Chapter 11 Matthew floored it , desperate to get home . The city lights blurred into streaks outside his window . All he could picture was Sophie holding their daughter , and he yearned to burst through the door and wrap them both in his arms . ] But when he opened the door , the smiling welcome he'd imagined wasn't there . " Sophie ? " The house was so quiet he could hear his own breathing . He called her name twice , but only the empty echo answered . He searched every room , upstairs and down . They were all empty . Even the nanny was gone . [] He opened Sophie's closet . More than half her clothes were gone . The two suitcases she always used were missing from the corner of the walk - in closet . [ ] Matthew scoffed to himself . She's throwing a tantrum . Probably took the baby and is hiding out somewhere . The burning urgency he'd felt moments ago was instantly extinguished , replaced by a pang of regret . ] Knowing this , I should have just stayed at the villa with Monica . ] But in the next second , a sharp pain seized his stomach . ] ree days of amusement park junk food with Joseph - fried chicken and burgers - had triggered his chronic stomach problems . [ ] Three Cold sweat dripped down his forehead . He doubled over in pain , fumbling for the medicine cabinet . But the pillbox that Sophie always kept meticulously stocked was empty . Before , whenever his stomach acted up , Sophie would be there with a glass of warm water and his medication before he even had to ask Now , crouched on the floor clutching his stomach , Matthew felt a sharp , clear pang of longing for the woman who had always taken such perfect care of him . [ ] " Sophie , what game are you playing at ... " ] He weakly ordered takeout , managed a few bites , and passed out , the dull ache in his gut a constant companion . ] ] The next morning , his phone rang , shrill and demanding Matthew fumbled for the phone . His assistant's name flashed on the screen . [ ] " Mr. Wilson , it's a disaster the voice on the other end was a hushed , frantic whisper . " You have to get to the office right away ! Something terrible has happened " ] He rushed to the company . The moment he walked into his office , he froze . ] Joseph was spraying a water gun all over the carpet , and Matthew's encrypted flash drive - the one he kept locked in his desk - was floating in the fish tank . ] It contained three years of core project plans . Now it was just a useless piece of plastic . ] " You little monster , what are you doing ? ! " || The pain in his stomach from the night before hadn't subsided , and now a fire of anxiety roared through him . The words came out as a shout Monica immediately shielded the boy with her body . " Mr. Wilson , please , calm down ! Joseph didn't mean to , he was just curious ... " " Curious ? " Matthew sneered , his gaze piercing . " How did he get into my locked office and open my locked desk drawer ? " ] Joseph flinched at his tone and immediately started wailing . " Mean daddy ! You never play with me ! Waaaah ... " ] The nearby colleagues were stunned , whispering amongst themselves . ] " Did that kid just call Mr. Wilson ' Daddy ' ? " " And he can get into the CEO's office ... does that mean ... " Monica , terrified , clapped a hand over her son's mouth , her face drained of all color . [ ] She knew better than anyone how much Matthew valued his public image . He had warned her explicitly never to reveal Joseph's identity in front of others . " I'm so sorry , Mr. Wilson . It's my fault , I wasn't watching him closely enough . " ] She nearly fell to her knees , her eyes perfectly red - rimmed . " He grew up without a father to discipline him ... he's a bit wild , just a playful boy who doesn't know any better . That's why this happened . " ] " If you're angry , punish me . Please don't blame the child ... " Watching her performance , Matthew's anger inexplicably subsided . ] " Alright , get up . It's not your fault . " Monica pushed Joseph's head down . " Apologize to your father . Now . " Matthew waved it away , but he couldn't help thinking that Monica was too soft on the boy . If it had been Sophie , she would never have let him get away with this . [ ] After a full day and long into the night , the tech department managed to salvage only a fraction of the data . Exhausted . Matthew dragged himself back to Monica's villa . [ ] The sound of the shower stopped , and Monica emerged, wrapped in a silk nightgown that barely reached her upper thighs She pressed against him , her fingers tracing a line down his chest . " Matthew , Joseph's tantrum today ... I think it's because he's lonely . " She nestled closer . " I was thinking , if he had a little brother or sister to play with , maybe he wouldn't be so clingy with you ? " ]