Chapter 4: Who Is Edward Fox?

The moment we arrived at the mansion, I barely had time to take in my surroundings.

The heavy front doors swung open, and a woman in her forties hurried toward us. "Charlotte!"

Charlotte immediately reached for her. The woman took the little girl from Liam's arms, looking her over with anxious eyes. "Are you all right, sweetheart? Did you eat?"

After Charlotte nodded, the woman’s eyes flicked to me. For a brief second, her gaze held a flicker of hesitation before she quickly looked away. I caught it instantly—she seemed nervous around me, just like Charlotte had been at first.

Liam handed his car keys to a staff member standing nearby. "Take Charlotte upstairs."

"Yes, Mr. Montgomery." The nanny gently took Charlotte's hand. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's get you changed."

Charlotte looked back over her shoulder. "Mommy..."

I offered her a soft, reassuring smile. "It's okay."

The moment Charlotte disappeared around the landing, Liam’s demeanor shifted entirely. "Come with me."

"Where?" I frowned.

"My office."

"Why?"

"Now, Abigail."

The sharp authority in his voice left no room for argument. I followed him up the grand staircase and down a quiet hallway. He opened the door to a spacious study, stepping inside and closing the door firmly behind us the moment I entered.

I looked around the room. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined the walls, and a massive mahogany desk sat near the bay windows, holding several framed photographs.

I turned back to him. "What is this about?"

Liam stared at me, his eyes dark. "Why did you take Charlotte?"

"I already told you—I didn't take her."

"You were with her."

"Because I found her!"

"While you were supposed to be with Edward."

I frowned again, frustration mounting. "Who is Edward?"

Liam’s jaw tightened, his expression hardening into cold disbelief. "Don't."

"I'm serious!"

"You honestly expect me to believe that?" He let out a bitter, humorless laugh. "You really want to play this game?"

"What game?"

"Pretending you don't know him."

"I'm not pretending!" I stepped forward, my voice rising. "I don't know anyone named Edward Fox!"

"You were with him," Liam accused coldly.

"No, I wasn't!"

"Then why was Charlotte with you?"

"Because I found her alone!" I yelled. "I woke up on the grass, and she was just there!"

"You took her!"

"I didn't!"

Our voices echoed off the high ceiling. Liam stepped closer, towering over me. "You knew exactly what you were doing."

"Stop lying to yourself! I am telling you the truth!"

"Then stop pretending you have amnesia!" His eyes flashed with raw anger. "Don't insult my intelligence, Abigail."

"I don't know who he is!" I shouted back, tears of frustration stinging my eyes. "Well, I don't remember!"

Silence suddenly fell over the room.

Liam stood there, his chest rising and falling heavily. He was furious, but beneath the anger, I caught something far more painful—a look of profound, bone-deep disappointment.

He shook his head slowly. "Unbelievable."

"What did I do?" I whispered, my voice trembling.

"You want me to tell you? Fine. You cheated on me."

The words hit me like a physical blow. "What?"

"You heard me," his voice was dangerously quiet. "You had an affair with Edward."

"No," I shook my head immediately. "I wouldn't."

"You did."

"I don't even know him!"

"You knew him well enough to betray me."

I stumbled backward. "Liam, listen to me—"

"I've listened to you for years!" Liam slammed his palm against the desk, the loud thud echoing through the room. "Then where have you been all these years? Tell me what happened!"

I froze, unable to answer. I couldn't tell him that just yesterday I was twenty years old, running away from my cheating boyfriend. He would think I was insane.

Liam stared at me, his voice cracking slightly. "You don't get to erase ten years just because you don't want to face what you did."

I looked at him, realizing for the first time how utterly exhausted he looked. This wasn't our first fight; he had been fighting this battle with me for years, hearing every excuse I could possibly make.

Except I wasn't the woman he remembered. I was still twenty-year-old Abigail—the girl who had never married Liam, never met Edward Fox, and never heard a child call her Mommy.

"I swear I'm telling the truth," I whispered.

Before Liam could answer, the office door clicked open.

"Mommy?"

We both turned. Charlotte stood in the doorway, her large eyes swimming with tears. The nanny stood behind her, looking frantic.

Charlotte looked between us, her lower lip trembling, before she ran straight toward me. "Mommy!"

I crouched down and caught her as she threw her small arms around my neck, sobbing hysterically. "Don't fight... please don't fight."

My heart shattered. "We're not..."

"Please don't divorce Daddy," she sobbed into my shoulder, her tiny frame shaking. "Please, Mommy... please don't leave Daddy."

I gently stroked her hair, holding her tighter. "I'm not leaving you."

"And Daddy?"

I looked up at Liam. He was staring at us, his face completely pale and unreadable.

"I don't know," I whispered honestly.

Charlotte cried harder, burying her face against my neck. "Please..."

I had no memory of giving birth to this child or raising her, but the sheer terror in her voice over losing her family made a fierce, protective ache blossom in my chest. I kissed the top of her head. "Shh... it's okay. I'm not going anywhere."

Liam abruptly turned away, heading toward the door.

"Liam," I called out.

He paused, but didn't look back. "Take care of her."

With that, he left, closing the door softly behind him.

I held Charlotte until her sobs quieted down to tiny hiccups. A few minutes later, the nanny gently escorted her back upstairs to rest.

Left alone in the quiet study, I looked around. Ten years of a life I couldn't remember—a husband who resented me, a daughter who terrified of losing me, and a man named Edward Fox who seemed to be at the center of the wreckage.

I needed answers, but I couldn't get them from Liam while he was this guarded.

I pulled out my phone. As the screen lit up, a notification appeared—a single unread message.

Edward Fox: Abigail, we need to talk.

My heart skipped a beat.

Edward Fox. The name suddenly sparked a faint memory, not from the missing ten years, but from my college days. He had been a brilliant, quiet student—poor, but exceptionally talented. My father had recognized his potential and offered him a scholarship. I had met him a few times back then simply because my father often praised him. That was all I remembered.

I stared at the screen, my fingers tightening around the device.

Why was Edward contacting me now? Why did Liam hate him so fiercely? And what had the future version of me done with him?

I looked at the message again, realization dawning on me. If I wanted to piece together the lost decade of my life, I needed to start with the people who knew who I used to be.

And top of that list was my father. I needed to find him, figure out what had happened to my family, and discover exactly who Abigail Hart had become.