You’re too handsome to be alone,” my six-year-old daughter announced in the middle of the executive hallway, staring straight at the coldest billionaire in Manhattan. “I think you should be my daddy.” Every person around us froze, while I stood there absolutely certain my career had just ended.

My heart stopped completely as I read the terrifying threat. I knew David's handwriting perfectly, and the messy scrawl was undeniably his. He had somehow bypassed the gala's intense security and was watching our every move. I frantically rushed out of the bathroom, scanning the crowded ballroom for Adrian. He was standing near the stage, surrounded by powerful board members and smiling for the press. Mia was sitting safely at our VIP table, guarded by two of Adrian's heavily armed men. But if there was a bomb under the table, those guards could not protect her. I had to make the most agonizing decision of my entire life. I walked over to the table, my hands shaking so badly I could barely hold my purse. "Mia, sweetie, we are going to go look at the stars on the roof," I told her, forcing a bright smile. The security guards immediately stepped forward to stop me. "Adrian said to stay here, ma'am," the lead guard stated firmly. "I am his fiancée, and my daughter needs fresh air," I snapped with fake confidence. The guards hesitated just long enough for me to grab Mia's hand and rush toward the service elevators. We rode the elevator in suffocating silence, the numbers ticking up to the roof level. The doors opened to the freezing night air of Manhattan. Standing at the edge of the rooftop, wearing a stolen catering uniform, was my dead husband. David looked older, his face scarred and his eyes wide with a desperate, manic energy. "Hello, Chloe," David smiled, taking a slow step toward us. "Daddy!" Mia cried out in confusion, though she barely remembered him. I pulled her forcefully behind me, shielding her from the monster he had become. "Where is the bomb, David?" I demanded, my voice trembling with pure hatred. David laughed a hollow, cruel laugh that echoed across the roof. "There is no bomb, Chloe," he sneered, pulling a suppressed pistol from his jacket. "Victoria just needed you separated from Adrian's security detail so I could finish the job." He aimed the weapon directly at my chest, completely indifferent to the presence of his own child. "Nothing personal, but Victoria is paying me enough to clear my debts and disappear forever." I closed my eyes, wrapping my arms tightly around Mia, praying the end would be quick. Suddenly, a deafening gunshot shattered the quiet night. But the bullet did not hit me.