From Neglected Wife to CEO’s Obsession novel Chapter 41

I stared at the woman who almost took my daughter away from me, and a burning rage shot straight to my head. I set my daughter down, grabbed Julia by the hair, and slapped her—twice, with everything I had. It still wasn’t enough. My fists and feet took over, and I hit her until she was rolling around on the ground, desperate to get away from me.

In that moment, all I wanted was to hurt this awful woman.

“If you want to die, do it yourself. Why would you take Cindy with you?”

“You gave birth to her, but you never cared. Not once have you ever thought about Cindy’s happiness. Now you want to drag her down with you? You don’t deserve to be anyone’s mother.”

I was seeing red. I didn’t even register who finally pulled me away.

All I knew was Julia got dragged off, the crowd eventually scattered, and I was left clutching my daughter, overwhelmed by how close I’d come to losing her.

It was getting dark by the time we left. I hugged Cindy so tight, my hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

Remy had taken Cindy onto the Ferris wheel earlier, and he looked like he’d run a marathon—every muscle still tense. I drove us home. Remy rode shotgun, holding Cindy in his arms.

Cindy still hadn’t snapped out of her shock. She just curled up in Remy’s lap, wide-eyed and silent, tears brimming but never spilling over.

My heart ached so badly it felt like someone was twisting a knife inside my chest. I hated myself for not stopping Julia sooner. I hated that I hadn’t hurt her more.

And honestly, I was angry with Remy too.

If he hadn’t been so clueless, if he hadn’t let Julia get that close to Cindy, none of this would have happened. Cindy wouldn’t be this hurt.

But when I remembered the way he’d risked his life to save Cindy, I just couldn’t stay mad at him. She was his daughter, too. He must’ve been terrified, just like me.

“But that mommy said when people die, they go to heaven, and you can have anything you want there. Daddy, I don’t want to die. That mommy is mean. I don’t want her anymore.”

“Then you don’t have to want her, Cindy. It’s okay. You’re safe now—Mommy and Daddy are both here. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

That’s when Cindy lost it. She started sobbing, her little body shaking. Between hiccups, she told us everything—how Julia had tricked her, how she’d snuck her past the staff and onto the Ferris wheel, how she’d almost dangled her out of the carriage.

She cried so hard, heartbreak and fear pouring out of her. It wasn’t just the terror—it was the disappointment, too. The realization that her own mother could be so cruel.

She was only six, but she already knew the difference between right and wrong, what love should and shouldn’t feel like.

Suddenly, Remy reached for my hand in the darkness. His voice was rough and shaky as he whispered, “Avery, let’s let go of the past. Can we start over?”