Chapter 3 - The Broken Locket
Lily hesitated, glancing nervously at Cassandra, who was silently mouthing the word 'Don't' from behind Gabriel's back.
But Natalie, the young maid, refused to let the child be intimidated any longer.
"Tell him, Lily," Natalie whispered encouragingly, rubbing the little girl's back. "You’re safe. Your father is right here."
Lily took a shaky breath. She reached her small hand into the pocket of her dark blue sparkly dress and pulled out a small, crushed piece of gold jewelry.
Gabriel’s breath hitched in his chest.
It was the solid gold locket he had given his late wife on their wedding day. He had passed it down to Lily just three days ago for her eleventh birthday. The intricate clasp was completely broken, the gold heavily scratched, and the tiny picture of Lily's mother inside was torn in half.
"I was trying to show it to her friends," Lily sobbed, holding the broken pieces up to her father. "I just wanted to show them my mommy. But Cassandra snatched it from me. She threw it on the floor and stepped on it with her high heels. She told me to stop talking about a dead woman at her party."
The cinematic realization crashed over Gabriel with the force of a nuclear bomb.
He didn't scream. The grief and shock instantly evaporated, replaced by a cold, demonic, and utterly terrifying wrath.
He slowly turned his head to look at Cassandra.
Cassandra backed away, her hands shaking violently. "Gabriel, she's lying! The clumsy little brat dropped it herself! I tried to catch it!"
"Natalie," Gabriel said quietly, his eyes never leaving his fiancée's terrified face. "Did my daughter drop the locket?"
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"No, sir," Natalie replied firmly, standing her ground against the wealthy woman in the red dress. "Miss Cassandra ripped it from her neck, threw it on the marble, and crushed it under her heel."
👉 What brutal, immediate action will Gabriel take in front of all his wealthy guests?
