Chapter 2

Mom's heart lurched. She stared at Trash Dad in disbelief.

She'd clearly never imagined he could be this calculating or this cruel.

She pulled herself together, drew on all the authority of a mafia princess, and snapped at Tessa, "My father is the Don of the Brunetti family, and he owns 70 percent of this hospital.

"If you want to keep your job, you'll bring that bin back here right now!"

Trash Dad gave Mom a deeply disappointed look.

"Serena, I can't believe you're throwing your family's weight around like this!"

Mom shot right back,

"I'm not throwing my weight around. I just want to see what's inside that bin!"

Mom had always been sweet as pie with Trash Dad. But this time, for me, she wasn't giving an inch.

Tessa stood frozen, sweat beading on her forehead, unsure whether to bring the bin back or wheel it away.

Just then, the door swung open. It was Mom's best friend, Anna Price.

Seeing a familiar face, Mom pleaded,

"Anna, can you check if there's a baby girl in that bin? She's my daughter!"

"A daughter? Didn't you have a boy? John already posted it on Instagram."

"No... that's not my baby! My daughter said she's inside that bin right now. Anna, please look for her. I'm begging you!"

"Okay, I'll look...

"Just calm down, Serena,"

Anna added.

"You just had a baby. You need your rest."

Anna didn't completely believe her, but she opened the lid anyway and started digging through it.

As Aunt Anna dug through the bin, the waste weighing me down shifted, and light poured in through the widening gap.

Then I saw Aunt Anna's fingers coming closer and closer to me!

I was about to be saved!

I opened my eyes wide with excitement and gathered every ounce of strength to let out a huge wail.

The next second, that hand grabbed a wad of bloody gauze and viciously shoved it into my mouth!

Then Aunt Anna calmly closed the lid like nothing had happened and turned to Mom with a helpless look. "Serena, there's nothing in there but some disgusting medical waste. There's no baby girl."

Mom stared at the bin in disbelief. "...Really? Nothing?"

Anna snuck a glance at Trash Dad, and he gave her the tiniest nod. Then she said, "Serena, you don't even trust me now?"

The gauze filled my mouth. Breathing got even harder, and my eyes kept rolling back.

Then it hit me. When Anna reached in, I'd caught the scent of a familiar perfume.

It was her!

The person who'd been secretly working with Trash Dad, the one who'd caused all seven of Mom's miscarriages, was Aunt Anna!

Right away, I started screaming inside my head as loud as I could.

Mom, do not trust this woman. She and Trash Dad caused all seven of your miscarriages!

Mom obviously couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What... what did you say?"

During your first pregnancy, she secretly swapped your prenatal vitamins for drugs that cause birth defects!

During your third pregnancy, when you were almost due, she tampered with your brake line. The crash cost you the baby, and the doctors had to induce labor!

And during your fifth and sixth pregnancies, the babies stopped developing because she laced her homemade cookies with abortion pills!

Mom looked at Anna with growing shock and confusion.

She'd never dreamed that her closest friend and her own husband were behind all seven miscarriages.

Every miscarriage had devastated Mom, physically and emotionally. She'd cried until she had no tears left.

For years, she'd believed it was her fault she couldn't carry a healthy baby and that she'd let Trash Dad down.

More than once, she'd considered surrogacy or adoption. She'd even thought about divorcing him so he could have a child of his own.

But when Trash Dad found out, he flat-out refused. "Serena, you're what matters most to me. A baby would just be the icing on the cake.

"Getting to spend my life with you is all the happiness I need."

Mom had treasured that love.

Only now did she realize what a fool she'd been. For years, her husband and her best friend had been playing her!

Mom struggled out of bed and walked toward the bin, weak but determined, not caring that the blood running down her legs had soaked through her hospital gown.

Feigning concern, Trash Dad demanded, "Serena, how long are you going to keep this up?"

Anna chimed in, "He's right, Serena. I already looked. There's no baby girl in there.

"I know losing seven babies hit you hard, but that's all in the past now.

"You finally have your precious little boy with John. Things are going to get better, you'll see."

The other hospital staff in the room joined in, "That's right, Ms. Brunetti. Mr. Carter was with you the whole time you were in labor. You had a boy. There's no daughter."

Mom had never imagined Trash Dad had bought off everyone. She was furious and frantic all at once.

Suddenly a wave of dizziness hit her, and she started to go down. Anna rushed over to catch her.

Tessa seized the moment and raced out of the room with the bin I was hidden in.