Bella's POV
The words hung in the air like a death sentence. I stared at Derek, my blood turning to ice as his threat settled into my bones.
"Say that again. Are you actually threatening to take my daughter away from me?" My voice came out steadier than I felt, but inside I was crumbling.
Derek's jaw tightened, his eyes cold as winter steel. "Shared custody, Bella. You've got two children already. I want Leah."
The casual way he said it made my skin crawl. Like he was discussing the weather instead of ripping my heart out.
"How dare you?" I started to rise from the sofa, fury burning through my veins. "I raised my daughter alone while you were nowhere to be found—"
His fist slammed down on the coffee table with such force that the wood groaned. I flinched backward, my heart hammering against my ribs.
