Chapter 2

Jed lost it completely.

He grabbed the ashtray from the table and hurled it at me. "You can die! You'll pay for Katrina!"

I was ready and stepped back, letting the ashtray smash onto the floor by my feet.

It shattered into countless pieces.

Just like our seven years of marriage.

"Call the police! Why didn't you call the police!" he roared at me.

"I did," I replied coldly.

The moment he grabbed the phone and started yelling, I used the landline to dial 911.

The police were probably already on their way.

Jed froze, then grew even angrier. "Then why did you provoke the kidnappers! Why say 'do it'! What if they hurt Katrina!"

From start to finish, his only concern was Katrina.

My heart had gone numb, devoid of feeling.

"What do you think we should do?" I shot back, my gaze mocking. "Like last time, beg them on my knees?"

"Last time?" Jed faltered, his eyes flickering. "What nonsense are you spouting! I... I was just too worried!"

"Worried?" I laughed, but the smile didn't reach my eyes. "You let your own daughter die for someone else. That's what you call worried?"

"Katrina's not someone else!" he snapped back, his voice sharp. "She was kidnapped because of me!"

Always the same.

Always that self-righteous attitude.

In my past life, after Katrina was rescued, everyone called her an innocent victim.

They said she was targeted by Jed's business rivals just for being close to him, caught up in their schemes.

Only I knew it was all a performance she directed herself.

The doorbell rang, cutting through our standoff.

Jed rushed to open it, as if grasping at a lifeline.

Several uniformed officers stood at the door, their expressions stern. "We received a report of a kidnapping at this address?"

"It's me! My wife and daughter were kidnapped!" Jed blurted, grabbing the lead officer. "No, it's my daughter and... a friend of mine."

He dragged the officers inside, pointing at me accusingly. "It's her! Officers! She told the kidnappers to kill them! She's trying to get the hostages killed!"

The lead officer frowned, his sharp gaze settling on me, sizing me up.

I didn't flinch, just met his eyes calmly. "Officer, my name is Amelia Fowler. The kidnapped are my seven-year-old daughter, Anne Bennett, and Mr. Bennett's close friend, Miss Katrina Watson." I deliberately emphasized my daughter's last name.

Jed's face turned pale, then flushed.

The officer clearly picked up on the complicated dynamic. He sent a younger officer to calm Jed down and approached me. "Ms. Fowler, can you tell us exactly what happened? Did you really tell the kidnappers to kill them?"

"Yes," I nodded. "Because it was the only way to take back control."

My mind was terrifyingly calm.

I was betting the kidnappers wouldn't actually follow through, especially when their target clearly had money and was willing to pay.

I hung up to stop Jed from making more foolish mistakes.

And to buy the police time.

I was about to explain my reasoning when Jed's phone started ringing frantically.

It was an unknown number.

Jed glanced at it and reached to answer.

I grabbed his hand. "Don't."

"You're insane! It's got to be the kidnappers! Katrina's still with them!" He shook me off.

"They're calling you because I rattled them, and they think you're the weak link," I said, locking eyes with him. "If you answer, everything I just did will be for nothing."

Jed hesitated.

His face was ashen, and he muttered to himself, too shaken to touch the phone.

The ringing echoed in the silent living room like a death knell.

Just then, the lead officer, Captain Lee, got a call on his radio.

"Captain Lee! There's been an explosion at an abandoned factory in Westside! The fire's massive! We found an injured woman outside who says her name is Katrina Watson. She claims she escaped the kidnappers!"

A boom went off in Jed's head.

His face lit up with wild joy, and he rushed to Lee.

"Katrina! It's Katrina! She's out! She's alive!" He was incoherent, grabbing the officer's arm. "What about my daughter? Did she escape too?"

Lee looked at me, his expression heavy and complicated.

The radio crackled with more noise. "...We found a charred body at the scene... appears to be a child..."