Chapter 1

Darian froze and instinctively reached for her. "No, Lillian, Daddy really does have something urgent to take care of..."

"All right, Mr. Ford." Lillian moved out of reach and cut him off, smiling. "You should go."

My eyes burned. I covered my mouth with one hand, fighting back tears.

For as long as I could remember, there had always been room in his schedule for Maya.

Every time he left for that woman, I held my crying daughter and said, "It's all right. You still have me. He's very busy."

Lillian used to cry and try to stop Darian from leaving.

I thought this time would be the same. I had even braced myself to hold her while she cried.

I hadn't expected her to push Darian's hand away and tell him no.

She didn't cry. She didn't ask him to stay. She was only five, but she was handling it like a grown-up. That was what hurt.

Guilt filled Darian's eyes. He stood and looked at me. "Calm her down for me. As soon as I've handled this, I'll book the next flight to join you."

Before I could say anything, Lillian spoke in a clear, bright voice. "No need, Mr. Ford. We don't like being bothered by strangers."

An eerie silence fell over us.

Just then, our flight was called.

Lillian turned, took my hand, and squeezed it tightly. She smiled. "Mom, let's go have fun!"

My throat tightened painfully, but I forced a smile.

Darian was the one who had booked this trip.

He'd said it was a gift to help Lillian feel secure again, a way to show we were a happy family.

The night before, she had rolled around in bed, too excited to settle down, talking about all the family photos she wanted to take.

Now Darian had let her down again. All for Maya.

I was eight months pregnant when I first realized Darian couldn't let go of his first love.

He stayed out all night. When he came home the next day, I saw a bright red lipstick mark on his shirt collar. It was impossible to miss.

He kissed my forehead gently and explained that a drunk client had brushed against him at a reception.

What he didn't know was that Maya had sent me photos an hour earlier. They showed the two of them looking out over the city from a top-floor suite.

I made a childish bet with myself. Darian would be honest with me. He wouldn't hide what had happened.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

For the baby's sake, I kept it to myself.

Then, the day before I gave birth, Darian took a call in my hospital room and hurriedly grabbed his coat.

Shaking with pain, I clutched his shirt and begged him not to leave. He only patted the back of my hand. "Don't worry, baby. I'll be back in five minutes."

I waited through one five-minute stretch after another and lost count. He never came back, not even after she was born...

I later found out he'd stayed with Maya throughout her delivery at the hospital next door.

The next day, I asked Darian for a divorce. I calmly told him I'd step aside so he could be with Maya.

Darian, who never lost his composure, dropped to his knees, his eyes red. "Maya is just family to me. She needs someone to look after her!

"Serena, we have Lillian. Believe me, I'll love the two of you with everything I have!"

We'd been together for seven years. I looked into his earnest eyes and, in the end, gave in and believed him again.

But he lied to me again. He broke his promises to Lillian, too.

When he walked out on our feverish daughter for the third time because Maya called, something in me died.

I found a lawyer and filed for divorce.

In less than a month, the papers would land on his desk.

A friend tried to talk me out of it. "Serena, don't do anything rash. People will make fun of Lillian if she grows up without a father."

I shook my head with a bitter smile. "She has a father now, but he's never made her feel loved. I want to protect her."

When Darian guiltily suggested this trip to clear our heads, Lillian's eyes lit up. I couldn't bring myself to take that hope away from her.

I told myself, "This really is the last time. If he actually stays with us this time, I'll withdraw the divorce petition."

Then, at the airport, one call from Maya pulled Darian away again.

Waiting in line at passport control, I couldn't help looking back.

There was no sign of Darian in the crowded departure hall.

He hadn't even stayed long enough to see us through security. He was already rushing back to his first love.

After security, Lillian walked with quick, light steps. Then she suddenly stopped, turned, and threw herself into my arms, crying. "Mom, I don't want a dad anymore. I just need you."