Chapter 08

POV Clarice

I moved my legs a little too fast, stumbled on the first step, and two strong hands caught me. My blood boiled when I looked up and found Gabriel right there, holding me steady so I wouldn't fall.

“Be more careful.” His voice came out authoritative and impatient, ringing in my ears. My eyes burned as I looked at him.

He pulled his hands off me, but the spot where he'd touched me burned like acid, searing my skin. His scent, impossibly, lingered on me. I stared down at the floor, at the ground beneath my feet, determined not to make the same mistake twice. My legs wouldn't obey me, my head spinning, leaving me dizzy and short of breath.

Just one more step and I'd be face to face with my daughter.

When I walked in, I found only a cold, empty entrance hall. My feet dragged across the pale, gleaming marble until I reached an enormous living room. I clasped my hands together, my fingers digging into each other without my permission, unable to stop. I looked around, my heart pounding hard against my ear, no sign of a child anywhere.

Gabriel stopped suddenly, his eyes falling on me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't hide how anxious I was. My racing breath gave everything away. The click of heels against the floor echoed through the house. A woman with dark hair pulled into a bun crossed the room. Her dress sat above the knee, red lipstick on her lips, a genuine smile aimed straight at Gabriel.

She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. I looked away immediately, uncomfortable with it.

“You didn't go to work today?” I looked back at her just as her eyes landed on me. The smile vanished from her lips. “Who's this woman?”

“This is Scarlet, Charlotte's new nanny.”

Gabriel's words sent a jolt of electricity through her; I could see her jaw tighten as she fought to keep her feelings under total control. She smiled, cleared her throat, and tried to hold a neutral expression in front of Gabriel, but it was obvious that woman didn't want me there.

“We already talked about this, Gabriel.” She gripped his arm, and he didn't like that one bit. “I can take care of Charlotte. I'll be your wife soon, and naturally I'll be her mother. Why a nanny?”

They were getting married? She wanted to be my daughter's mother? A knot choked my throat because that woman's words dragged up a painful past I'd spent three years fighting to forget. The image of Amélia carrying my daughter away, promising she'd be a good mother to her, flooded my mind.

I wouldn't let another woman dare to want to be my daughter's mother.

“Please, call Charlotte so she can meet her new nanny,” he ordered.

I watched her fists clench, her gaze falling back on me, her feet moving toward me. Her intent seemed deliberate, like she wanted to make absolutely sure I understood exactly what she meant by it.

She studied me for a long moment, then turned on her heel and walked back the way she'd come.

It was an awful way to start that day. I let the air out of my lungs so hard my chest burned. My eyes stayed fixed on the entrance to the room, waiting for her to appear. My hands trembled, the hair on my body standing on end. I was afraid of my own reaction. I had no idea how my body would respond the second my eyes landed on her.

I saw a small figure running toward me. Blonde hair bouncing with the wind, a genuine smile on her face. She ran straight into Gabriel's arms as he bent down and caught her. He held her so tightly, with such tenderness, that my heart shattered.

My eyes burned as they landed on her—on the little creature who'd been stolen from me, on the child I'd been robbed of the right to love as her mother. Tears flooded my eyes and streamed down my cheeks. I tried to hold them back; I fought against the pain, the joy, and the emotion flooding through me uncontrollably, but I couldn't stop it.

I'd kept all of it locked inside me for three long years. And finally, I was meeting my daughter.

How I wanted to hold her. To tell her how much I loved her. How sorry I was for not being here. I hoped she'd forgive me one day.

“I want you to meet Scarlet.” Gabriel set her down, her light eyes landing on me. “She's your new nanny.”

I smiled, waiting for her to come closer, for a smile or a quick hello, but Charlotte's brow furrowed, and she ran off, straight into the arms of the woman who claimed she wanted to be her mother. I ran a hand over my eyes, quickly wiping away the tears and every last bit of hope of being welcomed by the daughter I'd never known.

“I don't want a nanny; Aunt Emily's going to take care of me.”

What an enormous, pathetic fool I was. My chest bled silently. I told myself this was normal—after all, I was a stranger to her, just a woman who'd be her nanny. That I'd win her love and trust over time.

“Scarlet's going to take care of you starting today.” His voice came out firm, but the way Gabriel spoke to Charlotte was different from how he spoke to the rest of the world. “Please, do what I taught you. Say hello and tell her she's welcome here.”

Her small legs moved slowly toward me. Her head down, embarrassed, she stopped in front of me. My knees went weak; I leaned down toward her, my chest exploding, burning relentlessly.

“Welcome, Scarlet,” she said, her voice sweet but guarded.

She was so beautiful, so sweet, and so well-mannered. How could I deny that Gabriel had done a good job raising my daughter?

“Call me Skay,” I said, my voice trembling now. “I'm sure we're going to get along great.”

She looked up at me. She seemed confused, uneasy. I was ready to pull her into my arms when she ran off again and took refuge in the arms of the other woman—the one who wasn't me. I sank to my knees in the middle of the room, watching my daughter be carried away from me for the second time.