Chapter 1

1

My husband was in such a rush to take his childhood sweetheart's son to the hospital that he didn't even notice he'd backed over our three-year-old daughter.

When I arrived, I saw my little girl lying on the pavement, covered in blood. Her tiny hand gripped my finger as she whimpered, "Mommy, it hurts so much."

When I finally confronted Hudson Sterling about why he didn't save our daughter, he just looked at me with annoyance. He said he'd already called 911 for her.

He claimed that if Daisy didn't make it, it was just her time to go.

......

When I got the call from my neighbor, I found my three-year-old, Daisy, lying in a pool of blood in our driveway. A small crowd of neighbors had already gathered around her.

Mrs. Higgins, the lady next door, was frantic the moment she saw me. "Stella, thank God you're here. The ambulance isn't here yet, and we were too scared to move her."

My hands shook uncontrollably as I looked at my baby. "How did this happen? How could she get hit in our own yard?"

Mrs. Higgins sighed, her eyes filled with pity. "I don't know what was wrong with Hudson. He was backing out like a madman and hit her, then just drove off without looking back."

The words hit me like a lightning bolt. Hudson had hit her.

How was that possible? Daisy was his own flesh and blood. How could a father hit his child and just keep driving?

"Mommy, it hurts," Daisy whispered from the ground.

"Mommy's here, baby," I choked out. I wanted to scoop her up and hold her, but I was terrified that moving her would make the injuries worse.

"Mommy, did I do something bad?" Her chubby little face was turning a sickly shade of white.

"No, baby, you didn't do anything wrong," I sobbed. If I could, I would have traded places with her in a heartbeat.

"Mommy, if I'm a good girl, why did Daddy only take Jayden? Why did he leave me behind?"

Her voice was so small. "I screamed for him, Mommy. I screamed so loud, but Daddy just drove the big car away with Jayden. Why didn't he want me?"

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Jayden was the son of Janie Sinclair, Hudson's lifelong best friend.

They grew up together and had always been inseparable. After Janie's husband walked out on her shortly after Jayden was born, Hudson became their shadow.

He always prioritized Janie's son over our daughter.

His excuse was always the same: Jayden didn't have a father, and the poor boy was fragile.

The ambulance finally arrived. As the paramedics lifted Daisy onto the stretcher, I frantically dialed Hudson's number, but it went straight to voicemail every single time.

I sat outside the ICU for two hours while they tried to save her. I sent dozens of texts and made dozens of calls. All I got was silence.

When the red light above the door finally turned off, I rushed toward the surgeon, my heart in my throat.

"Doctor, how is she? Is my daughter okay?"

The doctor let out a long, heavy sigh. My heart dropped into my stomach.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Moore. We did everything we could. She had lost too much blood by the time she got here. If she has any other family, you should let them say their goodbyes now."

"No, that's impossible! She's only three! Please, you have to save her!"

I grabbed the doctor's arms, my knees buckling. I would have died right there if it meant she could live.

"I am truly sorry. If she had been brought in just a little sooner... even ten minutes might have made the difference."

His words cut through me like a knife. If Hudson hadn't just left her there in the driveway like roadkill, she might still have a chance.

"She's still in the operating room. Go see her," the doctor said, his voice thick with frustration and grief.

I wiped my tears and walked into that room like a ghost.

When I reached the table, I saw her face. Those chubby cheeks I loved to kiss were now pale and cold.

Her little clothes were soaked in red, and her tiny fists were clenched tight.

My Daisy was only three years old.

She was the kind of kid who cried if she got a tiny splinter. I couldn't even imagine how terrified she must have been, lying on the asphalt all alone.

"Mommy," she whispered, her eyelids fluttering.

"I'm here, sweetie." I forced a smile through the agony, not wanting her to see me break.

"Mommy, the doctor gave me a shot, right? Why does it still hurt?"

"It hurts so much, Mommy. Tell him to give me the medicine that makes the ouchies go away." Tears leaked from her eyes.

My heart shattered. Whenever she was sick, I always told her that medicine would fix everything.