Three gold coins lay on the marble table when I told my maid’s three-year-old daughter she could have any three wishes she wanted. Ellie ignored every toy around her and asked only one question: “Why does Mommy have to say sorry when she didn’t do it?” The moment she said it, I stopped looking at the child and looked at my brother Dante.

The abandoned shipyard instantly exploded into a massive, deafening warzone.

Victor's surprise ambush completely overwhelmed Dante's elite cartel mercenaries in seconds.

I did not waste a single moment watching the brutal crossfire tearing the docks apart.

I sprinted aggressively through the flying bullets, focusing entirely on reaching my brother.

Dante realized his forces were heavily outnumbered and dragged Ellie toward a massive warehouse.

I chased them through the rusty doors, entering a building filled with towering wooden crates.

The warehouse was incredibly dark, smelling strongly of engine oil and damp, rotting wood.

I moved silently through the maze of crates, my assault rifle raised and ready to fire.

I could hear Ellie's faint, terrified whimpering echoing off the high metal ceiling above.

I called out to Dante, telling him that there was absolutely nowhere left for him to run.

Dante's voice echoed back, mocking me for always trying to play the heroic father figure.

He claimed that I was weak because I cared too much about innocent, meaningless lives.

I silently crept closer to the sound of his arrogant voice, finding him on a metal catwalk.

He was standing near the edge, holding Ellie by the arm and looking down at me.

I aimed my rifle perfectly at his chest, demanding he let the child go immediately.

Dante smiled wickedly and pulled a small, blinking detonator switch from his pocket.

He announced that the entire warehouse was wired with enough explosives to level a city block.

He pressed the red button, and a series of explosive charges blew the main support pillars apart.

The massive metal roof began to groan violently as the structure started to collapse around us.

I watched in horror as Dante threw a heavy smoke grenade onto the catwalk to blind me.

When the thick white smoke finally cleared, my brother and the little girl were completely gone.

I heard the loud, unmistakable roar of a powerful speedboat engine starting up outside.

When my newborn 'passed away,' my mother-in-law leaned in and said

My Husband Left Me Alone in My Car While I Was in Labor

“You’re Dead When We Get Home,” He Snapped

Dante was escaping through the back loading dock directly into the dark, churning ocean waters.

I sprinted desperately toward the exit, determined not to let him get away with her.

Chapter 8 - The Shipyard War