Chapter 1 Chapter 1

I received a call from the abductors just as my husband's first love, Hailey Crosby, arrived at the scene. "You have an hour to gather 20 million dollars," the abductor barked at me. "Place the ransom under the Central Bridge. Don't call the police, or I'll kill them!" Armed with the knowledge from my past life, I put the call on the speaker so my husband, Shane McClure, could hear them. I turned to face him and met his clouded expression. He snorted. "Natalie Swanson, how low could you go? Did you get my parents to put on this act just so you could push Hailey out of the picture?" I didn't cry or wail like he had expected. Instead, I calmly clarified, "This isn't an act. Your parents have been abducted, and we need 20 million dollars to pay the ransom. Go get the money now." His icy gaze bore into me. Stone-faced, he said, "Are you trying to swindle my money after you failed to win my heart with this sham marriage?" Shane and I had known each other for two decades. When we were younger, I saved his life once, and our families arranged our marriage as a result. But deep down, I'd always known Shane resented my modest family background. He had never hidden his feelings for Hailey Crosby—his first love, who had been studying abroad. Before we got married, I told him he could walk away, that he could return to Hailey if he wished. I promised I wouldn't hold it against him. Without even looking at me, he muttered flatly, "I'll marry you willingly." Shane's demeanor grew colder after our wedding. He had never looked me in the face from the first time we met. I often comforted myself and attributed his coldness to his personality—that he still loved me. Then Hailey returned to the country. Shane's wide, radiant smile upon seeing her shattered my delusions and drove a knife into my heart. From the beginning, he had never once taken my side. The look in my eyes frosted over, and I glared at him in utter disappointment. Keeping my composure, I said evenly, "I've never thought of conning you, and I'd never resort to such a shameless tactic. "Believe me or not, your parents have been abducted. I'm not putting on an act. Go to the police with me if you trust me; if not, get out of my way. I have lives to save." He seemed taken aback—maybe by my calmness, or maybe because, for the first time, I showed real irritation. I turned to leave, gently pushing Hailey out of my way. But suddenly, she collapsed to the floor. "That hurts!" Hailey whimpered. She blinked her eyes with an innocent look as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Shane, don't be angry at Nat," she said. "She didn't shove me on purpose." Shane's face darkened as he rushed to her side. She was grimacing and clutching her hand. It was at that moment I realized I had suffered a cut to my hand. Shane bellowed at me, "I'll kill you if anything happens to Hailey!" Then, he hurriedly brought her to the hospital, leaving me behind in our spacious bedroom.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Even though the abductors had warned me not to call the police, I thought it over and decided to report it anyway. I decided to leave the task to the professionals. After making the report, I headed to the police station with long, determined strides. Before I got there, my phone rang with an incoming call. I frowned at the familiar name on the screen before picking up. "Ugh," came the exasperated voice of Jimmy Fletcher, Shane's cousin. As usual, his tone was full of impatience. "I see you're having fun making false police reports. What did Shane ever do to you? Why are you so pathetic?" Shane's family had always looked down on me. The only ones who treated me kindly were his parents, and that was why I had to save them. Keeping my voice even, I asked, "Jimmy, did Shane tell you I made a false police report?" The silence on the other end was answer enough. I let out a cold chuckle. "Jimmy, as a police officer, you're mocking me instead of responding to my plea for help. If you don't dispatch help, I'll lodge a complaint against you." Jimmy didn't even bother to act professionally. His voice roared through the phone. "Marrying Shane doesn't make you better than anyone else! You're nothing but a small-town loser. You're like a curse to our family! If I were you, I’d have offed myself! "If Hailey hadn't gone abroad, do you think Shane would've ever married you? Don't kid yourself, you pathetic woman. You don't even deserve to be Hailey's replacement!" I ended the call expressionlessly and filed another police report, this time making sure to include a formal complaint against Jimmy. … At the police station, I explained the whole situation to the officers. I told them how Shane's parents had been abducted and provided them with the recording of the abductor's call as well as the phone number they had used. The tech team quickly got to work, but they soon hit a wall. The recording revealed the abductor had used a voice modulator, and the phone number was unregistered. They couldn't call back, nor could they track its location. "I have ten million dollars in my account. That should help us get started," I said as I reached for my credit card. However, my face darkened instantly. My credit card had been cut in half, and the funds had been frozen by Shane. Taking a deep breath, I called my secretary at the company. "How much cash can we liquidate and transfer within ten minutes?" I asked. "15 million dollars," she replied. "Good. Transfer it to me immediately." Since tracking the abductors wasn't an option, the only choice was to meet their demands. 20 million dollars was no small sum, but it was a price worth paying if it meant saving Shane's parents. Still five million dollars short, I quickly reviewed my options and dialed Craig Fletcher, Shane's uncle. "Uncle Craig, Shane's parents have been abducted. We're still five million dollars short of the ransom. Could you lend it to me? I'll repay you as soon as they're safe." Craig gasped in shock. "Has my sister been abducted? Does Shane know about this?" I sighed and replied calmly, "I told him, but he doesn't believe me. He's at the hospital with Hailey right now. You're the only one who can help me." "Stay right where you are. I'll transfer the money right away!" As soon as Craig hung up, the abductors called again. "Time's up. Where's the money?" My heart sank, but I kept my tone as even as possible. "It's almost ready. Please just give me a little more time. You'll get every penny you asked for." The abductor's voice grew impatient. "Come over with the 20 million dollars now. Not a cent less, or I'll kill them!" Fighting to keep my emotions in check, I said, "Just 30 more minutes! If my in-laws are still alive, I promise you'll get the full amount!" No sooner had I finished speaking than I heard Shane's parents wailing hysterically in the background. The abductor's voice turned icy and venomous. "If the money doesn't arrive within 30 minutes, you'll be collecting their bodies!"

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

After the call ended, the police shook their heads grimly. Even though the abductor had directly contacted me, it was still impossible to trace their location. I turned around and saw Jimmy passing by. He had overheard everything and now looked as pale as a ghost. "Nat, have Shane's parents really been kidnapped? But Shane told me they were just acting to help you…" I didn't have the energy to argue with him, so I told him to call Shane and tell him the truth. I anxiously glanced at the time. With Craig's resources, transferring five million dollars shouldn't take this long. After waiting for a while, I called him. "Uncle Craig?" I had barely begun when he sighed heavily. "Nat, lying is wrong, you know," he said tiredly. "Look, no one in Shane's family has treated you kindly except for his parents. "I pitied you and tried to help you. But now, I see things clearly. Those who play the victim only end up looking pathetic. If you weren't such a compulsive liar, a fine man like Shane wouldn't have come to resent you." My heart sank into my stomach. I knew now that there was no chance of scraping together the remaining five million dollars. "Uncle Craig, did Shane tell you I was faking this?" My voice trembled with urgency. "You may not believe me, but the police are standing right next to me. They can vouch for everything I'm saying—" Craig interrupted with another deep sigh. "You don't need to hire fake police officers to trick me. Even if you manage to fool me today, you can't deceive yourself forever. "Nat, I know you're unwilling to let Shane go because you love him, but he has someone he cares about. And now she's back. Why not just divorce him if this is too painful for you?" I hung up midway through his rambling, my expression dark and stormy. Shane's parents' lives were hanging by a thread, yet their own family took this crisis as an opportunity to attack me. Meanwhile, Jimmy finally got through to Shane's phone. "Shane, listen to me! This is serious—your parents have really been abducted. The police—" Before he could finish, Hailey's lazy voice came through. "Jimmy, are you playing along with Natalie's act now too? Tell me, how much is she paying you? I'll double it." Jimmy grew emotional. "I'm not lying!" Hailey, uninterested, handed the phone to Shane. "Shane, Jimmy's been bought off by that wretched woman too." Shane's cold voice sounded next. "Jimmy, stop it." Jimmy's voice cracked. He was on the verge of tears. "Shane, your parents are in real danger! You need to transfer five million dollars to Nat's account now!" Shane scoffed. "So it's about money, after all. Tell Natalie to stop this pathetic act. She's lost her mind. And what did Hailey ever do to her?" The call abruptly ended. He'd hung up. Left with no other options, I forced a bitter smile and turned to the police. "Let's go. Even if I don't have the full amount, I have to go. I'll lure the abductor myself.""That's too dangerous," the police officer protested. I lowered my gaze. "What if the abductor knows me? They might get suspicious if you take my place." … I reached Central Bridge as quickly as I could. The abductor called just as I arrived. "Where's the money?" My voice trembled uncontrollably against the howling wind. "I left the money under the bridge. Release them now! Where are they?" The abductor sounded indifferent. "They're in the run-down apartment across from the bridge. Room 301." I sprinted to Room 301. The stench of blood hit me like a wave as soon as I reached the door. My heart pounded wildly. I had a sense of foreboding. Following the trail of blood to the door that was slightly ajar, I pushed it open and nearly collapsed at the sight inside. Shane's parents—Donald McClure and Jane Fletcher—lay on the floor, their abdomens punctured. Blood gushing out from those gaping wounds. Sobbing, I tried to press against their wounds with my clothes, but Jane weakly pushed my hand away. "It's too late, Nat." Tears blurred my vision as I clutched her hand tightly. "I've called 911! The police are on their way too! Please don't die… I'm sorry, it's my fault. I didn't get the money in time—I wasted too much time…" Jane smiled faintly, as if even that required all the strength she had left. "This isn't your fault. The abductor never planned to release us. You've suffered so much over the years. Shane owes you far too much. Divorce him. Everything we own will go to you. Go live your life, Nat…" A thought struck me, and my hands trembled as I fumbled for my phone to call Shane. "Hang on, please. Just hold on a little longer. I'll make Shane come and see you—" But every call went unanswered. Shane had blocked me. I sent him a message, telling him his parents were critically injured and begging him to come immediately, but he didn't respond. The light in my in-laws' eyes gradually faded until it was gone. They had stopped breathing. I cried so hard it felt like my heart was shattered. My vision blurred to the point where I couldn't see. "Ms. Swanson, are you alright?" The police had arrived. They stared at the two lifeless bodies on the floor in stunned silence. I felt myself swaying. The world was spinning around me. A police officer came up to support me with a conflicted expression. "Ms. Swanson, we've arrested the abductor. We also recovered the ransom money." His eyes flickered as he whispered apologetically, "I'm sorry. We're late to the rescue. Please accept our condolences."