Romeo Mason lay there, shattered by betrayal and grief, unable to wrap his head around the chaos his life had become. Seeing him so distraught, Paris Walker frowned, frustration sharp in her voice. "Romeo Mason, are you done with this?"
Her friends moved fast, pinning Romeo to the floor with their combined weight.
"Get a grip," Paris snapped. "He's still your brother. If he sees you like this, he'll get all guilty and shut me out for days again."
And just like that, Romeo broke. Held down, he could only scream after Paris as she walked away. "I don't want anything else! I just want my daughter!" he begged, his voice desperate. "Please—give me back my daughter!"
But no matter how much he yelled or begged, Paris didn't so much as glance back.
By the time they finally let him leave the hospital, a whole day had passed. Ignoring his still-raw wounds, Romeo used every last ounce of strength to get home, only to find Everest Mason—usually so composed—holding the baby with obvious disgust, muttering, "Stop crying! All you do is cry! You're driving me crazy!"
That sight cut deeper than any physical wound. Romeo's eyes blazed with fury. He lunged forward and grabbed Everest's arm, desperate to get his daughter back.
"Everest, have you lost your mind?"
Startled, Everest nearly dropped the baby, and Romeo's heart seized with terror. He forced himself to slow down, his voice shaking as he tried to reason with his brother.
"Everest, give me the baby. I don't care about Paris or anything else you want. Just give me back my daughter—please."
"What do you think you're doing, Romeo?"
Paris's voice sliced through the air, low and steady, as she rushed into the room. She immediately stepped in front of Everest, pushing him behind her.
"I told you to leave Everest alone! Do I really need to spell it out for you?" she snapped.
Romeo could barely believe his ears. He opened his mouth, but the words wouldn't come as Everest put on a wounded face, eyes glistening like he'd been deeply wronged.
"Brother, why... why are you doing this?" Everest stammered, shrinking behind Paris with a frightened look.
"I was just trying to help by watching the baby. She wouldn't stop crying, so I gave her a little something to calm her down."
The moment Romeo's eyes landed on that "something," all the color drained from his face. A bottle of sleeping pills sat on the table, and a baby spoon was dusted with white powder.
Ice-cold fear gripped his chest. He looked at his daughter in Everest's arms—her tiny body too limp, her breathing weak, her skin alarmingly pale.
Everest's grip had left marks on her delicate skin: faint red welts and bruises.
In that moment, Romeo felt his heart rip in two. Paris didn't so much as flinch. Her words were as cold as her expression.
"Everest has never taken care of a baby before. It's just a small mistake."
Her dismissive tone pushed Romeo over the edge.
"Giving a newborn sleeping pills is a 'small mistake'?" he screamed, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Paris Walker, would you really protect Everest even if it means letting him hurt your own daughter?!"
Romeo was shaking uncontrollably, lost in a whirlwind of confusion and horror. Just days ago, Everest had tearfully sworn he'd be the best uncle, promising to keep Romeo safe and wishing him well before the blood donation.
And Paris had been right there beside him, whispering to their daughter in the incubator about the day she'd finally come home to both her parents.
Now, all of it felt like a cruel joke.
Paris's face stayed cold. She glanced between their daughter and Everest's reddened eyes, her voice just as icy. "You're scaring Everest."
Her gaze locked on Romeo. "Apologize to Everest. Apologize, and I'll take our daughter to the hospital."
Romeo felt something else shatter inside him. He could hear the threat beneath Paris's calm tone.
"If your little tantrum makes us miss her critical recovery window... think about what you're doing."
That final, damning ultimatum broke him. With a heavy heart, Romeo dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
"I'm sorry! I'm the one being unreasonable! I'm the one who's wrong!" he sobbed, his voice cracking as he clutched at Paris's clothes, begging with every broken piece of him.
"I'm begging you... please, just save my daughter!"
