Chapter 6

There was a pause on the other end, the faint murmur of voices conferring. After a moment, Adam's voice returned, still perfectly composed. "Emma says she has nothing to say to you. Also, she's already signed the divorce papers. Please stop referring to her as your wife." "As for settling scores," Adam gave a short laugh, "anytime." Daniel's jaw locked tight, every word forced through his teeth. "What did you say to her? Did you put her up to this divorce?" Adam's tone didn't change. "We're heading to a resort for spa treatments in a few minutes. Let's catch up another time, Don Hayes." "What did you just say?" Daniel shot to his feet. The veins in his neck were standing out. "Where the hell did you take my wife? Answer me!" "Emma! Emma, can you hear me?" Nothing but the flat drone of a dead line. The other end had already hung up. Daniel slammed his foot against the floor. A jolt of pain shot up his leg. He didn't seem to feel it. With cold precision, he opened his contacts and dialed another number. "Find my wife's exact location. Yes, right now." The person on the other end was Hayes family intelligence. Daniel rarely used them for personal matters. But this time, he didn't care about protocol. Half an hour later, an address came through. Daniel didn't waste a single second. He booked the next available flight. While the ticket was processing, he threw a few things into a bag and called a car. That was when Lily called. "Daniel, the doctor says the baby's jaundice levels are a little high. He needs to be admitted. I'm so scared. Can you please come?" Before, Daniel would have dropped everything. This time, he hesitated. Then he said: "Do what the doctor says. I have something to take care of. I can't come." Lily went quiet, her voice falling. "This is your child. You never used to be like this. Are you going after Emma..." Before she could finish, Daniel hung up. In the car, he managed to calm down slightly. The driver tried making small talk. Daniel gave distracted responses, all his attention fixed on Emma's Instagram. Emma had blocked every one of his accounts. He created a burner account and finally pulled up her page. The moment he tapped in, he froze. Emma's latest post was from a spa resort. In the photo, two glasses of red wine sat by the edge of a pool. Adam was shirtless beside them, his physique impressive. The caption was simple: "Unwinding before the grind." Someone in the comments had teased: "Your boyfriend is seriously fit." Emma had replied with a drooling emoji. Daniel stared at the screen, his eyes practically catching fire. All he wanted was for the driver to go faster. After the plane landed, Emma's feed had updated again. This time, it was a five-star hotel. Daniel's hands were shaking as he tapped the link. The page showed they had booked a couples suite. The caption read: "Haven't slept in a bed this comfortable in ages. Bliss." A flood of images Daniel couldn't control crashed through his mind. He nearly lost it. If not for the last shred of restraint he had left, the phone would have been in pieces. He flagged down a cab and headed straight for the hotel.