Chapter 02

POV Clarice

I opened my eyes and found myself, shockingly, alive. My arms searched desperately for my daughter. The harsh white light above my head blinded me. I had no idea where I was or why I was still alive.

The machine beside me beeped; I couldn't move, and my blurred vision wouldn't let me make out the face in front of me, but the voice sounded familiar. I thrashed; the man ordered them to sedate me until the darkness came again.

The smell of alcohol filled my nose before I opened my eyes again. I looked over and had the impression I knew the woman standing near me… I must have known her since I was back in a hospital again, though maybe not the same one where I'd nearly died.

“Oh, sweetheart, you look exhausted.” Her voice was soft, and she held my arm, adjusting the medication dripping slowly into it. “You need to rest a little more. The doctor will come talk to you.”

“Please.” My throat scraped raw; I could barely speak. “My daughter…”

“You're a little confused from the medication.”

“No… how did I end up here before… I mean…” I cleared my throat like I'd forgotten how to speak. The words came out with difficulty. “Before he stole my daughter.”

The nurse looked confused just as the door to the room opened and a painfully familiar face appeared. My body shrank in on itself like a freshly washed shirt pulled too tight; the scream died in my throat. He glanced down at his clipboard, let out a long sigh, then turned his attention to me and said:

“Welcome back, Clarice.” Hearing the voice of the doctor who'd tried to kill me sent a jolt of terror through me, my whole body trembling. “You've been in a coma for six months. You almost didn't make it.”

Six months? I was almost certain no time had passed at all. He could easily be lying to me, trying to confuse me to cover his tracks this time.

He waited for the nurse to leave the room before he looked at me. My body went rigid. He took a step toward me, his face without a trace of feeling, his dark eyes like two shadows hanging over me. I didn't even have the strength to run, to try to survive all over again. He clearly saw the horror written across my face.

“I'm not going to hurt you,” he said, the sound of his voice making my stomach twist in on itself. “I had to do it. Murilo threatened to destroy my career if I didn't take the child from you, if I didn't kill you.”

Fear began spreading through me as I grabbed the bedsheet and twisted it between my fingers. I wanted to sit up, but my body wouldn't obey me.

“You must be wondering why you're alive.” He turned his back to me and stepped away; even so, the muscles in my shoulders ached from how hard I was pressing them down. “I'm not a murderer. When Murilo left, I had you transferred to another hospital. I saved your life.”

A tear slid down my face; my heart raced in an uneven rhythm when he turned back around and met my eyes with that dark, shadowed look. He wouldn't have saved me for nothing. He'd done it for some reason, and I was terrified to find out what it was.

I took a deep breath, like I hadn't done that in a long time; my chest ached. I needed to stay calm, needed to tell myself everything would be fine, that I had to be fine so I could get up and find my daughter.

“Why”

“Don't push yourself too hard.” He reached out and touched my arm, and it burned like acid. “You're alive, but I have to make sure you won't turn me in to the police once you leave here.”

The air in the room went thick and sour as he craned his neck like a cat and stared at me again. How could I possibly trust him after he'd stolen my daughter and tried to kill me? I wanted to run until my lungs gave out, hide somewhere no one knew my name, and run down any road that would lead me back to my daughter.

“My daughter…” My voice broke; I forced myself, using every last bit of strength I had, to keep talking. “Where is she…”

“She's fine, as far as I know…” He stopped suddenly, his face going heavy, the shadows in the room hiding what I needed to see. “But I don't have good news.”

My heart shattered all over again; I tried to grab his arm, tried to force him to keep talking.

“Promise you won't report me, and I promise to tell you everything I know.” He didn't look away, his jaw tight, staring straight into my eyes. “I can help find her. Just promise me.”

“Whatever.” My throat scraped dry, begging for a drink. “Murilo won't forgive you.”

He let out a mocking laugh. I felt a burning rise in my throat, wondering what I'd said that was so funny to make him smile. But his expression closed off again the next second.

“Murilo can't do anything against me or against you.” I caught his eyes as he looked at me, something like panic in them; the sudden shift in his mood scared me. “Your ex-husband is dead.”

The revelation hit me like a slap. Murilo was dead? The man paused and looked away from me. He couldn't stand to watch how lost I was in that information, how terrified I'd become.

“A car accident killed them. He and Amélia both died.” He turned his back to me a second time; I couldn't tell if he was actually telling the truth. “Seems like you got a second chance. So did I.”

“You said my daughter was fine…” I froze; only my tears kept moving, streaming endlessly down my face.

“I didn't lie.” The look on his face panic, guilt, something like fear made me want to scream. “That's the bad news, Clarice. Your daughter was taken to an orphanage and adopted. I have no idea where she is now.”

The words pierced me, cutting deep. The air fled my lungs; I couldn't breathe. I must have died and gone straight to hell; I could feel my body burning with every second that passed. What that man was saying couldn't be true.

“You're going to sleep a little more.” Through my tear-blurred vision, I watched him inject another liquid into my body. “And when you wake up, everything will be different. I'll help you find your daughter, and you'll guarantee my freedom. This isn't a deal.”

He looked at me with pity in his eyes before he pulled me back down into the darkness.

It would have been better if I had died.