He Sacrificed Our Child for His
First Love
The night his first love, Vivian, was
celebrating her birthday, Landon Forrester
was supposed to be with her.
But our daughter, Nina, was burning with
fever, and he stayed.
Vivian, in a fit of pique, went to a bar, got
wasted, and walked into the clutches of
monsters.
They tore her apart, piece by piece.
Landon… he was so calm when he found out.
He arranged everything for her funeral, a
mask of composure.
Years passed.
Then, on Nina’s eighth birthday, she vanished.
The police found nothing.
I nearly lost my mind.
Then I saw it.
A video on Landon’s laptop.
<
My Nina, surrounded by men, her tiny body
stripped bare, sliced… until she was no more.
I screamed at him, called him a beast, a
monster, for doing that to his own flesh and
blood!
But his madness dwarfed mine.
“If you hadn’t made me stay with her that
night,” he spat, his eyes burning, “Vivian
would still be alive! You both killed her! She’s
dead, so why the hell should either of you
live?”
That’s when the horrifying truth slammed into
- me.
After Vivian Calloway died, Landon Forrester
had wanted me and Nina dead too.
And then… I blinked.
And I was back.
Back on the night of Vivian’s birthday.
1
When I saw the panic flash across Landon’s
face as he answered the phone, I didn’t cry or
beg him to stay this time.
Instead, I shoved his car keys and jacket into
his hands.
“If it’s urgent, you should go. I’ll stay and look
after Nina.”
A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes; he
actually hesitated.
Until the second call came through, the caller
ID flashing “My Sweetheart.”
I knew. That was Vivian Calloway.
Landon gritted his teeth, then looked at me,
his resolve hardening.
“Thanks, honey. I’ll be back as soon as I can!”
In my past life, Nina’s fever wouldn’t break,
and I was frantic, not knowing what to do.
Panicked, I’d even brought up his mother,
trying to guilt–trip Landon into staying with
- me.
<
It was the first time in our three years of
marriage I’d ever tried to threaten him, to
make him choose.
I never imagined that one act would sign our
death warrants.
The truth was, Vivian didn’t have any
emergency.
She just wanted Landon there to celebrate
her birthday right on the dot, like a lovesick
teenager.
Watching his retreating back as he rushed
out, I made a silent vow.
This time, I would protect Nina.
I wouldn’t let the nightmare of my past life
happen again.
By midnight, Nina’s condition hadn’t
improved.
I rushed her to the hospital.
After all the tests and waiting, it was nearly
four in the morning.
My body still hadn’t recovered properly from
childbirth; I felt drained all the time.
Nina had to be admitted for observation, so I
stayed by her side.
My phone suddenly buzzed with several
messages.
My head was spinning from exhaustion, but I
forced myself to look.
Landon had sent photos.
All sorts of intimate pictures of him and
Vivian Calloway.
There was even a video of them… in action.
Then a voice message popped up. I clicked it,
and a sickeningly sweet voice cooed,
“Oh, Stella, I’m so sorry! I meant to send
these to myself, clumsy me. Anyway, Landon
said he’s not coming home tonight, so don’t
wait up. And don’t bother texting him back.”
My face was a mask as I switched off the
phone, a suffocating numbness freezing me in
place for what felt like an eternity.
Vivian was Landon’s first love, his everything.
Three years ago, his investments tanked,
nearly bankrupting the Forresters.
To make matters worse, Vivian left the
country without a word.
The double blow of losing his business and
his love sent Landon spiraling.
He drank, day and night, until one night he
crashed his car.
He was facing paralysis, his life at its lowest.
That’s when his mother, Mrs. Forrester, found
me – a dead ringer for Vivian Calloway.
Mrs. Forrester promised that if I could pull
Landon out of his despair, she’d cover all my
college expenses and give me an extra two
hundred thousand dollars a year as
compensation.
For three years.
But over a thousand days of living together,
<
I’d fallen hopelessly in love with Landon, a
pathetic deviation from the script I was
supposed to follow.
I knew Landon didn’t love me.
When he touched me, it was just sex; I was
just a body, a tool.
But I still foolishly hoped he’d turn around,
that one day he’d actually feel something for
- me.
Maybe it was because I was an orphan, but I
craved a family of my own, a home filled with
warmth and love.
I pinned that fragile hope on Landon.
When he agreed to let me have Nina, I
thought it was a new beginning.
I never expected Vivian to return, and for
Landon to become the knife that would stab
me deepest.
