He Stole My Baby and Gave Her to His MistressChapter 1

On the third anniversary of my baby's death, David Delgado said he'd go with me to visit the grave.

I felt bad about how many back-to-back shifts he'd been pulling, so I offered to pick him up myself.

When I opened the GPS, my breath caught.

There were two home addresses pinned to the top.

One was our place: Unit 9, Nebula Heights.

The other was Number 7, Emerald Bay Villa.

It had been pinned there for three years.

——

My phone buzzed. A message from him: "Meeting ran long. Next year, okay?"

Outside the window, his familiar Maybach flew past.

By the time I came back to my senses, I was already parked at the entrance to the villa district.

Emerald Bay was the most exclusive neighborhood in the city. As far as I knew, David didn't own any property here.

"You're looking for Mr. Delgado? And you say you're his wife?" The security guard let out a short laugh. "Give me a break. Everyone here knows Mr. Delgado and his wife. They've been living here five, six years now. Young lady, you really ought to find something better to do with your time."

A sharp sting in my chest. My hands shook so badly I could barely hold my phone. I pulled up our marriage certificate, stiff as a board, and held it out.

The guard gave me a strange, almost pitying look. Then he shook his head.

I didn't want to make trouble for him. The moment he turned around, I slipped through the gate.

A row of low hedges ran along the perimeter wall. Through the iron fence, I could see into the gardens beyond.

I ran five hundred meters along the wall.

Then I stopped.

The familiar Maybach. The license plate with all those eights. On the garden lawn stood an enormous arch of pink and blue balloons.

The banner read: "Happy 3rd Birthday, Pete!"

Three years old.

Today.

If my baby had lived, he would have been three.

My head throbbed. The aftermath of losing my child had tormented me for three full years. One thousand and ninety-five days and nights.

During the ten-minute drive, I'd run through every possibility. Maybe he was dropping off a client. Maybe he was planning a surprise for me. Maybe he'd gotten into some kind of trouble and was trying to handle it before I found out.

David wouldn't lie to me.

He especially wouldn't lie to me on our baby's memorial day.

After all, we had loved each other so deeply once.

I didn't want to jump to conclusions.