Chapter 315

Her phone vibrated again. Riyana stiffened. For a second, she didn’t want to look at it. Her fingers felt cold as she slowly picked it up. A different number flashed on the screen, but deep down, she already knew who it was. A message appeared. “Ri, it’s your dad. I miss my daughter. I’m sending you the location. Let’s meet. I hope you’ll come to see your daddy.” Her breath caught. Riyana stared at the screen, her heart pounding so hard it hurt. The words were simple, almost gentle, yet every line carried a sharp warning she couldn’t ignore. The way he called her “my daughter.” The way he assumed she would come. Not asked. Assumed. Her hands trembled as she locked the phone. “So this is how it starts again,” she whispered to herself. She leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. Why now? After so many years of silence. After she had finally built a life that felt calm, stable, almost safe. He had been nothing but a shadow in her past, something she forced herself not to think about.