“What?”
“You heard me.”
Vanessa placed the bowl in front of the child.
“You want to act like an animal instead of a grateful daughter? Then this is where you belong.”
Ella began crying.
She begged Vanessa to stop.
But Vanessa refused.
And when the little girl asked to call her father, she received an even crueler answer.
“Your daddy told me to handle your behavior. He isn’t coming to save you.”
Ella believed her.
She had no reason to think her father would return before the next morning.
But Vanessa was wrong about one thing.
Ethan’s flight had landed early.
The Suitcases Hit the Floor
Ethan entered the mansion carrying two black cases.
At first, he thought the figure kneeling in the hallway was one of the household staff cleaning the floor.
Then he noticed the light-blue dress.
The blonde braids.
The tiny shoulders shaking.
He stopped walking.
A silver bowl sat in front of the little girl.
Dry food was scattered around it.
Vanessa stood nearby with her arms crossed.
For an instant, Ethan couldn’t understand what he was seeing.
Then Ella lifted her face.
Crumbs were stuck around her mouth.
And Ethan felt his entire world collapse.
“ELLA!”
He dropped the suitcases.
The cases struck the marble with two heavy thuds.
He rushed forward and fell to his knees.
Ella recognized his voice and began sobbing harder.
“Daddy!”
He pulled her into his arms.
One hand cradled the back of her head.
The other wrapped tightly around her shoulders.
His eyes filled with tears.
“Sweetheart… who did this to you?”
Ella couldn’t answer.
She only repeated the same words.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I tried to be good.”
Ethan pressed his cheek against her hair.
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
Then he saw Vanessa standing behind them.
Her perfect makeup.
Her sparkling gown.
The stunned expression on her face.
He looked at the dog bowl.
Then back at her.
“What have you done?”
The Truth Behind the Charity Gala
Vanessa tried to defend herself.
“She was misbehaving. You told me to be firm with her.”
Ethan stared at his wife.
“I told you to take care of my daughter.”
“And I have!”
He looked down at Ella.
She was still shaking.
“By making her eat from the floor?”
Vanessa hesitated.
Then her face hardened.
“You don’t understand how difficult she’s been.”
Ethan’s voice dropped.
“Don’t call my daughter difficult.”
Vanessa stepped closer.
“She refuses to accept me. She embarrasses me whenever anyone asks about our family.”
Ella pressed her face against Ethan’s chest.
“I just miss Mommy.”
Those four words broke something inside him.
He remembered Clara sitting beside Ella’s crib.
He remembered the promise he had made as his first wife grew weaker during her final illness.
He had promised that their daughter would always know she was loved.
Always know she had a family.
And never have to earn her place in their home.
Yet here she was.
Kneeling on the floor.
Trying to apologize for missing her own mother.
Ethan looked at Vanessa.
“The speech is canceled.”
Vanessa’s eyes widened.
“You can’t cancel it! The gala starts in an hour!”
PART 3
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