Chapter 8 - THE NIGHT LILY ALMOST DIED
Ethan couldn’t breathe.
He opened the letter with shaking hands.
Rosa saw it.
Her face changed immediately.
“No.”
Ethan looked at her.
“What happened?”
She shook her head.
“Not here.”
“What happened to Lily?”
Rosa’s eyes filled.
“She was six weeks old.”
Ethan stepped closer.
“Tell me.”
“She stopped breathing.”
The ballroom vanished around him.
Rosa’s voice became distant.
“She had RSV.”
Ethan closed his eyes.
“I was scared.”
Her words came faster now.
“I called the numbers I had.”
“I wrote.”
“I went to your old apartment.”
“Your father’s driver met me outside.”
Ethan turned toward the study where Richard had been taken.
Rage flashed across his face.
Rosa continued.
“I spent four nights in the pediatric ICU.”
“Alone?”
“My mother came when she could.”
Ethan whispered, “I was in Zurich.”
“I know.”
He looked at her.
“You knew?”
“You were on the news.”
That was somehow worse.
She had watched him give interviews while their daughter was fighting to breathe.
Ethan’s eyes reddened.
“What did the doctors say?”
“That she might not make it.”
Lily was now sitting in Mrs. Hall’s arms, unaware of how close she had once come to disappearing from a father who didn’t even know she existed.
Ethan looked at her.
“She almost died.”
“Yes.”
“And Dad had the letter.”
“Yes.”
He turned toward the study.
Rosa grabbed his wrist.
“Don’t.”
He looked at her.
“Why not?”
“Because you’re angry.”
“I should be.”
“Yes.”
“But don’t do something Lily sees on TV tomorrow.”
That stopped him.
Rosa let go.
“You want to be her father?”
“Yes.”
“Start now.”
The words hit him harder than anything that day.
Ethan breathed slowly.
Then he walked toward Lily instead of the study.
He knelt.
“Hey.”
Lily looked at him.
“Hey.”
“You like pancakes?”
Her face brightened.
“With blueberries.”
“I like blueberries.”
Rosa folded her arms.
“You hate blueberries.”
Ethan looked over.
“I can change.”
For the first time, Rosa laughed.
It escaped before she could stop it.
Ethan stared at her.
For one dangerous second, they were twenty-nine again.
Then Victoria appeared between them.
She had removed her veil.
Her hair was loose.
Her eyes were wild.
“You think this is cute?”
Rosa’s smile vanished.
Victoria pointed at Lily.
“She destroyed everything.”
Ethan moved instantly.
“Don’t point at my daughter.”
“My life is falling apart because of her.”
“No.”
His voice turned hard.
“Your life is falling apart because of what you chose.”
Victoria looked at Rosa.
“I should’ve made sure you never got this job.”
Rosa went still.
Ethan caught the wording.
“Made sure?”
Victoria realized too late.
“What did you do?”
She backed away.
“Nothing.”
Ethan stepped closer.
“What did you do to Rosa?”
Victoria glanced toward her father.
Charles wouldn’t meet her eyes.
Ethan’s stomach tightened.
Rosa whispered, “What is she talking about?”
Victoria smiled bitterly.
“You really thought getting hired here was luck?”
Rosa froze.
May you like
Victoria leaned closer.
“I put you here.”
