All Chapters of I Left With My Daughter: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Cecilia Laurent ignored the subtle glances people threw her way across the banquet hall. She did not feel a thing.It did not matter what people thought.She only wanted to get through tonight and end her marriage once and for all.After the banquet, Cecilia carried the sleeping Isabella Melville back to the children’s room. She tucked her in carefully and then went alone to the study in the main building.When she opened the door, Lyon Melville’s mother, Margaret Halloway, was sitting by the fireplace. Her expression was grim, as if she had known Cecilia would come.“Cecilia…” Margaret stood up. She looked at her apologetically. “Lyon went too far tonight. When he comes back, I’ll make him explain things to you.”Cecilia shook her head gently.“Madre, I’m not here for an explanation tonight.”Margaret froze for a moment.“Five years ago, my mother was critically ill in Poston. The hospital suddenly stopped the special treatment she needed. You used the Melville family’s Erope

“I want to,” Isabella said without hesitation. “Wherever you go, I’ll go too.”Then, she added, “Papa’s always busy. Just having you with me is enough.”Her words were simple and direct, and that made it hit the hardest.Cecilia stroked her head. After she dropped Isabella back at the estate, her phone rang.It was her assistant.“Donna Melville, the Don sent someone to take a diamond necklace set from your jewelry vault.”The assistant said in a low voice, “He said he only needs it for two days. It has already been sent to Gianna.”Cecilia’s face darkened.That set of jewelry had been her grandmother’s gift to her for her coming-of-age ceremony. She never lent it to anyone, even for media photoshoots.Lyon knew exactly which set to choose. Of course, he picked the one she cared about the most.She paused for a moment. Then, she told her assistant to do two things.The first was to pull up the insurance appraisal and private rental price for the set. The second was to send

The next day, Lyon sent a gift to the villa as an apology.It was a set of diamond jewelry and an unsigned check.Cecilia did not look at them. She told the housekeeper to lock them in the storage room.She did not ask about the trust again and did not get angry about Gianna.Lyon seemed to take her silence as a sign of compromise.He stopped paying attention to the household. He spent his time wrapped up in Gianna’s world. Gossip about them appeared everywhere.Gianna had risen from a struggling, small-time actress to the very top. News of her rise spread through gossip magazines and the family’s business circles. Nightclub managers, port agents, and a few longtime Melville associates whispered about how long Gianna could stay famous and how much her limited advantages were really worth.But more than that, people remembered how Lyon had pursued Cecilia. He cleared every other woman from his life, settled disputes over her collections, and handed her the cleanest properties and

The day of old Don’s memorial mass was bitterly cold.Cecilia arrived at the estate early. She checked every detail herself, from the wreaths and the guest list to the arrangements for the family luncheon in the afternoon. No matter how badly her marriage with Lyon had fallen apart, the old Don had treated her well. She wanted to see this farewell done with dignity.Just before the ceremony began, engines roared outside.Lyon had returned.He was not alone.Gianna stepped out of the car wearing an overly formal black dress. She linked her arm with his and walked slowly toward the estate. Her expression was composed. She looked like a woman who already had one foot inside the Melville family.Cecilia glanced at her and said nothing.During the entire mass, she hardly spoke to Lyon.The priest read the eulogy at the front while family members laid flowers one by one. Margaret’s expression was tense from beginning to end.After the mass, everyone moved to the side room for the

Lyon’s gaze settled on the recorder.He had not moved. Gianna stood behind him. Her face changed.Her voice trembled with sobs. Tears streamed down her face. “Donna Melville, do you really hate me this much? Ruining my reputation wasn’t enough? Are you going to use a fabricated recording to accuse me of trying to hurt Isabella?”She pressed a hand over her belly. Her body curled slightly. “Don Melville cares so much about Isabella. I see her as my own child. How could I ever harm her?”The uncertainty on Lyon’s face disappeared. His face turned completely dark. He looked down at Gianna in his arms. She cried so hard that she seemed close to fainting. Then, he lifted his gaze and looked at Cecilia. She looked calm.“Cecilia, you’re willing to frame Gianna and put our daughter’s life at risk for this?”Cecilia looked at him in silence. It was as if she wanted to see through the face she had once loved and understand everything about him. After a while, she let out a soft laugh. Eve