Chapter 55

On the drive to the location, David leaned back in the leather seat of his car, one hand pressed to his temple. He hadn’t slept all night at the hospital with Marina, and now his head throbbed. But exhaustion didn’t dull the chaos inside him. Lily’s face kept appearing in his mind—her eyes wide with shock after he slapped her, the way she had staggered back, pale, unable to even defend herself. His chest tightened again. He hadn’t meant to… He hadn’t even thought. When Marina had wailed about the child, something inside him snapped. He had acted like a fool, like a man possessed. But still—he had hit her. His hand clenched in his lap. He had never raised his hand to Lily before. Not once. She had infuriated him, defied him, provoked him countless times, but he had always restrained himself. Last night… he had crossed a line. And now she was gone. Marina’s pale face also surfaced in his memory. “David, I lost our child.” The words should have cut him. Should have made him angry, grievin