I was devoted to Tom Collin, a man whose ambition I once admired. I gave up my career, my future, my entire identity for him. I was the perfect wife while he built his empire. But when he reached the top, I became invisible.
Then I found him with her—his college ex, the woman who’d abandoned him when he had nothing. When I confronted him, the man I married vanished, replaced by a monster whose hands left bruises on my skin.
I was finally ready to leave. But I never got the chance. He left our five-year-old daughter, Joy, alone for his mistress. And in his absence, my baby was murdered.
I buried my child, and with her, the weak woman I used to be. In a haze of grief, I let a handsome stranger hold me for one night in Italy—a single moment of oblivion.
Five years later, I live for one purpose: Revenge. Tom Collin will pay for what he did. He has no idea the woman now standing before him. But my new boss… he might. The magnetic CEO of our rival company is the stranger from that night. And he doesn’t know he’s the father of my secret daughter.


Joy offered me a quiet nod before sliding the covers away and stepping onto the cold hardwood floor with her bare feet. Watching her tiny frame move in the dim light made my throat constrict. She looked so fragile, so trusting, completely unaware that her world was about to shift beneath her feet.


I rose from the bed, my hands shaking as I pulled open her little closet and began gathering her belongings. Her beloved unicorn pajamas went in first, followed by the sunshine-yellow sundress that made her spin until she got dizzy. I added her favorite leggings and several soft cardigans, knowing that wherever we ended up, the nights might be harsh. Each item I folded felt like a prayer that somehow I could shield her from the chaos consuming our family.


Chapter 17 - Chapter 17 Midnight Flight