Page 47 of Unfaithful

Elsa was a pathological liar, manipulative to the core, and completely fucked up in the head, but I had underestimated just how deep her insanity ran.

She had been using me, and I damn well knew it. This pregnancy was her leverage, a way to keep me on a leash, knowing I had no legal claim to my daughter yet. If I wanted any chance of being in Elena's life, I had no choice but to play by her rules. Until I established my rights, Elsa held all the power.

What other choice did I have?

I couldn't lose Sara, and I couldn't abandon my child.

No matter which way I looked at it, I was completely and utterly fucked.

Right now, I had nothing. My name wasn't on the birth certificate, and until I fought for paternity, Elsa had full control. And she knew it. She wielded that power like a weapon, keeping me at arm's length, making sure I understood that my daughter's future—my place in her life—was entirely up to her.

Before, I did everything I could to keep Sara from finding out. I could have taken Elsa to court, but that would have exposed everything.

I had spent months trying to keep up with the deception, maintaining the façade, pretending I was okay with being manipulated, blackmailed, and forced to cater to Elsa's every demand—all for the right to my child. All to keep Sara from finding out.

But Sara already knew. There was no need to cover it up anymore. There was nothing holding me back now.

Elsa had no more threats to hang over me.

I had given the situation a lot of thought. I never truly expected Elsa to grant me parental rights, so I was already prepared to fight for them in court. I just needed Steve's help to make it happen.

But when Kim called to say Elsa was about to give birth, I had to come. I needed to see my daughter. I wanted to know what it felt like to have her in my arms, especially since, once the legal proceedings started, it could be a long time before I could see her. And if I lost the court battle, I might never see her at all.

Now, I was glad I came. I couldn't imagine how miserable Elena would be with her mother ignoring her like that. Even the nurses seemed baffled by how rarely Elsa held her own daughter, and they'd seen me forcing Elsa to feed her.

I was seriously worried that Elsa would neglect Elena to the point of harming her.

Now, it had gotten even worse. How could I leave Elena with Elsa?

This was Elsa's plan, too. I knew it. She didn't care about her child, but she also knew that if she kept acting this way, it would keep me trapped in a constant state of worry, unable to leave.

No mother should sacrifice her own child to get what she wants.

Fuck, where did this witch come from? She was the complete opposite of how she had been when she was pregnant. I knew she was deceitful and conniving, but I never expected her to be this cruel.

We were leaving in two days. I had to get a plan in place.

I needed to talk to Steve to find out if I had even the slightest chance of gaining full custody.

Rubbing my face in frustration, I let out a heavy groan.

I missed Sara so much.

It had been five days.

My phone was gone—literally missing—and I had a strong suspicion Elsa had something to do with it. This woman was seriously unhinged, and that only made me more worried about leaving Elena alone with her.

I tried borrowing a phone from one of the nurses and called Sara, but her phone was off. And I couldn't remember Bobby, Steve, or Archie's numbers off the top of my head.

They must have thought the worst had happened to me.

I tried calling Sara several times, borrowing the same phone from the same nurse, but her phone was still off. Eventually, I decided to stop. I didn't know how to explain any of this to her anyway. The excuse I had sounded insane, even to me.

And what would she think? Me being here in a town nobody knew, just with Elsa. It would contradict everything I'd promised her.

I thought about calling the office but decided against it. Same reason. I didn't know how to explain.

In the end, I decided not to call anyone.

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