Four years old, and Daniel had never once looked after Rose for a single day—and now, after everything that just happened, he shows up at her school.
I called him immediately.
"Daniel! Where's my daughter!"
His voice was full of mockery.
"The way you've been carrying on, I don't think you're in any shape to take care of her. So I picked her up myself."
"Besides, my mom's been missing her. I'm taking Rose to the countryside so she can spend some quality time with her grandmother."
"You can use the time to think things over between us—"
I hung up before he could finish and drove straight to Lois's place.
Lois had two sons—Daniel in the city, and Ryan, the younger one, who'd never held a job in his life and still lived with her in the countryside. She'd always poured everything she had into Ryan's family, money and labor both. Once Ryan married, she'd taken over raising his boy herself, her precious first grandson, with her own two hands.
Six years I'd been married into that family. Because I gave birth to a girl, Lois had never once come to see Rose.
Ryan's son was four years old. The same age as Rose.
Bryce Cox had been spoiled since birth—a little tyrant who terrorized the village and answered to no one.
Daniel's mother was the kind of woman who believed sons were gold and daughters were dust, and she took her grandson's side in everything.
If Daniel had brought Rose there, there was no chance she wasn't being bullied.
The thought hit me like ice water. I called my brother immediately, told him to get to the countryside as fast as he could.
The second I hung up, I floored the gas. I would have flown there if I could.
It was already dark by the time I arrived.
The car barely stopped before I unbuckled my seatbelt and ran toward the courtyard.
One step through the gate and my legs almost gave out.
Rose was on the ground, sobbing, screaming for her dad, her mom, over and over.
Bryce was sitting on her stomach, pinning her so she couldn't get up.
He was grabbing pebbles off the ground and throwing them at her face, cursing the whole time.
"You're bad luck! Nobody even wants you! Why won't you give me your snacks!"
"This is my house! You have to do what I say, or I'll beat you to death!"
"And my uncle said your mom doesn't want you anymore! You worthless little nothing—you're gonna get sent back here to be my servant!"