After a check-up at a private clinic, I took my daughter back to our lakeside manor.
Once I had Rosie settled in her room, I went upstairs to pack important documents.
Just then, I heard a footstep behind me.
"Cassandra, what are you doing?"
I froze, swallowing the bile that rose in my throat. "Just organizing some files," I answered calmly.
Nelson didn't seem to notice anything amiss.
Just as he always did, he wrapped his arms around me from behind.
I couldn't dodge in time and was pulled into his embrace. The cloying scent of Ella's expensive perfume on him made my stomach lurch.
Nelson didn't notice my revulsion and kept talking.
"Cassandra, I'm so glad you and Rosie are okay. I never expected an accident at the carnival. Otherwise, no matter how urgent the family business was, I never would have left you."
His voice was laced with a convincing tremor of fear, every word dripping with false sincerity.
But knowing the truth, I felt nothing but ice in my veins.
I looked up at him. The expression on Nelson's face was as gentle as ever.
Those arms had once been a safe harbor for me and my daughter.
Now, they were the very weapons that would strangle us.
At that thought, I lowered my eyes and subtly slipped out of his embrace.
"It's fine. Family business comes first. Rosie and I are safe."
Nelson, accustomed to my compliance, frowned, a look of feigned heartache crossing his face. "How could the family be more important than you and Rosie? After losing our son, I can't imagine living without you."
The sound of our dead son's name on his lips sent a wave of venomous hatred through me, blurring my vision.
Before I could speak, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen and smiled apologetically at me.
"It's family business. I'll step out to take the call."
I nodded numbly, my nails digging into my palms so hard they drew blood.
The moment Nelson answered, I saw the caller ID. As I'd expected, it was Ella.
I heard Nelson's anxious voice from the hallway, and a terrible premonition gripped me.
The next second, he burst back into the room and slapped me across the face with a furious roar.
"Why did you touch Ella? She's pregnant! If anything happens to her, I'll make you pay with your life!"
I clutched my stinging cheek, staring at Nelson in disbelief.
When he saw the red mark blooming on my skin, he froze.
A complex emotion flickered across his face, and he reached out as if to touch me.
But his phone rang again. He shot me one last, unreadable look before turning on his heel and leaving.
I rushed downstairs, desperate to get Rosie out of there.
But before I could even reach the front door, Nelson grabbed my arm in a death grip.
Without a word, he dragged me and my crying daughter to the car. No matter how much Rosie sobbed and screamed for her "Papa," he refused to let go.
