Betrayal and Regret: The Donna Lost Her Child Chapter 05
Ryan’s legs nearly gave out. He stumbled backward, catching himself on a table.
He steadied his breath and snapped coldly at the family Consigliere.
“Are you in on this with her? Do you know what happens to people who deceive me?”
The Consigliere answered frantically.
“Don, I’m telling the truth! I’ve barely met Donna more than a few times. How could I be following her orders?”
“They’re on the rocks by the beach right now. Please-get here now.”
Because Chloe had injured her foot, Ryan had come ashore to arrange the best private doctor for her.
The island was at least an hour away. He instinctively grabbed his phone to call his driver.
But as he dialed, he hesitated.
Grace. That woman would do anything to deceive him.
This could very well be another one of her schemes.
While he hesitated, the family Consigliere kept texting him, urging him.
A thread of unease wound through his chest.
Just this once. He’d trust her just this once.
If he got there and found out Grace had really tricked him-
Then he would make her pay.
To go so far as to fabricate the death of their child just to manipulate him-she had no right to call herself a
mother.
His mind was a mess.
He kept calling Grace.
Her phone was off.
Normally, Grace’s phone was never off. When he called, it never rang more than twice.
As rage simmered, Ryan let out a low curse.
He could already picture the smug look on Grace’s face when she saw him show up.
Time crawled. He tried to kill it by scrolling through his phone-and then a breaking news alert popped up.
He opened it without thinking. The words hit him like a blow to the chest.
The headline read: “Mother and Infant Devoured by Seagulls.”
He didn’t even realize his hands were shaking so badly he could barely hold the phone.
He forced himself to stay calm.
What if Grace was just using the news to fool him? That was it. That had to be it.
He looked out the window and roared at the driver.
“Drive faster! Get me there within the hour, or you’re a dead man!”
The driver, trembling, didn’t dare speak. He just pressed the accelerator.
They reached the island.
Ryan bolted off the plane and ran in the direction the family Consigliere had given him.
Along the way, he caught fragments of conversation about the news report.
“Who brings a baby that young to a place like this? Are the parents insane?”
“Right? Doesn’t even look a month old. If you don’t want to raise a kid, don’t have one. Bringing a baby into the world and then being irresponsible-what an animal.”
“That poor mother. She shielded him with her own body-that’s why his body wasn’t completely eaten. But
she bled out.”
“God, where the hell is the father? His wife and child are dead right here, and he’s nowhere to be seen.”
Ryan’s breath stopped.
So small. Not even a month old. The father nowhere to be found…
Every word seemed to confirm it: this child was his.
Then that woman-
No. She wouldn’t.
Ryan pushed the darkest thought from his mind. But his pace quickened.
