My Daughter’s Regret After I Gave Her Exactly What She Asked For

My daughter Nina always told the truth. At a Family dinner, I was smoothing down my custom gown in front of the mirror when I asked her, "Does Mommy look pretty in this?" She pursed her lips. "Honest truth? It doesn't matter what you wear, you're the ugliest one here either way." The FBI once took me in to "assist with an investigation" for three days. When I got home, I asked if she'd been worried about me. She shrugged. "Honest truth? You're too stupid, Mommy. Getting hauled off like that, you had it coming." My husband, Vincent, teased her once, asking if she'd take care of Mommy when she grew up. She held out her hands. "What's the use of her once she's old? You said it yourself, Daddy. This family doesn't feed freeloaders." I was too furious to speak. She just smiled, all innocence. "I'm only telling the truth, you know." Later she figured out TikTok and posted a little video. She was telling her truth, the same as always. Only this time, she would regret it for the rest of her life. Chapter 1 The video Nina posted in the Family group chat, where she sobbed that she was "being abused," reached Don Marlow himself, and he came to our door in person. "Vincent, is this really how you treat the girl? You're a made man now, an underboss. I don't need a scandal hanging over you." My husband shot me an awkward look. Before I could explain, Nina jumped in. "It's all true! Mommy yells at me every day! I don't like her!" "And she doesn't like me either, because I'm the kid she stole!" I looked into Nina's sly little eyes, and my mind went blank. The night before, she'd brushed her teeth and then demanded chocolate. I told her no, and I scolded her hard for it. She'd screamed that she didn't want to be my daughter. I lost my head and snapped before I could stop myself. "You were never my daughter anyway. I stole you!" And now she'd taken that one careless thing I'd said in anger and was spreading it everywhere as her "honest truth." Marlow's brow furrowed, and he bit out each word. "This is your household business. I have one request. Don't bring me trouble I don't need." I forced a smile. "She was acting up last night. I said something in anger without thinking, yet she took it to heart. You know how kids are." The Don's frown eased a little. I let out a breath and was about to promise it wouldn't happen again. But Nina nodded slowly, as if she were working something out. The next second, she asked, all wide-eyed confusion. "But Mommy can't have babies. If you didn't steal me, then where did I come from?" Marlow clicked his tongue, impatient, and turned his eyes on me. I explained quickly, my nerves fraying. "I was hurt not long after we married, and I never conceived again. That's all she means by 'can't.'" I tugged at Nina's sleeve, signaling her to stop. She yanked her arm away. "That's not right! Mommy and Daddy only got married six years ago, but I'm already seven." Marlow's voice had gone flat with impatience. "Sophia, show her the birth certificate and shut her up!" My stomach dropped. Nina's birth certificate. I didn't have one. All I had were the adoption papers. And I didn't want to hand them over. Because then Nina would know she really wasn't mine by blood. I'd pulled her back from the edge of death seven years ago, in the middle of a job gone bloody. The first time I saw her, I was stunned by what her parents had done, and only one thought filled my head: if she stayed with the people who'd made her, living would be worse for her than dying. I couldn't leave her there. I talked Vincent into it, and we brought her home. It had never been convenient to tell the Don who she really was. Nina kept using my angry words to embarrass me, never knowing they were also the truth. I kept my face calm and raced through excuses in my head. Before I could speak, Nina clapped her hands and laughed. "Oh, I get it now." "Mommy's one of those single moms everyone talks about. You had me first, then married Daddy." She turned to me, sweet as anything. "Mommy, your personal life is really disgraceful, isn't it?" I froze. I looked into those flat black eyes of hers and went cold all over. I'd pulled her out of the cold and held her against my own heart, and now the snake I'd saved was sinking its fangs into the hand that fed it. Certain she'd landed her blow, Nina only smiled wider. "Mommy, I'm only telling the truth. You're not mad at me, are you?" Marlow shook his head. "Enough. Do I have your word? No more dragging the Family's name through the mud." His heavy gaze moved between Vincent and me. "This ends here." I clenched my fists and forced everything down. "...You have my word." It wasn't the first time Nina had pulled something like this. Chapter 2 When she was little, every time we went to a Family dinner she'd gush about how pretty the Donna was, how pretty the underboss's wife was, how pretty the consigliere's wife was. I'd tease her on purpose. "And Mommy isn't pretty?" Nina would answer in a bright little voice. "Mommy's hideous. You're the ugliest one out of all the ladies." I'd be stunned, and seeing that innocent little face, I couldn't help saying, "Nina, when you say things like that, it really hurts Mommy." But she'd plant her hands on her hips and lecture me like a tiny grown-up. "Daddy says good kids don't lie. This is the honest truth." I was too astonished to answer. Other children love everything about their mothers without question, looks and all. Nina was the exception. Later, when a traitor inside the Family turned, the FBI took me in for three days of questioning. The day I came home, Nina was bent over the table, drawing, and she didn't even glance up. I pressed my lips together, then couldn't help myself. "Nina, Mommy was gone three whole days. Did you miss me?" She kept drawing without looking up, but her voice was full of glee. "Nope! Nobody bossed me around for three whole days. You have no idea how great it was! Why didn't the cops keep you longer?" Watching that happy, careless little face, I stood there frozen. After a long moment she finally looked up, held my eyes for a while, and added, "Don't be mad, Mommy. It's just the honest truth." "You're too dumb. Getting taken away by the cops like that, you totally deserved it." Last month she spiked a fever that wouldn't break, and I stayed up all night nursing her. By the time it finally came down, I'd worn myself sick. Seeing how haggard I looked, Vincent ached for me and asked Nina, "Mommy takes such good care of you. When she's old, will you take care of her?" My daughter frowned at me in disgust. "No way. She'll be useless when she's old. This family doesn't feed freeloaders." Vincent froze, then raised his hand to slap her, and I caught his arm. And Nina, seeing my eyes go red, practically danced with delight. "Mommy, is the honest truth making you sad again?" "Daddy's the one who said it. This family doesn't feed freeloaders. Did I get it wrong?" That night I lay awake until morning, my head throbbing. Vincent couldn't sleep either. He got up to smoke a cigar, the ember glowing red in the dark. "That girl..." he started, the words coming hard. "She's just joking around. Right?" He knew how to break any enemy he'd ever faced. This time his opponent was a seven-year-old girl. A girl we'd raised with our own hands. The more her words wounded me, the brighter Nina smiled. Bit by bit she fell in love with the cruel little game, using her "honest truth" to hurt me again and again. It was getting harder and harder to keep myself together. Not wanting to linger in the awkwardness, Marlow had his promise and turned to leave. But Nina called after him. "Sir! Don't go yet!" His step halted. "Sir, could you leave me your phone number? If I really am the kid Mommy stole, I want to call you so you can come rescue me." Marlow studied her. "If you report her, the Family puts a bullet in your mother. Then you won't have a mommy at all. Wouldn't that make you sad?" Nina shook her head. "Honest truth? A mommy who's mean to me deserves to die!" For a heartbeat, her coldness raised the hair on the back of my neck. But the calm came quickly after. Bad blood ran strong, it seemed. This was a daughter I couldn't keep. Something like pity flickered in Marlow's eyes. He said quietly, "Give her my number. Don't let her stir up anything worse." And he left without looking back. Chapter 3 After Marlow left, Nina circled me once, and finding my face calm, she felt a little deflated. I couldn't stop myself from asking, "Why did you tell the Don all that?" Nina folded her arms, lifted her chin, and answered like she had every right to. "I'm an honest good girl. If I lie, my nose grows like Pinocchio's." "And yesterday you said it yourself. I'm stolen!" It was true. I'd said it the day before, to punish her. So this was deliberate. She was punishing me right back. And even "a bullet from the Family" hadn't fazed her. A chill went through me. I made myself ask, "What if you really aren't mine? What if your real parents were bad people, and I took you away from them?" I paused, clinging to one last thread of hope. "Would you really call the Don?" "He's Daddy and Mommy's boss. His word is law. He really will put a bullet in Mommy." Nina clapped her hands, thrilled. "Of course I would! I'm an honest good girl!" The words knocked the breath out of me. I didn't know when Vincent had come back, but he'd been standing in the doorway for a while. His face was dark. "Nina, I'm warning you. No calling the Don whenever you feel like it, and no posting videos about this family. You hear me?" Then he sighed and rubbed my back. "She's still little... maybe when she's grown... she'll understand when she's grown." Watching the hurt on my face, Nina covered her mouth and giggled. Was she actually pleased she'd gotten away with it? Seven years of caring for her, and this was what it bought me. With my temper, I should have cut ties long ago. But seven years. Seven whole years. Did she really not care about us at all? Nina, I would give you one more chance. But this was the last one. Looking at the number clutched tight in her hand, I said, deliberately, "Nina, you really aren't mine by blood. The file on your real parents is locked in the safe at home." "From now on you learn to respect your mom and dad. If you don't change, we'll send you back to them." At that, the careless look finally vanished from her face. In its place came a flicker of unease. She tugged at Vincent, her voice catching. "Daddy, is it true what Mommy said?" In the end, Vincent went soft, though he kept his tone rough. "Mommy's just scaring you, since you can't keep that mouth shut. Let's see if you run it again." Nina's tears turned to a grin. Hands on her hips, she pouted. "I knew you were just scaring me! I knew it wasn't real!" "Hmph! This year I'm wishing on Santa to send me back to my real parents. I hate Mommy!" She said it, then stared straight at my face on purpose. I gave her the hurt look she wanted, and sure enough she smiled wider. So that was it. She just liked hurting me. She'd always believed she was mine by blood, and that was why she felt safe enough to wound me however she pleased. Seven years of love, and she'd turned it into a license to do whatever she wanted. Something in me went cold for good. I didn't say another word to her. And I didn't see the venom crawling into her eyes at my silence. That night, I heard the bedroom door handle turn. A small shape slipped inside. Three minutes later, it slipped back out. A little while later my phone chimed with a text from Marlow. "Your daughter called me. Says I should punish you, and hard... Sophia, if it comes to it, let the child go." I gripped the phone and got up to deal with the safe. I'd made my decision. But just then a new notification came in. The Family group chat. "@Sophia, uh oh, your Nina's acting up again!" Nina had posted another TikTok. I opened it and went rigid. In the video, Nina sobbed straight into the camera for a crowd of total strangers. "Somebody please save me! My mommy stole me! The proof is hidden in the safe at my house!" "My mommy's a scary mafia lady! Bring lots of people!" Chapter 4 Nina's video blew up. Millions of views. Strangers online turned into keyboard crusaders, each one sure they were on the side of justice. [Case solved. The girl's parents are mafia, high-ranking members of the Marlow Family.] [Oh my God, seriously? The Marlows are trafficking kids now? What is this, the 1800s?] [Share this everywhere! Make the feds investigate the Marlow Family!] The whole thing was sliding out of control. Marlow came at once, men in tow. The moment Nina saw the Don, she threw herself at him in tears, pointing at me. "Mommy admitted it herself! She stole me! Sir, give her the Family's justice, quick!" Her head was buried against him, but she'd tilted it just enough to watch me out of the corner of her eye. I saw the malice and triumph there, clear as day. The kind of triumph that fed on someone else's humiliation. Marlow pushed her off. His eyes were vulture-cold, his voice colder. "It's gone too far now. You're both confined to your home, that's decided. The public's watching, the feds are about to come down on the Family, and the child has to be dealt with." Confusion crossed Nina's face. She hadn't gotten the verdict she wanted, so she put on her innocent face. "Sir, weren't you going to shoot Mommy?" Marlow looked at her with a cold smile. "Child, family unity is our creed... the only ones I deal with are traitors!" The last words came out almost as a snarl. Nina froze, startled. But she was too young to catch what he really meant. I apologized to the Don, full of guilt. Vincent and I had married in from outside. We'd clawed our way to where we were only because the Don had carried us the whole way. He'd even promised that if we handled certain business right, he'd back us in starting a Family of our own. I owed him an answer for this. I fixed my eyes on Nina's. "Nina, Daddy told you plainly this afternoon. That was just something I said in anger. It doesn't count." "So why did you post another video?" Nina turned her head away, lips pressed into a hard line, refusing to admit a thing. I warned her, slow and pointed. "You can post one more video right now and tell everyone you were just throwing a tantrum at me. Otherwise..." I paused, and laid each word down. "If the FBI shows up and opens that safe, you'll be sorry." Nina's eyes darted, like she was weighing it. Then she huffed, turned back, and shouted at me, all defiance. "Why do you boss me around every day? Scare me every day? I'm going to punish you!" "Then you'll behave. Then Mommy will be honest, just like me." A voice, warped with fury, suddenly went off in the room. "Fine! This is what you chose, isn't it?! Then don't you dare regret what comes next!" Vincent ground out, "I'll explain all of it to everyone." He led them into the bedroom and had the safe open in seconds. Inside was a sealed box. I sighed. "Nina, if the proof shows you really aren't our daughter, will you go back to your real parents?" Nina's eyes flicked, and she answered without a thought. "Of course!" "Every time I tell the truth, Mommy gets upset. I hate a fake mommy like you!" I only realized I'd bitten through my lip when the blood dripped down. I drew a deep breath. "I'll open the box, Nina. But on one condition. You sign a statement for me first." "It says you refuse, absolutely, to let us keep raising you. That you insist on going back to your real parents. It'll go out to every Family boss on the East Coast." Nina didn't know what a statement was, but she knew me. She saw I didn't want the box opened, so she agreed on the spot. She knew me. She understood me. And all of that understanding had become a weapon to hurt me with. When I watched her scrawl her name across the statement and press her thumbprint to it, the last bit of tenderness in me went out. I keyed in Nina's birthday and opened the box. Two documents lay inside. One was the official adoption paperwork. The other was the file on her real parents. Marlow checked the adoption papers first, then turned to the second file. The next second his pupils shrank, and he read it over and over. He looked up at me, stunned. "This girl's birth parents... it's them?!" Vincent and I nodded, guilt-ridden. "We're sorry, Don. We let our mercy override reason, and it's cost the Family this much in standing!" Marlow sighed. "Let it go. It's done. You only acted by our family’s code. We don't harm the innocent." Then he turned a pitying look on Nina. The others crowded in, curious, to see the file for themselves. A moment later, every one of them was looking at Nina with something complicated in their eyes. Vincent looked at me and sighed. "It's your call, love." Everyone waited on my decision. I looked at Nina's signature and thumbprint on the statement and said, calmly, "The statement's signed. I'll notify her birth parents to come take her back." "Every Family on the East Coast has already been told. There's no taking it back!" I said to Nina, flatly, "Nina, from this moment, you are nothing to me." Nina blinked, looked at Vincent and me, then at Marlow. It took a long moment before it all seemed to sink in. All at once, the color drained from her face.