Chapter 1

When my son, Leo, was three, my wife, Chloe, secretly took him away and gave him to her childhood friend, Carlos. She then lied to me, claiming our boy was lost.

While I was frantically searching the streets, out of my mind with worry, I saw Carlos’s latest Instagram post.

"A family of three. Simple happiness."

The photo showed Carlos holding a sleeping Leo, with Chloe leaning in close for a cozy selfie.

Ignorant friends had flooded the comment section with blessings. My reply was the only one that stood out like a sore thumb:

"Give Leo back to me."

Ten minutes later, the post was deleted. Chloe called me, absolutely furious.

"What is wrong with you? He’s just a kid! We can always have another one later!"

"Carlos can never have his own children. What’s wrong with letting him raise ours?"

In the background, I could hear Carlos’s soft, soothing voice. Chloe snapped, "You need to think about your attitude," and hung up.

An hour later, Carlos updated his Instagram again, tagging me directly.

"The one who truly loves you will bring everything you want to your feet."

The picture showed the custom diamond ring I had ordered six months ago. It was Chloe's way of putting me in my place.

But this time, I wasn't going to take it anymore.