Chapter 1

Oscar Barnett quickly scooped the boy into his arms, his expression apologetic."Zach, don't be mad. Samantha meant well. The kid's grown up without a mom, and today's his fifth birthday. Samantha was just trying to help him live out the dream of having a mom for a day, nothing more."I gave him a look, wearing half a smile and half a sneer. "If that's the case, now that Hannah and I are here, shouldn't you be giving Samantha back? We're the real family of three, after all."Oscar froze, but his son wasn't having it. "Mommy, you promised you'd spend the whole day together with Daddy and me!"The five-year-old, Neville Barnett, glared at me with surprising fury.I raised an eyebrow. Mommy, huh?Before I could respond, Samantha Miller stepped protectively in front of them, as if ready to shield them.Her voice was already tinged with irritation. "Zach, you're a parent, too. Don't you have any empathy? Oscar and I grew up together, and I'm just spending one day with them. One day!

Chapter 2

Not long after, the preschool's Family Day officially kicked off. Each family took their seats at the pre-assigned tables. Hannah looked toward the front row, where Samantha was sitting, and asked, a little disheartened, "Why isn't Mommy sitting with us?"I gently pinched her chubby cheek. She was still so young, and she shouldn't have to be part of this mess."Because Daddy's a superhero. So, to be fair, Mommy went to help the other kids," I said softly.Just then, the teacher, Sophia Lane, stepped forward to announce the first activity—block-building. She smiled warmly. "There's a prize for the winner—a LEGO spaceship!"Hannah's eyes lit up instantly. She pointed at the prize, her voice bursting with excitement. "Daddy, I want that one!""Alright. Then, let's win it," I replied, smiling.Later, as the timer's final grains of sand trickled down, Hannah's hand shot into the air as she shouted, "Ms. Lane, we're done!"Sophia walked over, nodded in approval, and was just about t

Chapter 3

At the end of the hallway, I found Hannah shoved over on the ground outside the bathroom, sobbing and shaking with pain.Standing over her was Neville, his face twisted with anger. "That's what you get for calling the wrong person 'Mommy!' I'm gonna beat you up for real this time!"He kicked her square in the stomach.Hannah let out a cry of pain and tried to crawl away, but one of the boys behind Neville grabbed her by the arms."Serves you right, you homewrecker's kid!""My mommy said kids like you, the illegitimate trash, should've been strangled at birth!"Hannah flailed, trying to fight them off and gasping between sobs. "You're lying! She is my mommy! Daddy! Mommy! Help me! It hurts! Where are you?"The second I saw what was happening, my mind went blank with a deafening roar. Rage flooded me, boiling in my blood and bursting through my veins.When the boys caught sight of me and saw the fury in my face, they froze before scattering like rats.I rushed over to scoop Hann

Chapter 4

Even as Samantha stood there, surrounded like a queen by her court, a flicker of disbelief crossed her eyes as she looked down at me.I braced myself with one hand on the ground, pushing up slowly and ignoring the sting in my arm. A cold smile crept across my face.Sensing the situation spiraling, the preschool director, Laura Poe, rushed over. She furrowed her brows and spoke to me in a lowered, serious tone. "Mr. Neel, come on. Don't make this worse and just apologize to Ms. Miller and the others. This isn't a fight you can win."I shook my head. Laura sighed. "Look, I know you're not the kind of man who lies, but the reality is what it is. That kind of corporate power? You're just one guy—what can you possibly do against that?"By then, the sharp-dressed executives had stepped out of the SUVs and were walking toward the event area.The crowd—everyone who'd been filming, gossiping, or kissing up to Samantha—perked up, eyes lit with anticipation. They looked at me like I was

Chapter 5

"Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Hannah's father, and I also serve as Aviora Holdings' chairman. And she?"I pointed straight at Samantha across the room. "She's just someone who latched onto the Neel family's coattails."I took the marriage certificate from Terry, held it up for everyone to see, then tossed it down hard onto the floor.Right then, I saw it—that flicker of panic and unraveling in Samantha's eyes.But we were only just getting started.Gasps rippled through the crowd. Their mouths hung open, and their eyes went wide.The influencer instantly angled her phone down, zooming in on the document. "Okay, folks! This is the plot twist of the year! Get a close-up on this marriage certificate. It looks like we've been calling the wrong person the homewrecker!"Then, she turned the camera toward Oscar.He was frozen in shock, then suddenly threw his hands up to block the lens. "Stop filming! Please, stop!"Around us, parents began buzzing with new whispers."So, have we

Chapter 6

Samantha wiped her face, then suddenly laughed. Her expression turned cold as she stared me down."So what if you know everything? We're married. Even if we get divorced, I still get half of your assets. And now that you've been away from the company, I've completely taken over the business department. I can start my firm anytime I want!"I laughed, too.If I hadn't allowed it, those key staff members and foreign hires would have never listened to her. Besides, every major decision at the company had always been mine. She was just a piece on the board—decorative and useful, but never in control.But clearly, that piece had started to believe she was the player.I gave Terry a nod. He handed her the divorce papers."What? Are you leaving me with nothing? Dream on, Zach! If you want a divorce, I want half of the Neel family's fortune!"Samantha tore the papers to shreds, her eyes burning with defiance.I called in Eugene Shaw from HR and asked him to deliver her termination lette

Chapter 7

After that day, Hannah slowly began to recover, while I took every single person who hurt her to court.I told her gently, "Sweetheart, Daddy will protect you. I'm going to make sure you get justice."She didn't fully understand, but curled up in my arms anyway, whispering over and over, "Daddy…"Faced with massive compensation claims, those kids' parents started showing up at my house, begging to reach a settlement with me.One even dragged his child along and started beating him right on my doorstep. "How dare you bully someone? I'll beat it out of you, you little monster!"The boy gasped for air between the blows."Mr. Neel, we've already punished our child. Please, be the bigger person. You've got a generous heart, right? Forgive us, please. We're begging you—our whole family is!"I would never forgive anyone who hurt Hannah. So, naturally, I didn't back down.As for Samantha, Oscar, and Neville, the three of them couldn't even step outside their home anymore.The story bl

All Chapters of Her Heart Left Our Home: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7