Aria's POV
Nine minutes.
I have nine minutes to decide if my husband is a murderer or a victim.
"Aria?" Maya stands up. "What are you thinking? I can see your brain working and it's scaring me."
I look at Lily. At her tiny chest rising and falling. At the IV pumping fluids into her arm. At the heart monitor beeping steadily.
Someone tried to kill her. My baby. My innocent little girl who only ever wanted to meet her daddy.
And the evidence says that someone is Dominic.
But my gut says something different.
"I need to talk to my mother," I say suddenly. "Right now. Before the police get here."
"Are you crazy? If Elena poisoned Lily—"
"Then I need to hear her say it. I need to know why." I grab my phone. "Stay with Lily. If the police come before I get back, tell them I went to get coffee. Stall them."
"Aria, this is a terrible idea—"
But I'm already running. Down the hallway. Into the elevator. I dial my mother's number.
She answers on the first ring. "Aria, darling! I was just about to call you. I heard about Lily being in the hospital. How is my grandbaby?"
My grandbaby. Like she didn't just spend four weeks poisoning her.
"We need to talk. Face to face. Now."
"Of course, sweetheart. I'm actually nearby. There's a coffee shop across from the hospital. I'll meet you there in five minutes."
She's nearby. Of course she is. Probably waiting to see if her poison worked.
I hang up and run across the street to the coffee shop. My hands are shaking so badly I can barely hold my phone.
Seven minutes left.
I see my mother through the window. She's sitting at a corner table, perfect as always. Expensive coat. Designer purse. Not a hair out of place.
She smiles when she sees me. "Aria! You look terrible, darling. Sit down. I'll order you a latte."
"I don't want coffee." I slide into the chair across from her. "I want the truth."
Her smile doesn't fade. "Truth about what?"
"About Lily. About the digitalis in her system. About the vitamins you've been bringing her."
Something flickers in her eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"The doctors found poison in her blood, Mother. Heart medication. The same medication you take for your condition. And you're the only person who's been giving her vitamins."
Elena's face goes very still. Then she sighs and sets down her coffee cup.
"How did you find out so quickly?" She sounds almost impressed.
My stomach drops. "So it's true. You poisoned your own granddaughter."
"Don't be so dramatic. I wasn't trying to kill her. Just make her sick enough to need hospitalization." Elena examines her nails. "A child with serious health problems is a burden, Aria. I thought if you saw how difficult it would be, you'd finally let her go. Put her up for adoption. Move on with your life."
"Move on?" I can barely breathe. "She's my daughter!"
"She's a mistake!" Elena's voice turns sharp. "A reminder of the worst decision you ever made. Marrying Dominic Kane was supposed to be temporary. You were supposed to divorce him quietly, collect a settlement, and disappear. Instead, you got pregnant and ruined everything!"
"You drugged me at that wedding. The mystery messenger told me. It was you."
Elena smiles. "Smart girl. Yes, I put something in your drink. I thought you'd make a fool of yourself and Dominic would lose interest. But you went to his hotel room instead. You seduced him. You got pregnant." She leans forward. "Do you know how hard I've worked to fix your mistakes?"
"Fix them? You tried to kill my child!"
"I tried to save your future! A single mother with a sick child? No man wants that, Aria. Not even Dominic. Especially not Dominic, who doesn't even know she exists."
"He knows now. He found out today."
Elena's face goes white. "What?"
"He's at the hospital. With Lily. Meeting his daughter for the first time." I watch her carefully. "And in about five minutes, the police are going to arrest him for poisoning her. Because someone transferred fifty thousand dollars from his bank account to yours. Someone who wanted to frame him for attempted murder."
Elena stands up abruptly. "I need to go."
"Sit down." My voice is ice. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me who paid you. Because you didn't hack Dominic's bank account. You're not smart enough. Someone else did that. Someone who wanted both Lily dead and Dominic in prison. Who was it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about—"
"Tell me!" I slam my hand on the table. Other customers turn to stare. "Tell me or I'll make sure the police know you acted alone. No plea deal. No reduced sentence. You'll go to prison for attempted murder of a child. Do you know what they do to people like you in prison?"
Elena's face crumbles. "It was Celeste! Okay? It was your sister! She approached me six months ago with a plan. She wanted Dominic back, but your marriage was in the way. She said if we could prove you were an unfit mother—a woman who couldn't even keep her own child safe—then Dominic would leave you. She hacked his account. She transferred the money. She planned everything!"
The world tilts sideways.
Celeste. My sister. The woman I've always felt inferior to. The woman Dominic loved first.
She tried to kill my daughter to get my husband back.
"Where is she now?" I demand.
"I don't know! She said she was going to the hospital to 'comfort' Dominic after the police arrested him. She wanted to be there when he needed a shoulder to cry on."
The hospital. Where Lily is. Where Maya is guarding her.
Where Celeste is probably heading right now.
I run.
Out of the coffee shop. Across the street. My lungs burning.
I call Maya. No answer. I call again. Still nothing.
Three minutes left before the police arrive.
I burst into the hospital and run to the elevators. Too slow. I take the stairs, my legs screaming.
Third floor. Room 302.
The door is open. I run inside and freeze.
Maya is on the floor, unconscious. Blood on her temple.
Lily's bed is empty. The IV pulled out. The monitors beeping frantically.
And on the pillow is a note in perfect handwriting:
"Sorry, little sister. But you took something that was mine. Now I'm taking something that's yours. Don't bother looking. You'll never find her in time. By the time you read this, Lily and I will be on a plane to Paris. Dominic will follow me there—he always does. And you'll be left with nothing. Just like you deserve. - C"
My scream echoes off the walls.
Lily. My baby. Celeste took my baby.
I run back into the hallway, looking for security, for help, for anyone—
And I crash straight into Dominic.
"Aria, the police are here, they're asking about the money transfer, I tried to explain—" He stops when he sees my face. "What happened? Where's Lily?"
"Celeste took her." The words tear out of me. "My sister kidnapped our daughter."
Dominic goes white. "What?"
"She left a note. She's taking her to Paris. Dominic, we have to stop her—"
Police officers appear at the end of the hallway. "Dominic Kane? We need you to come with us."
"No!" I grab Dominic's arm. "He didn't do anything! It was Celeste! She's the one who poisoned Lily! She's the one who stole his money! And she just kidnapped our daughter!"
The officers exchange glances. "Ma'am, we need you to calm down—"
"I am calm! I'm telling you the truth! My sister confessed everything! She planned all of this!"
"Where's your sister now?" one officer asks.
"I don't know! The airport maybe? She said they're flying to Paris!"
The officers start talking into their radios. Airport. All flights to Paris. Four-year-old girl. Possible kidnapping.
Dominic grabs my shoulders. "Aria, look at me. We'll find her. I promise we'll find her."
"What if we don't? What if Celeste hurts her? What if—"
My phone buzzes. Unknown number. Always that unknown number.
But this time, it's not a text. It's a video call.
I answer with shaking hands.
Celeste's face fills the screen. She's in a car. And beside her, crying softly, is Lily.
"Mama!" Lily reaches toward the camera. "Mama, I want to go home!"
"Lily, baby—"
Celeste turns the camera to herself. "Sorry, Aria. But this is how it has to be. Dominic deserves better than you. And Lily deserves better than a mother who kept her from her father for four years. I'm taking her somewhere safe. Somewhere you'll never find her."
"Celeste, please—"
"Say goodbye to your daughter, Aria. It's the last time you'll see her."
The screen goes black.
And I collapse into Dominic's arms, my entire world ending.
My daughter is gone.
And I may never see her again.