My throat closed, tears burning my eyes. “Gwen, baby, it’s Mommy. Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
“I’m scared,” she whispered. “Why can’t I come home? Why aren’t you here?”
I bit my lip, holding back a sob. “Because… because Mommy is fixing something, sweetheart. But soon, very soon, we’ll be together again. You just have to be brave for me, okay?”
“Will you really come?” she asked, her voice breaking.
“Yes, I promise. Mommy will never leave you. Just wait a little longer.”
“I love you, Mommy.”
The words shattered me. “I love you too, Gwen. More than anything.”
The line went quiet, and then Martin came back. “Satisfied?”
I exhaled shakily. “Thank you. I just… needed to hear her voice.”
“Good,” he said. “Then remember our deal. I’ll see you tomorrow. Prepare everything.”
“Yes,” I whispered, before hanging up, clutching the phone to my chest as if it were the only thing keeping me alive.
But my relief was short-lived.
Behind me, a voice cut through the silence. “What are you talking about?”
I spun around. Leandro stood at the doorway, his eyes narrowed, suspicion dripping from every word.
I forced a smile. “I’m preparing a funeral for Gwen. After all, you won’t help me, right? So it’s better this way.”
His jaw twitched. “So you’d give her up, then? Rather than begging me?”
My chest heaved. “You want me to beg for her? For our child?”
“Yes,” he said coldly, stepping closer. “Prove to me this isn’t your scheme. Kneel. Kiss my shoes if you must. Show me you’re not lying.”
A bitter laugh escaped me. “No thanks. I’m done with you.”
I pushed past him, but his voice thundered behind me. “You’re turning your back on me now?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation. “Because you don’t deserve to be Gwen’s father.”
His lips curled into a cruel smile. “Well, up to you. At least she won’t be an heir. And you—” his gaze dropped, venomous “—you won’t give me another child anyway. You’re barren after giving birth to Gwen. So it’s your loss, not mine. You’re nothing to me now.”
The words sliced me open, but I forced my chin up. “Then don’t worry. You’ll be happy when I’m gone.”
Before he could retort, Nadine’s voice shrieked from down the hall. “Leandro! Please—take me to the hospital! My tummy—ah!”