Chapter 1
It was supposed to be a day of joy. Gwen’s third birthday. My baby’s smile was brighter than the sun that morning as she twirled in her new dress, the pink one I had carefully chosen for her.
We were on a cruise, balloons tied to the railings, waiters carrying trays of cake and drinks, music floating in the salty air. Guests laughed, cameras flashed. And me? I was waiting for my husband Leandro.
He was late again. Of course.
“Mommy, Daddy’s coming?” Gwen tugged at my hand, her little eyes searching for him.
I knelt, forcing a smile. “Yes, baby. Any minute now.” But deep inside, I already knew he wouldn’t. Not when work–and whoever he was “working” with–was more important than
- us.
Still, I wanted to make it perfect for her. So I let her play with the other children while I greeted some guests, just for a moment.
And when I turned back–she was gone.
My chest clenched. My breath caught. I scanned the deck, my eyes darting between faces. No Gwen. No tiny dress. No laugh. Panic rose like fire in my throat.
“Gwen?” My voice cracked. “GWEN!”
People turned. Some shook their heads, others shrugged, but no one had seen her. My legs gave way as I stumbled, clutching the railing. My daughter–my only child–was gone.
I fumbled for my phone, hands trembling, and dialed Leandro. The line rang. Once. Twice.
Then-
A woman’s moan.
froze. My ears burned as the sound of heavy breathing and whispered pleasure filled the line. My husband’s voice–low, intimate. Not for me.
The world blurred. My hand went numb, the phone nearly slipping from my fingers. I hung up before I vomited. Betrayal slammed into me like a wave, but I had no time. Gwen. My daughter. She needed me.
The cruise staff searched, the coast guards were notified, but by the time I returned home, the call came.
“Mrs. Jones,” a distorted voice sneered through the phone. “We have your daughter. If you want her back, one hundred million dollars. Tomorrow. Or she dies.”
One hundred million.
I rushed to my laptop, logging into my accounts, ready to send anything–everything. But the screen froze me cold. Funds unavailable. Every account. Locked. Frozen.
“No…” My voice was a broken whisper. “No, no, no!”
Chapter 1
140
3/4
25%
11:54 Mon, Sep 29
69%
I grabbed my keys, tears blurring my vision, and drove straight to Leandro’s office. Waiting at the front desk was Nadine–once my best friend, the woman I trusted enough to give this job, to let her sit beside my husband every day. I had believed in her, defended her, even treated her like family.
And yet, months ago, I learned the truth–that she and Leandro were cheating behind my back. I never confronted them. Not because I was weak, but because I didn’t want to shatter what little family Gwen still had. For her sake, I swallowed it. Over and over, I told myself: endure it, for Gwen.
She needed a complete family. I couldn’t let her experience what I had endured–growing up in the wreckage of my parents‘ divorce, splitting my time between two houses, belonging to neither. I knew too well the loneliness of being an option instead of a priority. I refused to pass that pain on to my daughter.
“Where is my husband?” I demanded.
“He’s on a business trip,” she said smoothly.
I slammed my palms on her desk. “Then why are my accounts frozen?”
Her lips curved. “Because Leandro asked me to. He thinks you’ve been spending too
much.”
My blood boiled. “Then unfreeze it. NOW. My daughter has been kidnapped!”
Nadine tilted her head, lips curving into a mocking smile. “I’m sorry, Emerald. But maybe you can pay the ransom in installments… and they can give your daughter to you in installments.”
For a moment, my world stopped. Her words cut sharper than any blade. My knees went weak, my breath caught in my throat. Then she smirked, reached into her purse, and tossed a handful of bills at me. The cash scattered across the polished floor like dirt. “Here. A down payment for Gwen,” she sneered.
Rage exploded inside me. My vision blurred with tears and fury as I lunged at her, my hand striking her cheek before I could stop myself.
I didn’t think. My hand moved first, slapping her across the face. “You bitch! Sleeping with my husband, taking everything from me, and now you won’t even let me save my child?” Her eyes widened, but before she could scream, I yanked her hair, fury consuming me. She clawed at me, and we tumbled against the desk.
The door burst open. Leandro.
“What the hell is going on?” His voice thundered.
I pointed at Nadine, my face wet with tears. “WHERE WERE YOU? Gwen is kidnapped, you froze my accounts, and she told me to pay in installments!”
“Kidnapped?” His eyes narrowed. “And whose fault is that? You can’t even watch your own daughter and now you’re blaming it on someone else?”
3/4 2.5%
11:55 Mon, Sep 29
My chest cracked. “Seriously, Leandro? That’s what you’ll say to me? Our baby is missing and-”
A scream. Nadine clutched her stomach, blood staining her skirt.
Leandro’s face turned pale. “You bitch!” He slapped me so hard I tasted blood. “If something happens to her and the baby, you will pay!”
I staggered back. “What about Gwen? Are you going to let her die?”
But he didn’t hear me. He was already carrying Nadine, rushing her out like she was his whole world. Leaving me broken on the floor, abandoned, replaced.
That was when it hit me. He would never help me. Not him. Not ever.
With no money, no husband, no one left to turn to–I thought of only one person. The man I had once rejected. The man who never stopped waiting.
My hands shook as I dialed his number.
“Martin,” I whispered when he answered. My voice cracked, raw and desperate. “It’s me. Do you still want to marry me? If yes… then help me with the ransom for my daughter. I’ll do everything you say.”
