Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Heather Smith POV:

My first twenty-three years were a gilded cage, a sheltered existence where the word "hardship" was just a word in a book. I was Heather Smith, heiress to the Smith family fortune, a name synonymous with old money and refined taste. I was an only child, cherished, doted upon, never wanting for anything. Our sprawling estate on the outskirts of the city was my kingdom, complete with manicured gardens, a private art studio, and a staff that catered to my every whim.

A chauffeured car waited for me after school. Nannies fussed over my meals and my clothes. My life was a meticulously crafted masterpiece, painted in hues of privilege and comfort. I was beautiful, talented, and engaged to Derek Garcia, the man who had been my childhood sweetheart, my fiancé. He was handsome, charismatic, and already making waves in the business world, poised to take over the Smith family empire alongside me. Everyone, absolutely everyone, said I was blessed. Destined for a life of unparalleled happiness.

Then came the wedding. Or rather, the week before it.

The darkness swallowed me whole. The van doors slammed shut, pitching me into a nightmare I couldn't comprehend. I was kidnapped. My captors were ruthless, their faces hidden, their voices guttural. The ransom demand was astronomical: $80 million. My family' s fortune.

At first, a naive kind of hope flickered within me. My parents. Derek. They would come for me. They had to. We were a family. Derek loved me. He had promised forever, hadn't he? We were supposed to be married in days. They would pay anything. They would move mountains to get me back. I believed it with every fiber of my being.

The first few days were almost...polite. The kidnappers were firm but not overtly violent. They fed me, kept me blindfolded, but didn't physically harm me. It was a chilling prelude, a false sense of security designed to make the eventual brutality even more shocking.

Then came day seven. The illusion shattered.

A heavy hand grabbed my hair, yanking my head back. My blindfold was ripped off. The stench of stale cigarettes and unwashed bodies filled my nostrils. A man, his face a mask of anger, snarled, "Where's the money, princess? Your rich boy isn't picking up!"

He hit me. A sharp, stinging blow across my cheek. Then another. Then a kick to my ribs. My world spun. My initial hope, my certainty, crumbled.

A crackling television set in the corner of the grimy room became my window to hell. The local news. And there he was. Derek. My fiancé. He was beaming, standing next to Krystal Peck, his assistant, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony. They were celebrating a massive new investment project.

Eighty million dollars. That was the reported sum. My ransom. My heart seized. The coincidence was too cruel, too precise. He was using the money. My money. The money meant to save me.

The kidnapper shoved a phone into my hand. "Last chance. Beg him."

My fingers fumbled, my mind a jumble of fear and disbelief. Derek's number. It still made my heart ache to see it. It rang once, twice. Then, a click.

"Derek?" I whispered, my voice raw and broken.

But it wasn't his voice that answered. It was Krystal' s. Her tone was cool, efficient. "Mr. Garcia is in a very important meeting. He can't be disturbed."

"Krystal, it's Heather! I've been kidnapped! Tell Derek-"

A low murmur in the background. Derek' s laugh. And then, Krystal' s voice, softer, almost a purr, "Darling, not now. We have to finalize this. You know how important this launch is."

My blood ran cold. Darling. Launch. They were together. While I was here. Being beaten.

The line went dead. Krystal had hung up.

The world tilted. It wasn't just about the money. It wasn't just about my life. It was about him. Derek. He had chosen. He had chosen ambition. He had chosen Krystal. Over me. Over our future.

The phone slipped from my numb fingers. I stared blankly at the wall, tears streaming down my face. My fiancé. The man I loved. He had thrown me away like trash.

The kidnappers, their frustration boiling over, saw my despair. They saw I had nothing left. Day eight. No ransom. They broke my finger. Snap. The pain was blinding, but it was nothing compared to the agony in my heart.

Still, no word from Derek. Instead, a company press release, stern and unwavering: "We do not negotiate with terrorists." A bold statement. From his company.

Day nine. The threats escalated. They would film me. Humiliate me. Distribute the videos online. I begged. I pleaded. I cried until my throat was raw and my eyes burned.

Still, nothing. Only more news, more headlines praising Derek Garcia's shrewd business acumen, his unwavering resolve. His star was rising. Mine was burning out.

Then day ten. The final, crushing blow. My parents. They had announced their permanent relocation abroad. And, more damningly, they had divested completely from the family business. Their statement was cold, impersonal. No mention of me. No mention of their missing daughter.

I was discarded. A pawn in a game I didn't understand, a casualty they no longer claimed. The kidnappers, enraged by the lack of payment, by the sudden disappearance of my supposed value, turned their full fury on me.

They tortured me. Not just physically, but psychologically. They ripped away every shred of dignity, every last hope. They were no longer trying to extract money; they were enacting a terrifying, brutal revenge for being left empty-handed.

While Derek and Krystal celebrated their triumph, while the media hailed his genius, I was being systematically broken. I was force-fed sand. My hair was torn out in clumps. My skin was carved with crude symbols. My body became a canvas for their rage, their power.

I was trapped in a living hell, a place where death felt like a mercy I couldn't reach. Every fiber of my being screamed for an end, any end. But it never came. Just endless, agonizing moments, stretching into an eternity of pain.