Chapter 3

When I didn't say anything, Carlos thought I'd given in.

He stood and came over, the old tenderness back in his eyes.

"I'm doing this because I owe Erica, and because I want us to have a future together.

"Once she's gone overseas, everything can go back to normal. You'll still be the Donna."

My stomach turned. I'd lost all hope in Carlos. All that mattered to me now was getting my baby back.

I closed my eyes, and tears slid down my cheeks.

I pretended to accept his plan and pleaded with him.

"If you're sending him away, please let me see him one last time. I'm his mother. I'm begging you."

The gentleness drained from Carlos's face, and he turned me down.

"No.

"The baby's doing fine with Erica. She'll treat him like her own son.

"If you see him now, it'll only make it harder for you to let go. That won't do anyone any good."

He didn't say anything else. He turned to the bodyguards at the door and gave an order.

"Keep the Donna under watch. She's not to leave the estate without my permission."

Carlos ignored my shouting and walked out.

Early the next morning, my phone buzzed on the nightstand.

It was from Erica.

She'd sent a photo of herself and Carlos in bed together, with a crib in the background.

Then she sent a voice message. "Last night Carlos told me all about your fight. He thought it was hilarious.

"Even when he was on top of me, he was still complaining that you don't understand him."

Right after that, she sent a photo of the baby with a text.

"That little brat wouldn't stop crying last night. Carlos and I couldn't even enjoy ourselves."

Finally, she sent me the location of a luxury apartment.

I knew she was trying to bait me into coming. But for my baby's sake, I had to go.

I slipped out of the estate during the guards' shift change. As soon as I opened the apartment door, I was hit by the overpowering smell of perfume and cigarette smoke.

From one of the rooms came the sound of a baby crying, his voice already hoarse.

I rushed into the bedroom, and what I saw nearly stopped my heart.

Erica was so annoyed by the crying that she'd thrown a thick towel over the baby's little face.

She even rocked the crib violently with her foot.

"Shut up. Cry one more time and I'll throw you out the window."

The sight wiped out the last bit of sanity I had left. I snapped. With a scream, I lunged at Erica.

I grabbed her by the hair and shoved her as hard as I could.

She never saw it coming. She went over backward, chair and all, and hit the coffee table beside her.

I didn't even look at her. I lunged for the crib, ripped off the towel, and scooped my baby into my arms. He was struggling to breathe.

His little face had already turned a bluish purple.

He seemed to recognize my scent. His cries grew softer as his tiny fingers curled around my shirt.

"Emma, are you insane?"

Erica clutched her scraped forehead as she struggled to her feet.

When she saw how furious I was, she was clearly rattled. Then she let out a cold laugh.

Holding my baby, I turned and ran for the door.

But before I could get out of the room, Carlos showed up with his bodyguards and blocked the doorway. Erica had tipped him off.

The second Erica saw him, she collapsed onto the floor, clutching her forehead and sobbing.

"Carlos, you're finally here."

She pointed at me, looking wounded.

"Emma's lost her mind! She tried to take our baby, and she even tried to strangle him!"

Carlos's eyes landed on the cut on Erica's forehead, then swept over the wrecked room.

The man who'd always doted on me was looking at me with disgust.

He didn't give me a chance to explain. He just walked up and pried the baby from my arms.

He handed the baby to Erica, who had gotten back on her feet and moved behind him, then ordered the bodyguards to restrain me as I screamed.

"Take the Donna back to the estate and lock her up."

He didn't look at me again as he warned the bodyguards, "If she gets away again, you'll pay with your lives!"