Chapter Three

Chapter Three

LIANA,

Damian had sued me to court. I had gotten a call the moment he left my apartment and now the summons had arrived.

I stood there, staring at the summons in my trembling hands, the crinkled paper burning against my skin. Damian was back. After all these years, after everything he had done to me, he was back, and now, he wanted my daughter. I felt the panic rise in my chest as I imagined the worst—my sweet, innocent Emma being torn away from me, from the only life she had ever known. Damian had no claim to her. He’d abandoned us when we needed him most. But now, suddenly, after all this time, he thought he could just waltz back into our lives and take what he wanted? I couldn’t let that happen. I wouldn’t let it.

The silence of the apartment suffocated me. Emma was asleep in the next room, blissfully unaware of the storm threatening to tear our world apart. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to steady my breath. I couldn’t let my emotions get the best of me. Not now.

I began pacing the small living room, my mind racing. I had to act fast. I couldn’t wait for the courts to decide. Not after what he had done—what he was trying to do. I couldn’t afford to let him take Emma without a fight. No one could stop me from protecting her.

Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket, the sudden vibration making my heart skip a beat. I pulled it out, hoping for something, anything, to ground me. A notification flashed on the screen. It was a video—Damian, of course. And beside him, Audrey. My stomach churned with a sickening dread, but I couldn’t look away. I tapped the video, almost afraid of what I might see, but I had to know what he was planning.

The video began. Damian’s face filled the screen, cold and unflinching, his eyes narrowing as he spoke.

“To everyone who’s been following this ridiculous story, I’m here to set the record straight,” he said, his voice dripping with superiority. “Liane is trying to hide my child from me, after everything I’ve done for her. I’ve given her everything, supported her through thick and thin, and now, after all this time, she’s refusing to let me be a part of my daughter’s life.”

I felt my blood boil. He had the audacity to act like he was the victim. Like I owed him something. Like he had been there for me when I needed him. The truth was, he had disappeared, leaving me to pick up the pieces of my shattered life. The anger surged through me, hot and blinding.

He continued, his voice detached, calculating. “So now, I’m taking her to court. I’m fighting for custody of my daughter. This has gone on long enough. I won’t let her grow up without me in her life.”

I could feel the bile rise in my throat. He was serious. He was actually going to try and take Emma from me. I had never imagined he would go this far.

Damian paused for a moment, and when he spoke again, his eyes narrowed, his face twisted into something I could only describe as cold satisfaction.

“Why now, you ask?” he continued. “Well, it’s simple. I never told Liane this, but I want a chance to be with my daughter. I want to be the father she deserves. And I’m going to make sure the courts agree.”

I couldn’t hold it in anymore. My hands shook as I turned off the video. The anger bubbled up inside me, mingled with an unbearable dread. How dare he? How could he think he had any right to her, to my daughter? Every word out of his mouth was like a slap to the face.

I slammed the phone down on the counter, fighting the overwhelming urge to throw it against the wall. I needed to act. I couldn’t just stand there and let him take Emma. He had no claim to her. He wasn’t a father to her. I was.

With shaky hands, I grabbed my jacket. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat a reminder of the fight that lay ahead. I couldn’t wait for the courts to decide this. Damian had crossed the line. And I wasn’t going to let him get away with it.

I left the apartment, the cold air biting at my skin as I stepped onto the street. I could feel the weight of the world pressing down on me. My thoughts were a jumbled mess of fear, anger, and determination. I had already gathered what little information I could. I knew where his office was, had tracked down the address from a video he posted earlier.

Damian had the money, the power, and the influence to get whatever he wanted. But I wasn’t going to let him take Emma without a fight. Not without a fight to the bitter end.

I reached the building, a towering structure of glass and steel that seemed to loom over me. It looked so cold, so sterile, like a place where only the powerful and ruthless thrived. Just the kind of place Damian would choose. I stepped through the doors of the lobby, my legs shaky beneath me, my hands clenched into fists by my sides.

The receptionist, a woman in her late thirties with dark hair pulled into a tight bun, barely looked up as I walked past. She didn’t seem to care, but I didn’t have time for pleasantries. I had one goal: find Damian, confront him, and make it clear that I wasn’t backing down. Not now. Not ever.

I moved quickly through the marble-floored lobby, my shoes clicking on the polished surface as I reached the elevator. The receptionist glanced at me, her eyes narrowing slightly as I stepped past. I could feel her eyes on my back as I pressed the elevator button.

Just as the doors opened, the receptionist called out, “Excuse me, miss, I’m afraid—”

I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. I had no time for this. I couldn’t let her slow me down.

The elevator doors slid shut with a soft ding, and I rode it to the top floor. As I stepped off, I saw the sleek, glass-walled office at the end of the hallway, his name—Damian Cross—plastered on the door. I didn’t hesitate. I walked straight to it and pushed open the door.

Damian’s office was exactly what I had expected: cold, polished, and utterly impersonal. The dark leather chair behind the desk was empty. I almost sighed in relief. But then I saw the documents stacked neatly on his desk, the summons I had just received resting on top. He hadn’t even bothered to look over it yet.

I slammed the summons onto the desk, my breath coming fast. “You don’t get to take her from me, Damian,” I said, my voice a sharp edge of fury. “You have no right.”

There was no movement, no response. I stepped forward, my hands clenched into fists by my sides. “You left us. You disappeared when we needed you. And now, you want to waltz back in and take my daughter? Not happening. She’s mine. I’ve raised her. You don’t get to change that.”

I dropped the papers onto his desk. The sound was loud in the otherwise silent room.

And then he turned.

But it wasn’t Damian.

The man who turned to face me was tall, dark-haired, and familiar—so familiar, but not the one I was looking for. His eyes, sharp and calculating, studied me with a faint trace of amusement, but there was something cold in them. Something that made me hesitate.

“I—” My voice faltered, my face flushing with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry,” I said, my words tumbling out in a rushed, apologetic stammer. “I thought you were someone else. I—”

Before I could finish, the receptionist appeared behind me, her face flushed with discomfort. “I’m so sorry. I tried to stop her, but she insisted,” she said, clearly apologizing for my intrusion.

The man just looked at her, unfazed. “It’s fine,” he said smoothly, his voice a low, controlled baritone. “I’ve had worse things thrown at me.”

My heart pounded in my chest. I had just barged into the wrong office. I had practically started a confrontation, all because of my anger and fear. I didn’t know what to do, but all I wanted was to leave. To get away from the intense gaze of this man who wasn’t Damian.

As I turned to leave, my thoughts were scattered, my heart still racing. I had come here to stop Damian, to confront him, but now I had made a fool of myself.

I hurried out of the office and into the hallway, trying to steady my breath. The fight wasn’t over. Damian was still out there. And I would make sure my daughter was safe—no matter what it took.

I would fight for Emma. I would fight until the end. Even if I had to face him again.