Chapter 5

After the guests left, Julian couldn't wait to grab all the gift envelopes and checks, stuffing them into a black briefcase.

"Babe, the company is facing a cash crunch. I'll take this money to keep things running."

He hid the bag behind his back, terrified I would snatch it.

Tens of thousands of dollars.

That was our daughter's birthday money, and he was stealing it for his bastard's tuition.

I watched his desperate face and smiled inwardly.

"Why don't we refinance the house?" I threw out the bait. "Interest rates for business loans are low right now. You can use that money for cash flow, and once you make a profit, you can buy me a new purse."

Julian's eyes lit up.

Our house was worth over $1.5 million, co-owned by both of us.

"Babe, you're a genius! Let's do it!"

The next morning, I handed him a stack of documents.

"This is the bank agreement. Just sign here."

I flipped to the signature page.

Without reading a word, Julian scribbled his name.

His mind was entirely on using the cash to fund Sienna's demands. He didn't notice that hidden beneath the loan papers were a Deed of Gift and a Waiver of Property Rights.

He was signing over his entire share of the house to our daughter.

Once signed, he had absolutely no claim to this property.

After signing, Julian happily left with a credit card I gave him.

The card only had a $5,000 limit.

Just enough for him to buy Sienna a bag or pay a small deposit.

As for the rest of the money? He would never see a dime of it.

That night, Sienna bragged on Instagram, showing off a contract for a luxury condo in a premium school zone.

Caption: "Only the best for my baby boy. Daddy is the best!"

I looked into it. The down payment was made with funds Julian had embezzled from his own company.

Just then, Lily started crying from her bedroom.

I rushed in. Her face was flushed red, and her body was convulsing. She was having a febrile seizure.

Panicking, I scooped her up and ran outside.

It was pouring rain, and I couldn't hail an Uber.

With shaking hands, I called Julian.

"The user you are trying to reach is busy..."

Once, twice, ten times...

Always busy.

Rain mixed with tears on my face.

Lily's convulsions got worse, her lips turning blue.

Finally, the call went through.

I heard loud music, laughter, and a boy screaming excitedly:

"Daddy, lift me higher! I want to ride the horse!"

I screamed into the phone, "Julian! Lily is having a seizure! Get back here and drive us to the hospital now!"

The other end went quiet for a second.

Then Julian's annoyed voice barked back:

"It's just a fever! Give her some Tylenol! Stop overreacting! I'm closing a multi-million dollar deal right now. Don't bother me!"

Beep—

The line went dead.

At that moment, I heard my heart shatter.

Lily stopped moving in my arms, her little hand falling limp.

I knelt in the pouring rain, sobbing in despair.

Julian.

Since you don't care if she lives or dies...

Don't blame me for dragging you to hell.

Holding Lily, I ran into the middle of the road to block a car.

A black SUV slammed its brakes in front of me.

The window rolled down, revealing a stern, cold face.

"Get in."