Soft gasps. Heavy breathing. A man’s voice—my husband’s—low, intimate, unfamiliar in the way it hurt the most. Not meant for me. My ears rang as the sound flooded through the line.
I ended the call before I could be sick.
There was no time to fall apart. No time to scream. Sienna needed me. The crew searched the ship, authorities were alerted, procedures followed—but by the time I got home, the nightmare deepened.
The phone rang.
“Mrs. Jones,” a distorted voice drawled. “We have your daughter. If you want her alive, prepare one hundred million dollars. You have until tomorrow.”
The number echoed in my head. One hundred million.
I ran to my laptop, logging in frantically, ready to empty every account, every investment, everything I owned. But the screen stared back at me, cruel and unmoving.
Accounts restricted. Funds frozen.
“No… please…” My voice came out hoarse, barely sound at all.
I didn’t think. I grabbed my keys and drove straight to Aldrin’s office, tears blurring the road. At the reception desk sat Bianca—his secretary. My former best friend. The woman I had trusted with everything. I had hired her, defended her, welcomed her into my life without hesitation.
And months ago, I learned the truth.
She and Aldrin. Together. Behind my back.
I never confronted them. Not because I lacked courage—but because I was terrified of breaking the fragile world Sienna lived in. I endured it for my daughter. I told myself that as long as Sienna had both parents, I could survive the rest. I knew what it was like to grow up split between two homes, always feeling unwanted, never fully belonging. I wouldn’t let Sienna inherit that pain.
“Where is my husband?” I demanded.
“Out of town,” Bianca replied calmly.
“Then explain why my money is locked,” I snapped, slamming my hands onto her desk.
She smiled faintly. “Aldrin asked me to handle it. He thinks you’ve been overspending.”
My chest burned. “Fix it. Right now. My child has been taken!”
She leaned back, eyes glittering. “I’m sorry, Amara. Maybe you could arrange the payment little by little. Perhaps they’ll return your daughter the same way.”
The words crushed me. Before I could react, she tossed some cash onto the floor.
“Here,” she said coldly. “A starting payment.”
Something inside me shattered.