Chapter 4

Jonah's POV

The next day, Lydia rushed home after getting the notification that I'd sold the house. She pulled me out of the pile of luggage I'd been packing.

"Jonah, what is this? You sold our home? Have you lost your mind?"

Everything I'd been holding back finally broke loose. I let out a cold laugh and slapped her across the face.

Home? She actually had the nerve to use that word?

"You think it's fun making a fool out of me, Lydia?"

The handprint bloomed red across her cheek, but Lydia didn't get angry. Instead, she softened her voice the same way she always did after one of our arguments.

"Feel better? Got it out of your system? I know I was wrong to lie to you. But it's been seven years. You can't just throw that away overnight. You saved my life. How could I ever truly betray you?"

I didn't want to hear another word of it and turned to leave, but Lydia stepped into my path and suddenly lost her composure, throwing her arms around me and holding on like she'd fall apart if she let go.

"Luke is the son of our company's vice chairman. His father asked me to look after him before he passed away.

"I admit it was low of me to get involved with him. I've thought about ending it, but Luke has severe separation anxiety. Every time I try to break things off, he threatens to hurt himself, and I can't just stand by and watch that happen."

She buried her face against my chest. "Jonah, I never wanted to leave you. You and Luke are both good people, and you two matter to me more than anything. I don't want to let either of you down.

"Just pretend you never found out, and we'll go on like before. I'll do everything I'm supposed to do, and I won't shortchange you on anything, I promise. Okay?"

The words made me physically sick. I couldn't even form a response, but Lydia mistook my silence for me wavering and pulled away to head toward the kitchen.

"You've been running around all day. I know you haven't eaten. Let me make that chicken soup you love."

She barely made it through the kitchen door before a deafening crash split the air. Leah threw the front door open from outside, and before I could even react, Bryce was on me, landing a punch square on my jaw.

"Jonah! What did you do with Milo?"

Luke stumbled in right behind them and sank to the floor. "Dr. Stratton, please, I'm begging you, give Milo back to me. I'll step aside—I'll give Lydia back to you… Just please don't hurt my baby."

The warmth vanished from Lydia's face. "What did you say? Milo's missing?"

"Luke just took Milo to get his shots. He stepped away to pay, and when he came back, Milo was gone!"

Bryce's eyes were blazing. "Who else would kidnap a one-year-old?"

Lydia's face drained of color, and she flew at me, her hands wrapping around my throat. "You had someone take Milo? Jonah, have you completely lost it?"

Her grip was crushing. I pried at her fingers, barely able to force the words out. "I didn't do anything. I'm a doctor. Why would I kidnap a child?"

Luke crumpled to the floor. "Please, Dr. Stratton, if anything happens to my baby, I won't survive it…"

Lydia shoved me aside, her eyes bloodshot. "Start talking!"

"I told you I didn't do it! Why won't any of you believe me?"

"Who else could it have been?"

Leah stood off to the side, the face of the person who had once fought tooth and nail on my behalf now completely cold. "Jonah, if you don't start telling the truth, I'll have no choice but to take legal action."

When I shook my head, Bryce snapped. He grabbed me by the collar and dragged me into the storage room, yanked open the cabinet with practiced hands, and pulled out a defibrillator. He tore the electrode pads free and pressed them against my body.

"Jonah, I really misjudged you. Milo just turned one. How could you do something like this? You're really not going to talk? You're really going to make me do this?"

He knew I was terrified of electricity. He knew exactly how to break me. But I couldn't confess to something I'd never done.

"You brought this on yourself, Jonah!" His patience was gone. Bryce hit the discharge button without a second's hesitation.

The current tore through my body. I convulsed off the ground like a rag doll and slammed back down, the back of my skull cracking against the floor. White light exploded behind my eyes, and something warm began streaming from the base of my neck.

Everyone froze. "Jonah, you—"

But just then, a police officer's voice carried in from the living room. "Mr. Hollander? The baby has been found. We need the family to come back to the hospital right away."

The defibrillator clattered to the ground. Relief flooded every face in an instant, and they all scrambled for the door at once, pushing past each other to get out. Not one of them looked back at me.

I lay there, feeling the pain in the back of my head spreading wider and wider, and the tears came.

…

Third-Person POV

Hours later, Lydia, Leah, and Bryce returned with Milo. They walked into the living room to find blood across the floor and the USB drive sitting on the table.

The container of chicken soup Lydia had brought back as a peace offering slipped from her hand and hit the floor.