LOGINAnd just like that—the flashback is over. The betrayal that led to this moment. From here, the story begins. Now, it's about what Roberta does next. And I promise you, she's coming with a new aura—one forged in grief, sharpened by rage, and aimed at everyone who took her daughter from her. Brace yourselves. Roberta's vengeance is coming in hot. And if you're enjoying the story so far, then you should unlock the next chapter 😉 And I want to hear from you. Drop your thoughts, your theories, and your emotions in the comments section. Stay tuned. The best is yet to come. 💔🔥
Roberta's POV "What's mine?" Brett said again.He was still in the doorway. The phone in his hand had gone dark in his grip, forgotten. His eyes were on my face, and whatever he saw there had stopped him from coming any closer too fast.I looked at my own phone. The screen had dimmed, but I knew what was still on it.*99.97%.*"Nothing," I said."Roberta.""It's nothing, Brett." My voice didn't sound like my own. "I just — I said something out loud. To myself. It wasn't—""You said my name. I heard you say something was mine." He stepped into the room slowly, the way you approach something fragile. "You were holding your chest. You looked like the floor had opened under you." He crouched slightly, his eyes level with mine. "Please. Whatever this is — I'm not going to make it worse. I just want to understand."I looked at him.At the genuine, unhurried concern in his face. The same patience he had carried through every hard moment since the hospital. He had never once demanded anythin
Roberta's POV He hesitated. I watched him weigh protocol against the look on my face — whatever that look was, it must have carried something because his posture softened slightly."This isn't standard procedure," he said. "Normally, we'd need consent from both parties for a paternity comparison.""Please. I have to bury my daughter, and I can't do it without knowing the truth."He looked at the glass cup. Then at me. Then he picked up his clipboard."I can run it as a private comparison," he said quietly. "Off the books, technically. It'll take two days. I may need you to come back for the results in person — we don't send paternity results electronically.""Two days," I repeated."Two days."I nodded. Signed where he indicated. I watched him bag the glass and labelled it and disappeared through a door I didn't follow him through.The drive back to Brett's house took longer than it should have.I sat at a red light with my hands on the wheel and my eyes on nothing. What have I done
Roberta's POV Then I signed. Not slowly. Not emotionally. Deliberately. The pen scratched against the paper—moving across the line with the weight of a decision that had been building for years and was finally, irrevocably, done.I set the pen down.Desmond took the document. His expression gave nothing away, but there was a faint precision of satisfaction in how he handled the page. "I'll have this filed by the end of the day. Jace will be served within the week."He repacked his briefcase.They shook hands. Then he nodded at me."Take care of yourself, Roberta." I nodded once. Then Brett walked him to the door. I heard low voices in the hallway, the door closing, and then Brett's footsteps coming back.He sat down in the armchair across from me and picked up a glass of whisky that had been sitting on the side table. He turned it in his hand once before he drank.I watched the glass.The mark of his lips on the rim when he lowered it.The thought arrived so quickly and so clearly t
Roberta's POV I lay in the guest room in the early morning and stared at the ceiling and replayed yesterday.Not the pantry. Not Jace's hands on Millie in my kitchen. Not the sounds they made while my daughter was cold somewhere across the city.The hallway.Brett's hand on my wrist. The way he hadn't flinched when I raised my voice at him. The way he had pulled me in without asking and held me without making it into something and breathed with me until I could breathe on my own again.Like he had assessed the situation, my pain and identified a gap, and decided to fill it.I didn't know what to do with a man like that.Eight years of marriage, and I have never seen this side of a man.Brett's voice came from downstairs."Roberta!"I sat up. My heart jumped. Not because something was wrong. Because his voice was warm and tender."Coming!"I also heard another sound— the low sound of him talking to someone, professional and welcoming. I got up and dressed and ran my hands through my h
Roberta's POV She was only a few feet away now. I could see the determination in her eyes. My hand tightened on the shelf behind me. Please, God. Not like this.Just as Millie reached for the pantry door, Jace’s arm snaked around her waist and yanked her back against him. Hard. Possessive.“Not yet, baby,” he growled, voice dropping into that deep, velvet tone I used to know so well. “Before you redo anything… you’re going to give me something first.”Millie’s breath hitched, but she played along, teasing. “And what’s that?”“You know exactly what.” His mouth was already on her neck, kissing, nipping, backing her up against the very door I hid behind. The wood creaked softly with their weight.Millie let out a breathy laugh that turned into a moan. “You’re so naughty…”“Nolan’s right there,” she whispered, even as her hands fisted in his shirt.“I put on that cartoon he likes. He’s completely zoned out.” Jace’s hands roamed lower, sliding under her dress, palming her breasts with ope
Roberta's POV She was only a few feet away now. I could see the determination in her eyes. My hand tightened on the shelf behind me. Please, God. Not like this.Just as Millie reached for the pantry door, Jace’s arm snaked around her waist and yanked her back against him. Hard. Possessive.“Not yet, baby,” he growled, voice dropping into that deep, velvet tone I used to know so well. “Before you redo anything… you’re going to give me something first.”Millie’s breath hitched, but she played along, teasing. “And what’s that?”“You know exactly what.” His mouth was already on her neck, kissing, nipping, backing her up against the very door I hid behind. The wood creaked softly with their weight.Millie let out a breathy laugh that turned into a moan. “You’re so naughty…”“Nolan’s right there,” she whispered, even as her hands fisted in his shirt.“I put on that cartoon he likes. He’s completely zoned out.” Jace’s hands roamed lower, sliding under her dress, palming her breasts with ope
Roberta's POV"No."The word came out quiet. "You're lying. She's not, she's not gone."The nurse's face stayed gentle and empty and sorry, and I looked at it and felt something in me refuse completely.""No." I stepped forward. "That's my daughter.""Ma'am—""That's my daughter." I moved past her
Connor was almost smiling, holding Ziva's iPad when he pushed open the door."I found it," he called out. "Ziva, I found your."Her bed was empty."A nurse was tucking the corner of the sheet.Connor stood in the doorway."Where is she?"The nurse glanced up. "Dr. Sammy discharged her about ten min
Ziva's POV My eyes were so heavy. Like someone had tied weights to them. The ceiling blurred."BP dropping. Forty-four over twenty-eight.""Push another fluid bolus. Wide open.""Her heart rate is fifty and falling.""Atropine. 0.2 milligrams. Slow push."Something cold went into my IV. I felt it
Roberta's POV The concrete scraped my knees.I sat there, staring at the corner where the cars had vanished. The morning sun was too bright. Birds were singing somewhere. The world continued like my daughter hadn't just been stolen.Why?Millie's voice echoed: He's brainwashed you.She was right.







