Lahat ng Kabanata ng The daughter she thought was gone!: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

The moment Dominic said Caleb accessed Elara’s school records, something sharp twisted in Amara’s gut. This couldnt mean anything good.“That means he knows where she would have gone,” she whispered. “If we hadn’t taken her.”Dominic nodded grimly. “He’s trying to anticipate your next move.”Amara pressed a hand over her mouth. “What if he tries to take her from school? What if he—”“He won’t,” Dominic said, stepping closer, his voice steel wrapped in gentleness. “Because she is not leaving this house without protection.” He would do anything to protect them.Amara sank onto a barstool, trembling. “He’s escalating.”“He’s cornered,” Dominic corrected. “Cornered people lash out.”Seeing the fear in her eyes pained him. He couldnt stand the thought of her being scared.He knelt in front of her—something she never imagined a man like him doing—capturing her gaze, grounding her.“Look at me.”She forced herself to look at him. “He is not going to win. He is not going to get close to you

The morning of the emergency custody hearing arrived with a sky washed in pale gray, the kind of color that made the world feel suspended between calm and chaos. Amara dressed slowly, deliberately. Every choice made with an intent behind it. The intent to win. A fitted navy suit. Hair pulled back into a soft twist. Minimal jewelry. No perfume—she didn’t want anything to overwhelm Elara in court. When she stepped out of the bedroom, Dominic was waiting in the hallway. He was leaning lightly against the wall, dressed in a deep charcoal suit, its clean lines molding to strength and control. But his eyes—those storm-gray eyes—softened the moment they saw her. “You look powerful,” he murmured. Her breath caught. “I don’t feel powerful.” “Then let me hold the power for both of us,” he replied softly. His presence alone gave her some reassurance. She was as ready as she could be. Elara trotted out of her room in a pale yellow dress, a stuffed moon clutched in her hands. “Mommy

The courthouse erupted the moment Caleb was dragged out. Still shouting "She's mine.". Reporters swarmed like vultures, cameras flashing wildly as security shoved them back. Amara held Elara tight against her chest, shielding her daughter’s eyes from the chaos. Dominic placed himself on their right side, Jack on their left — a human barricade escorting them through the noise.“Ms. Linton, how does it feel to win?”“Was Caleb dangerous?”“Is Dominic Hale your attorney or something more?”“Do you fear retaliation?”“What happens next?”The questions were sharp, invasive, almost violent. Amara kept her head down. The only thing that mattered was Elara’s trembling breaths against her neck. She had to get her to the car. All she wanted was to protect her.Dominic growled, “Back up—now,” and even the reporters flinched at the threat in his voice.Inside the SUV, the doors slammed shut and silence fell like a heavy blanket.Amara didn’t move for a long moment. She just held her daughter. E

Amara didn’t sleep that night.Not after the hearing.Not after the break-in.Not after Dominic kissed her with so much restraint it nearly shattered her.She lay awake in the safehouse bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to Elara’s steady breathing in the smaller bed beside her.Every creak in the house made her tense.Every rustle of leaves outside made her pulse spike.At 3:12 a.m., the door to the hallway opened gently.Dominic.He stepped inside quietly, not to wake Elara, but enough that the light from the hallway painted him in a soft glow.“You okay?” he whispered.Amara sat up slowly.“No,” she admitted. “I’m not.”Dominic closed the door enough to keep the hall light from spilling in, then walked closer.“Talk to me.”She rubbed her arms. “I keep replaying Caleb’s face. The way he looked at me. Like he wanted to hurt me. Like he hated me.”Dominic stood beside the bed, hands in his pockets, expression darkening. “That wasn’t hate.”“What was it?”“Loss of control,” he sai

The next day began too quietly.The kind of quiet that felt wrong — as if the universe inhaled sharply and held the breath. Amara woke instantly, heart pounding with a sense of danger she couldn’t yet name.Elara was curled beside her, tiny fingers still grasping Amara’s sleeve from the night before. She hadn’t let go once.Amara stroked her daughter’s hair, then gently slid out of bed, careful not to wake her.Dominic was already awake.She found him in the safehouse’s kitchen, leaning over the granite island, phone to his ear, tension pulling his shoulders tight. His voice was low but sharp — a tone she had learned meant trouble.“—I don’t care what Barren wants. Find him.”A pause.“No, he’s not holding the cards. We are. He wants leverage? He’ll find none.”Another pause. Dominic’s jaw clenched.“Then keep searching.”He hung up.Amara approached slowly. “What happened?”Dominic looked at her with eyes darker than she’d ever seen them.“Barren disappeared.”Her breath hitched. “Wh