On the day of our daughter Rosie's third birthday, my husband, Gideon Davidson, tied her hands and feet.
Then he threw her into the zoo's venomous snake exhibit. All because his beloved mistress had been kidnapped.
Without hesitation, he blamed me.
No questions. No doubt. Just rage.
He grabbed me by the throat, his fingers digging in, his voice shaking with fury.
"I warned you," he shouted. "Don't lay a finger on her. But you dared to ignore me."
Gideon didn't stop there as he said with each word like a blade.
"In that case, let your daughter suffer the consequences of what you've done to her!"
With a sharp wave of his hand, the snakes were released.
Dozens of pythons slithered from every corner, writhing across the floor until they reached Rosie, coiling around her tiny body and circling her completely.
Terror crushed the air out of my lungs. "No! Rosie!"
I dropped to my knees, trembling.
My forehead repeatedly hit the ground as I lay flat on my face, begging.
"Gideon, I was wrong. I was wrong! Rosie is still a child. She's only three! She's terrified of snakes. Please, let her out! I promise I'll stay far away from you and Sabrina from now on. I'll never bother her again!"
But Gideon just sneered at me.
"This is just the beginning," he said, voice laced with venom. "Since you hurt the person I care about most, then I'll watch the one you love suffer too."
I stared at him, disbelief ripping through me like glass.
My scream echoed across the exhibit. "But she's your daughter, too! How can you be so heartless?!"
Gideon didn't flinch. Instead, he turned toward the woman beside him, Sabrina Lewis, and gently wrapped an arm around her waist, his new love interest, as if to emphasize his betrayal.
He smirked, his eyes icy and contemptuous as he stated, "So what? I've already found someone better."
And with that, without a backward glance, Gideon walked away.
I turned to look at Rosie and instantly recognized the snake clamped to her neck. A banded krait.
I was paralyzed with horror, my mind quickly overwhelmed with fear and regret.
My body reacted before my brain could catch up. I broke into a run, slamming into Gideon before he could reach the exit.
"Rosie's been bitten!" I cried, my voice cracking with desperation. "That's a venomous snake! Please, please get her out now! There's still time to get her to the hospital…"
I clutched the hem of his sleeves and with raspy breaths, I said, "Gideon, I'm begging you. Please, I'm begging you…"
His response?
A brutal kick that sent me sprawling to the floor.
"Emily, drop the act!" Gideon snapped. "I replaced those snakes with toy ones long ago. Where the hell would the poison come from?"
——
Emily's POV
Gideon's kick had landed directly on my C-section scar, where I'd given birth to Rosie three years earlier. The pain ripped through me, white-hot and blinding.
Despite my body trembling uncontrollably, I couldn't stop. Half-crawling, half-collapsing, I threw myself at Gideon's feet again.
"N-no… It's real poison," I gasped. "I know that snake. It's deadly. If she isn't taken to the hospital within the hour, she'll be in danger!"
I looked up at him, my eyes wild with desperation, as I reminded, "Don't you remember what today is? It's Rosie's birthday! Are you really going just to stand there and watch her die?"
For a split second, his eyes flickered, and the ice in his stare thawed.
Gideon knew how much Rosie had looked forward to this day, and how excited she'd been to visit the zoo with her dad.
But who would have thought he'd end up throwing her into the venomous snake exhibit?
He hesitated as his foot twitched like he was about to move.
But right then, Sabrina clutched her stomach and collapsed in Gideon's arms.
"Emily…" Sabrina's voice came softly and frail.
"You knew I had a scare from the kidnapping the other day," she whimpered. "I almost lost the baby. And now that Gideon finally had a moment to spend with me, you make up a lie about your daughter being bitten, just to tug at his heartstrings and win him back. Isn’t that right?"
The air stilled.
Gideon's face darkened like a storm front. He shoved me hard, his rage boiling over.
"Emily, have you lost your damn mind? You'd lie about Rosie's life to compete for my attention? You're insane!"
Gideon's voice dropped, but it was sharp enough to cut as he said, "I'm warning you, if I ever hear you cursing our daughter again, don't blame me for what happens next!"
And just like that, he turned and walked off with Sabrina without a second glance.
I scrambled to my feet, stumbling, barely upright, and rushed back into the exhibit.
My heart shattered at what I saw.
Rosie was gasping for air, her breaths shallow and strained. Her little arms had turned a deep, sickly black.
I screamed for help like a woman possessed.
But the zookeepers stood still, unmoved.
"I'm sorry," one of them said, eyes downcast. "We can't open the enclosure without Mr. Davidson's authorization…"
