Chapter 1

Natalie Cooper had spent the entire day at the sanatorium caring for her mother, Sabrina Robinson. By the time she returned home, night had already fallen. She got out of the cab and ran through the rain toward the villa. Winter in Haxson City was bitterly cold, with rain laced with sleet that made her shiver uncontrollably. "Roger, Sarah, I'm back," Natalie called as she stepped into the living room, shrugging off her coat. It was almost 8:30 pm, but the house was empty. Not even Pamela Carlson, the housekeeper, was in sight. That had never happened before. Normally, even if her son, Roger Payne, had been taken out by his father, Rowan Payne, her daughter, Sarah Payne, would still be home. A sudden twitch in her eyelids made Natalie uneasy. She hurried upstairs to look for the children. After searching every room, she still found no one. She tried calling Pamela, but it went straight to voicemail. The villa felt vast and hollow, its silence heavy and unsettling. Natalie sank onto the couch, exhausted, her eyes fixed on the storm battering the floor-to-ceiling windows, worry gnawing at her. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a tiny figure pressed against the glass door of the living room balcony. Natalie's heart seized. She shot to her feet and ran over, quickly unlatching the door that had somehow been locked from the inside. "Sarah… what are you doing out here?" Natalie asked, her voice trembling as she scooped up her six-year-old daughter. Sarah wasn't wearing a coat, and her white sweater was soaked through. Her hands and cheeks were bright red from the cold, and sweat dotted her forehead. "Mommy… cold…" Sarah murmured, barely keeping her eyes open. "How did you end up locked out on the balcony? Where are Daddy and Roger?" Natalie asked, holding her tight as she rushed to the bathroom for a hot shower. Once she was dried off and dressed in fresh clothes, Sarah, pale and weak, explained that she had been playing hide-and-seek with Roger and had hidden on the balcony. Somehow, the door had locked behind her. She shouted for what seemed like hours, but no one came to open the door. The glass door was soundproof, so even if someone were in the living room, they wouldn't have heard her. Natalie knew that the Paynes had never truly regarded Sarah as part of the family. All their attention and favor went to Roger, the family's prized heir. But no matter what, there was no excuse for leaving a six-year-old child out in the cold like this. Natalie couldn't believe how cruel Rowan had been, taking Roger out while leaving Sarah locked on the balcony. She realized that, in his heart, Sarah had never truly existed as his daughter. "Mommy… I'm so cold. Am I… going to die?" Sarah nestled against Natalie, her teeth chattering violently. Her body was burning with fever, her small frame trembling uncontrollably. "No, of course not," Natalie said immediately. "I'll take you to the hospital." Her heart racing with worry, Natalie grabbed the car keys Rowan had given her from the drawer. Then, she ran to the garage with Sarah in her arms. The garage wasn't far, and she hadn't brought an umbrella. However, when she arrived, the white BMW that was always parked there was gone. She pressed the key fob repeatedly, but the car didn't respond. With no other option, Natalie ran out of the villa, still holding Sarah. The neighborhood was filled with wealthy families where everyone drove their own cars, so finding a cab at the gate was nearly impossible. Natalie waited anxiously on the street when, all of a sudden, Sarah began to have a seizure in her arms. "Sarah… what's wrong? Don't scare me…" Natalie's voice trembled as she sank to the ground. Seeing that Sarah was having a seizure caused by the high fever, Natalie didn't hesitate to put her hand into Sarah's mouth to keep her from biting her tongue. Natalie whimpered in pain as Sarah bit down hard. Blood poured from her palm, and she felt as if the edge of her hand could be torn off at any moment. Even so, Sarah's seizure didn't ease." "Sarah, Sarah, don't scare me… wake up…" Natalie sobbed. Rain mixed with her blood pooled around them, but Natalie didn't notice. Heart pounding, she grabbed her phone with her free hand and called Rowan. It rang for a long time before someone finally answered. "Rowan, Sarah has a high fever and is having seizures. She's in critical condition. Where are you? Can you come back and take us to the hospital?" Natalie blurted, her voice hoarse and trembling. "Mommy, Daddy doesn't have time right now." It was Roger, his young voice cold and distant. "Did you forget? Today is Ms. Chapman's birthday, and Daddy's company just signed a major deal, so everyone at Payne Holdings is celebrating." So Imogen Chapman was with Rowan and Roger tonight. No wonder Sarah had been left alone at home and nearly frozen to death. Ever since Imogen returned to the country, she had joined Payne Holdings and stayed by Rowan's side every day. After all, she was his first love. Natalie's marriage to Rowan had always been a contractual arrangement. Now that he finally had the chance to be with Imogen openly, he welcomed it without hesitation. "Roger, give the phone to your dad. I need to speak to him," Natalie said, not caring about anything else. She just wanted to get Sarah to the hospital as quickly as possible. As she spoke, she used her body to shield Sarah from the rain as much as she could. "Mommy, if you do that, Daddy and Ms. Chapman will be unhappy," Roger replied impatiently. "I'm not giving him the phone. Grandma was right. You just sit at home all day and do nothing but cause trouble for Daddy." His sharp accusations came through the line. Roger and Sarah were twins, and Natalie had raised them both on her own. A year ago, Rowan had claimed he needed to expand the company overseas and couldn't simply travel back and forth between countries. As the Payne family's only heir, Roger was meant to inherit Payne Group, so Rowan took him abroad to study. At first, Roger cried for Natalie every day, calling her constantly. Gradually, the calls slowed until they stopped altogether. When Natalie called him, he sounded impatient and constantly talked about Imogen, saying Natalie couldn't even compare her. Now that Rowan and Roger were back, the boy on the other end of the line was no longer the sweet, gentle, and thoughtful child Natalie had raised. Instead, he sounded like a son Imogen herself had carried for ten months and given birth to, always siding with her in everything. "Roger, I'm begging you. Please give the phone to your dad. Your sister is really sick. I have no other choice," Natalie pleaded, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face. "Mommy, can you stop crying all the time? I don't even understand why I have a mom like you," Roger snapped, his voice sharp and full of irritation. "Roger, I can't get a car," Natalie said desperately. "Your sister has a fever—" Before she could finish, loud teasing cheers and laughter erupted through the phone. "Kiss her! Kiss her!"