Chapter 6 - The Woman Behind the Mask
Gabriel returned secretly.
He looked older than the photograph.
Tired.
Thin.
But alive.
He met Lily at dawn.
She didn't recognize him.
He cried anyway.
I hated him.
I hugged him.
I wanted to hit him.
All at once.
“You left me.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“You disappeared.”
“I was hunted.”
“You left your daughter.”
He lowered his head.
“I know.”
Lily watched from the doorway.
“Are you my dad?”
Gabriel looked at her.
“Yes.”
She thought for several seconds.
“Why didn't you come before?”
He couldn't answer.
I did.
“Because adults make terrible decisions when they're scared.”
Lily nodded solemnly.
“Okay.”
That almost destroyed all three of us.
But Selene wasn't finished.
She leaked documents accusing Damian of using Bellucci Maritime to run illegal operations.
Federal agents arrived.
News helicopters gathered outside.
Employees panicked.
Damian was temporarily detained for questioning.
And Selene appeared on television claiming she had discovered corruption inside the company.
The woman who had told everyone she was protecting Damian had become his greatest public enemy.
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Then she made her final move.
She kidnapped Lily.
