I Took Her First
A child is missing. But I stole her first…
I sit little Mila down at my kitchen table with a glass of milk and a plate of cookies. She smiles shyly at me and I reach out to ruffle her hair.
Leaving her alone for a moment, I dash upstairs, closing my eyes as I take a deep breath. What have I done?
Mila isn’t my child. I should never have taken her home. But what choice did I have?
Painting a smile on my face, I head back down to the kitchen.
But when I reach the table, my blood turns to ice. The back door is open, and Mila is gone.
I need to find her. I need help. But who’s going to believe anything I say when I’m the one who took her first…?
- Mila - Missing 5 year old
- Hannah - Teacher at Mila’s school
- Zayla - Mila’s mother
- Jodi - Hannah’s daughter, 15
- Rory - Hannah’s husband who walked out on her, Jodi's step-father
- Natalie - Hannah's college friend
- Fleur - Natalie’s baby who went missing
- Louis a.k.a. ShadowKnight184 - Jodi’s biological father
- Jan - Hannah's friend, interior designer
- Hannah took Mila home after her mom didn’t show at school pickup but then someone took Mila from Hannah's house.
- Police investigate and claim they found Mila at a friend's sleepover.
- Hannah wonders if Rory left her because even with IVF she couldn't conceive a baby.
- Flashback to something horrible happening when Hannah and Rory knew each other in college; Natalie had a baby, Fleur, that was kidnapped at two months old while Hannah was babysitting.
- Jodi skips school and goes to an abandoned warehouse where she hears a child crying and a male and a female voice talking.
- Jodi meets up with ShadowKnight184 who turns out to be Louis, her biological father.
- Jodi gets kidnapped.
- Natalie, Hannah and Louis track down Jodi to the warehouse where they find her and Mila, who had been kidnapped by Rory.
- The warehouse is on fire but the girls get out safely.
- Natalie is ready to tell Hannah the truth about everything.
- Zayla is really Fleur, she was alive this whole time and tracked down her mother, Natalie.
- Zayla is Mila's mother and Natalie is Mila's grandmother.
- Natalie blackmailed Rory into taking her to the IVF clinic so she could implant herself with Hannah's three remaining frozen embryos to punish Hannah for not protecting Fleur in college.
- Natalie ended up losing the baby she conceived with Hannah's embryos.
- Rory left because he felt guilty and he didn't want to admit to Hannah that her final embryos were gone.
- Zayla's the one who took Mila from Hannah's house.
- The Truth about Fleur: Rory stole Fleur and gave her to his parents because he was the baby's father.
- Rory had raped Natalie and got her pregnant with Fleur.
- After seeing coverage of the missing baby on the news they were scared the police would come for them so they left Fleur at a hospital in a different city.
- Epilogue: Zayla is pregnant and Natalie is excited to be a grandmother again.
- Hannah and Zayla worked it out in advanced for Hannah to adopt the baby, unbeknownst to Natalie so when the baby is born Zayla gives it to Hannah.
The book was a smooth, medium pace until the last few chapters hit like a lightning strike. The author throws an avalanche of twists, reveals, and info-dumps at you all at once. It was a lot to process so quickly.
My main struggle was connecting with the main character, Hannah. I found it hard to sympathize with some of her choices, and I think part of the problem was the sheer number of other characters vying for attention. The plot felt a bit crowded with so many moving parts, and honestly, the story would have been just as good (if not better) without certain characters, like Jodi.
Despite that, I have to say it was a thrilling story with a memorable ending. If you like complex plots and don't mind a finale that dumps everything on you at the last second, you'll enjoy this one.
- Mila - Alive - Safe back with her mother, Zayla.
- Hannah - Alive - Happy to finally have another baby and a little bit of justice for the embryos Natalie stole from her
- Zayla (Fleur) - Alive - No insight given to her state of mind
- Jodi - Alive - Safe back with her mother, Hannah
- Rory - Dead - Hit by Jodi in self-defense and died in the fire
- Natalie - Alive - Her reaction to Zayla giving the baby to Hannah is left unknown
- Louis - Alive - Moved close to Hannah and Jodi to be in their lives again
- Kidnapping
- Rape
- Infertility
Publisher: Bookouture Audio
ISBN: 9781805503217
Publication Date: November 3, 2025
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.Contribute Your Spoils
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