blood type: O negative." He was not asking me; he was giving a command.

My eyes widened. "You want me to give her blood?"

He shrugged. "The doctor says her condition is critical."

"Henson, I just woke up! My body's still weak..."

His voice suddenly turned sharp, making me wince. "She's carrying my child! My heir! Do you want to watch them die?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I told myself that for Sofia, I had to endure this. "Fine. I agree."

Half an hour later, I was wheeled into the blood draw room. The cold needle pierced my vein, and bright red blood flowed through the clear tube. I felt dizzy and gripped the sheets tightly.

The nurse glanced at my condition and said with some concern, "Sir, the patient doesn't look well..."

"Continue." Henson's voice left no room for argument.

I bit down hard, refusing to pass out. Sofia was still waiting for me, and I could not collapse.

Finally, they finished drawing the blood. I lay weakly on the bed as the whole world spun around me.

I used every bit of strength to ask, "Now… Can I see Sofia?"

Henson looked at my pale face, something flickering in his eyes before quickly disappearing. "You haven't apologized to Angelina yet."

I braced myself against the wall and stood up. My legs were weak, and I nearly failed. Even so, I said, "I'll go right now."

At the door of the VIP room, I stopped and took a deep breath. I asked weakly, "After I apologize, can I see Sofia?"

Henson looked coldly at my pale face. "You're awfully concerned about that runt. Just go apologize to Angelina first."

I no longer wanted to explain that Sofia was his biological daughter. In a few days, I would take Sofia and leave this place for good. By then, he would no longer be her father.