Five days? That was the day the airport was scheduled to be operational. I had no intention of attending his party. Let him do whatever he wants.
The next day, the airport manager called me for the final inspection and signing. But on the way back, a van slammed into my car. When I stepped out to check the damage, two strong men got out of the van, knocked me unconscious and dragged me away.
Before I blacked out, I heard one of them chuckle, “Too bad Miss Burnett has other plans. Otherwise, I’d have some fun with her.”
I wanted to scream, but everything went dark. When I woke up, I was in an abandoned warehouse. Emily stood in front of me, smiling.
"Harriet, finally awake? Are you surprised to see me?"
My head throbbed and my body felt weak.
Nevertheless, I still managed to ask, "Why … why did you kidnap me?"
"You’ve taken Richard from me for years," she said, snapping.
"And you have the nerve to ask why?"
"Do you really think being born into the Steinberg family makes you special? Money can’t buy Richard’s heart. He has always loved me. He always will."
Her voice got louder and more unstable. Suddenly, she slapped me so hard I fell to the floor. It was then that I noticed her leg. It was all perfectly fine.
"Your ... your leg, so it’s not broken?"
Emily scoffed. Just then, her phone rang. She answered it calmly, hung up, then turned to me with a cold smirk.
Without warning, she grabbed a brick and smashed it into her leg. She screamed in pain. Moments later, Richard came running in.
Emily lay on the floor, sobbing, as she said, “Don’t blame Harriet, Richard! She did it because she loves you too much!”
I struggled to sit up as I told him, “She’s lying! Richard, it wasn’t me. She was the one who hurt herself!”
But he didn’t listen.
His eyes were filled with rage as he stared me down and shouted, "You already crippled one of Emily’s legs. And now this?"
“Today, you pay for what you’ve done!”
Richard bent down, grabbed a heavy stone and slammed it into my leg. I heard the sickening crack as pain exploded through my body. He then tossed the stone aside, scooped Emily into his arms and left without a single glance back.
I fainted. When I opened my eyes again, the warehouse was empty. At the time, I was drenched in sweat, barely conscious. Still, I forced myself to drag my broken leg inch by inch toward the road.