Chapter 2

"Okay." Georgia hung up, her fingertips feeling icy.

The next morning dawned bright and clear. She got up early, needing to get Sophie dressed for school. Sophie was still zipped up in her sleep sack, her face buried in the pillow, refusing to wake up.

As Georgia coaxed her gently and scooped her into her arms, she breathed in the faint scent of milk on Sophia, feeling her mood lift a little.

As Sophie grew older, the night terrors had eased up a bit. Back when she was one or two years old, she would often wake up with sudden nosebleeds in the middle of the night. She was stubborn, too. There were times she wouldn't let the adults clean her up, so in the morning, dried blood would still be stuck to her face.

Georgia had basically survived those days on sheer willpower.

Sophia blinked her sleepy eyes open and pouted. "I want Daddy to take me to school. He promised."

Georgia froze for a second. She knew that on the way to school, Fred always told Sophie a short story. Sophie was used to it. Every school day, she wanted Fred to be the one to take her.

"He's still at the Seele residence helping to take care of guests," Georgia said softly. "How about I take you today?"

Sophie's face fell. She immediately grabbed her kids' smartwatch and called Fred.

"Hey, Soph." Fred's warm voice came through at once.

"Daddy, can you hurry back and take me to school?" Sophie asked in a small, aggrieved voice.

Fred immediately soothed her through the phone. "How about I pick you up from school this afternoon? Is that okay?"

"Then you have to bring me a toy. Otherwise, I won't agree."

"Deal. I'll definitely bring you a toy this afternoon."

Georgia stood by the bed, waiting for Sophie to finish the call before helping her get dressed. Just as the call was about to end, she heard Helena cough softly on the other end, followed by her saying weakly, "Fred, I don't feel well…"

The call disconnected right then. Georgia's hands tightened slightly on the clothes she held.

Once Sophie was dressed and they were off, she dozed off in the car again. By the time they arrived at school, the sight of the teacher waiting at the gate snapped her wide awake. She waved goodbye to Georgia.

"Mommy, Daddy said he's coming to pick me up this afternoon," she said loudly.

Georgia pressed her lips together and smiled, giving her a nod.

…

Mondays and Fridays were when Georgia had clinic sessions at a traditional medicine clinic. Most of the time, she worked in the R&D division of the Seele family's pharmaceutical company, Eterna Pharmaceutical. For the Seele family conglomerate, pharmaceuticals were just one branch of a sprawling business empire.

"Dr. Walker, are you okay? You look really tired." Her outpatient nurse, Vivian Jones, handed her a glass of water. "Rough night?"

Georgia took a sip and gave a quiet hum. "I was too busy yesterday."

"Do you want me to cut down the number of appointments today?" Vivian asked.

Two years earlier, Georgia's medical skills had already made her widely known. Once people found out she was the last apprentice to the late traditional medicine titan, Connie Wendell, the number of patients wanting to see her skyrocketed. Getting an appointment with her was extremely difficult.

"No, it's fine." Georgia shook her head.

Many of these patients had traveled from far away. She didn't want them to have come all this way for nothing. So, just like always, she would see all 50 patients slotted under her name.

"Then I'll make you a cup of coffee to wake you up," Vivian said.

"Thanks, Vivian," Georgia replied, grateful.

She didn't finish her latest patient until 7:00 pm. As she stepped out of the clinic, Sophie came running toward her, her backpack bouncing as she happily munched on a piece of candy. She flung herself into Georgia's arms. "Mommy, Daddy picked me up today! And Aunt Helena came, too. They brought me candy and toys."

Georgia scooped her up, looking over and seeing a silver Bentley parked by the curb. A man in a perfectly tailored custom suit stood next to it, tall and composed as he watched them.

"Done for the day?" Fred walked over. "Let's take Soph out for dinner."

Georgia's gaze fell to the brightly colored gummy candy in Sophie's hand. She said to Fred, "Soph can't be eating snacks like this."

Fred's handsome face stiffened for a moment. "It's just once. It shouldn't be a big deal, right?"

Sophie immediately hid her hand behind her back. While Georgia wasn't looking, she sneaked another gummy into her mouth.

"Don't give her random, unhealthy snacks next time," Georgia said, her tone firm.

Fred's brows drew together slightly. "Got it."

"Where's Helena?"

"She said she had something to take care of," he said, his voice softened slightly. "I dropped her off at home first after picking Soph up."

Georgia frowned almost imperceptibly when she heard his voice soften at the mention of Helena. She'd heard him use that tone plenty of times before, but it grated more than usual that day.

"Mommy, we haven't gone out to eat in forever. I wanna eat outside," Sophie pleaded, wrapping her arms around Georgia's neck and acting cute.

Georgia didn't want to disappoint her, so she nodded. "Okay."

Just then, Fred's phone rang. He stepped away to answer it. A few minutes later, he walked back, his expression hard to read. "Something happened to Helena. I need to check on her. You take Soph to the restaurant I booked. I'll come over once I've sorted things out."

Georgia was taken aback. Before she could even say anything, he'd already turned away and strode toward the car. The Bentley merged into the flow of traffic and disappeared.

"Daddy ditched us again. Hmph." Sophie crossed her arms across her chest, upset over Fred's disappearing act.

Seeing her sulking, Georgia could only console her gently. "He has to attend to something. Once he's done, he'll definitely come have dinner with you."

Sophie bobbed her head. Then, she grabbed Georgia's hand. "Mommy, let's hurry up and eat. I'm hungry."

Georgia looked out at the busy street, where cars rushed past. It felt like a heavy rock was pressing down on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

Yes, Helena had just lost her husband. Maybe she really did need someone there for her. But did that person have to be Fred?

A humorless smile tugged at Georgia's lips. She squeezed Sophie's hand and led her to the parking lot.

…

By 9:00 pm, Georgia and Sophie had eaten dinner alone at the restaurant. Fred never showed. He didn't even call to explain.

"Soph, it's getting late. Let's go home," Georgia said softly, taking in Sophie's disappointed face.

"Hmph. Stupid Daddy. He lied again." Sophie was very attached to Fred, and her face was clouded over.

Georgia didn't want her to stay upset, so she took her to the toy store next to the restaurant and let her pick out a toy to cheer her up.

"You're the best, Mommy," Sophie declared, throwing her arms around Georgia's neck and planting a big kiss on her cheek.

Georgia held her tightly and asked, "Soph, if your daddy and I ever lived apart, who would you want to stay with?"

Sophie didn't even hesitate. "I want to be with both you and Daddy. I never want you to split up."

Her words hit Georgia like a sledgehammer. Breathing suddenly felt painful.

That night, she clung to Sophie as she slept. But at 4:00 am, she suddenly jolted awake. She glanced at the bedroom door, then carefully slipped out of bed. The guest room door down the hall stood open.

Fred hadn't come home all night.

Georgia couldn't go back to sleep anymore. She pulled on a robe and went downstairs. She opened the liquor cabinet and poured herself half a glass of red wine.

To outsiders, she and Helena were the Seele family's picture-perfect daughters-in-law. They had well-matched backgrounds and similarly impressive careers.

Her family had traditionally been in medicine, and she'd been apprenticed to a renowned doctor. After marrying into the Seele family, she'd joined Eterna Pharmaceutical's R&D team, focusing on combining traditional remedies with modern pharmacology.

Helena, on the other hand, had a PhD in biochemistry from a top Meranian university and a dazzling résumé. She was the proud outcome of the Seele family's painstaking training and nurturing.

Four years ago, when Helena had returned to the country, she'd been parachuted straight into Eterna's cutting-edge division for targeted therapies and innovative drug delivery, serving as a core researcher.

One worked on modern applications of ancient formulas, while the other focused on cutting-edge innovation. Together, they embodied the Seele family's ambition for the future pharmaceutical market, which was one of the most vital pieces of the family's pie.

Georgia took out her phone and pulled up her contacts, her finger hovering over Fred's name. She drained the wine in her glass, bit down on her lower lip, and finally called him.

The phone rang twice before someone picked up.

"Gia?" Helena's gentle voice rang out, deliberately hushed.