No wonder Miles’s secretary always looked at me with such pity.
A fool like me must be a rare sight.
Clara kept crying uncontrollably and Miles, unable to calm her down, had no choice but to take her away.
Only then did I crawl out of the water, drenched and miserable.
The biting cold wind cut through me, yet I felt nothing.
Staggering back to the villa, I found Miles waiting. Seeing me soaked from head to toe, he rushed over and pulled me into a tight embrace.
As he called for the servants, he used his own body to warm me.
"Eliza, what happened to you?"
I softly replied, "I went to the amusement park to find you and Clara… I accidentally fell into the fountain."
His body tensed and it took him a long moment to mask the panic on his face.
"I told you there was no need to go. You take care of Clara every day. It’s rare for you to get a break."
For the past five years, Miles had set aside one day each week to take Clara out by himself so that I could rest.
I used to feel warmth in my heart, watching how he treated Clara as if she were his own.
But now, I realized the truth. He had been using those outings to help Clara bond with Rosalie.
My five years turned out to be nothing but lies.
"Eliza, did you see something at the amusement park?"
I snapped back to reality and saw Miles cautiously probing. I lowered my eyes.
"If I had seen you two, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state."
Only then did Miles breathe a sigh of relief. He tightened the blanket around me and took the ginger tea, personally feeding it to me.
He was so meticulous and attentive that even the servants around us cast envious glances.
Yet, the chill in my heart did not fade.
All these years, Miles played the act so well and I never saw a single clue.
After settling everything, Miles carried me upstairs.
But Clara suddenly appeared, holding a wooden box in her hands.
"Daddy, is this the love letter you wrote to Mommy?"
I instinctively reached out to take it. But Miles swatted my hand away and clutched the box t weightly in his arms.
Seeing my hand turn red and swollen, Clara burst into tears. She raised her little fists and started pounding on Miles.
"You hit Mommy! You're a bad person!"
Miles looked embarrassed and carefully explained, “This is something someone entrusted me to keep.”
Before I could say anything, his phone rang with a special ringtone.
Clara cried even harder. “It’s that bad wo…”
Miles covered Clara’s mouth and quickly had the nanny take her away.
Then, he apologized to me and said he had to step out for something.
He locked that box in the safe.
Unfortunately for him, the password was easy to guess. Even Clara knew it. “It’s that bad woman’s birthday.”
The box opened, revealing photos of Rosalie from childhood to adulthood. Only then did I realize that Miles and Rosalie were childhood sweethearts.
Inside the safe, there were also several property transfer agreements, all with Rosalie as the recipient.
A quick glance showed amounts totaling in the billions of dollars and the date was just one day before Miles and I got married.
At the very bottom of the safe was an envelope. Inside was a photo of Rosalie holding a newborn baby.
On the back, in Miles’s handwriting, were the words:
"Starting today, I’m a dad!"
The large exclamation mark overflowed with excitement and joy.
And the timestamp on the photo was the exact day the kidnappers took my daughter.
A sharp pain twisted in my chest. I dug my nails into my arm, forcing back my tears.
For a long time, I crouched there until my legs went numb. Only after steadying my emotions did I stand up.
I sent a message back to the kidnappers.
[The day after tomorrow, pick up the person at the dock.]
With 40 million for the deal, I was sure Miles would be more than willing to pay that amount for Rosalie. And once I reach international waters, I could erase all traces of myself completely.
