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.

I burst through the back doors of the collapsing warehouse and ran onto the wooden pier.

Dante's sleek black speedboat was already cutting violently through the dark, choppy waves.

A massive thunderstorm was brewing overhead, sending heavy rain pouring down on the docks.

I jumped into a smaller, abandoned patrol boat and aggressively hotwired the ignition.

The engine roared to life, and I pushed the throttle to its absolute maximum speed.

I chased Dante's boat into the open, turbulent waters of the dark Atlantic Ocean.

Lightning flashed brilliantly across the sky, illuminating the terrifying, massive waves crashing around us.

I closed the distance slowly, my small boat slamming brutally against the harsh, unforgiving water.

Dante realized I was gaining on him and ordered his remaining guard to open fire.

Heavy bullets shredded the windshield of my patrol boat, showering me with sharp glass.

I ducked behind the steering console and returned fire with my heavy handgun.

I managed to shoot the mercenary, sending his body tumbling into the freezing, violent ocean.

I steered my boat alongside Dante's vessel and violently rammed the heavy fiberglass hulls together.

The massive impact threw Dante completely off balance, giving me the perfect opportunity.

I leaped across the churning water and crashed heavily onto the deck of his speeding boat.

We engaged in a brutal, bloody fistfight on the slippery, rain-soaked deck.

Dante punched me hard in the ribs, but I retaliated with a devastating blow to his jaw.

I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him violently against the metal railing of the boat.

I demanded to know where he had hidden the little girl on the small vessel.

Dante spat blood in my face and laughed, pointing a trembling finger toward the back of the boat.

Ellie was tied securely to a heavy metal anchor that was teetering dangerously on the edge.

Dante kicked my injured leg, broke my grip, and rushed toward the heavy anchor.

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

He sneered at me and viciously shoved the massive metal anchor off the edge of the boat.

I screamed in sheer terror as Ellie was instantly dragged into the dark, freezing ocean depths.

Chapter 9 - The Stormy Pursuit