On her 18th birthday, Laura realized something was wrong. The house was full of family, food, and forced smiles. When her father raised a toast to “a secure future,” the truth hit her—she’d been married off without a word.

Days later, she was the wife of Markus Deylen, a wealthy man nearly twice her age. Cold, controlling, and distant, Markus treated Laura more like property than a partner. She lived in luxury—but under lock and key.

Then one night, about a month into the marriage, she heard crying coming from a part of the mansion she was never allowed to enter. Following the sound, she found a baby girl alone in a crib.

Tucked under the child’s pillow was a note:

“If you’re reading this, he’s still lying. I’m his first wife. I had to leave our daughter to escape. Please don’t let her grow up in fear.”

That night, Laura made her choice. Two days later, she fled with the baby.

They started over in a quiet town in Spain. Laura raised the girl—Naia—as her own. She never remarried, never looked back.

Years later, running her own bakery and surrounded by love, Laura would tell other women:
“It’s never too late to save yourself.”