Chapter 2

"Really?" I asked.

"Really," Mom replied.

Then the men tossed a phone over.

I guessed Mom was going to call my uncle, Hale.

Hale never liked me and wouldn't let me come over. Mom and I just stood outside his door for a long time.

In the end, the door never opened.

The sun was beating down, and I really wanted some water, but I could tell Mom was really upset, so I didn't say anything.

When we got home, Dad and Mom were fighting again.

I climbed onto the kitchen counter to reach the faucet for a drink. I fell down and it hurt a lot.

Dad found me and snapped, "You won't even let a kid have a drink? Just so you can force me to come home and invest in you? You really are something else."

Mom picked me up off the floor, tears streaming down her face.

I knew she never meant to keep me from drinking water.

There was a loud bang as the door slammed shut outside.

Normally, when Dad got mad, Mom would chase after him, but this time she didn't. She sat me down on the couch and gently checked to see if I was okay.

"Does it hurt, Christine?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Are you thirsty too, Mom?"

Mom squeezed my hand. "Don't drink cold water anymore, okay? It'll make your tummy hurt."

I nodded hard.

The phone was finally answered after the fifth call.

Mom's face had been getting paler and paler, but right now, there was finally a trace of joy on her face.

It was the kind of feeling I only got when Dad came home.

"Emily, are you always this annoying?" Hale snapped.

Mom hesitated for a moment, then said, "Hale, could you lend me 1.5 million dollars? I promise I'll pay you back in a few days."

"Why don't you just ask Bud?" Hale replied. "You gave him the company secrets three years ago, and now he won't even spot you this much cash?"

Mom's hand holding the phone was trembling, her voice shaky, almost breaking into sobs. "I know you hate me, and I understand, but Christine is still so young.

"She's been kidnapped. Can you please help her?"

Hale shot back, "You'll say anything just to get me to feel sorry for you, huh?

"She's the daughter of Lawson Group. Who'd have the guts to kidnap her?

"Call me again and I won't hesitate to bring up old business and sue you."

With that, Hale hung up on her.

With trembling hands, Mom kept dialing again and again, desperately, until the only thing left on the other end was a busy signal.

Wilmot glanced at his phone. "You've only got two hours left. Don't drag this out, Ms. Daniel."

Mom looked at me, her eyes lingering on mine. "Please, just give me a little more time."

This time, the call went through right away.

"Douglas, can you lend me 1.5 million dollars?" Mom asked.

That name really rang a bell.

I heard Dad choking Mom once. Dad shouted, "What about Douglas?

"When the Daniel family was desperate, you were willing to do anything just to get his help, weren't you?"

Mom shook her head, protesting.

But Dad's anger only grew. "Then tell me, who's that kid's real father?"

When Mom saw me, she couldn't stop crying. "I've already told you, nothing happened between us.

"Christine's innocent. If you think this marriage is unfair, we can get a divorce."

Dad let out a laugh, but it was way more chilling than when he was angry. He said coldly, "Bought and paid for, why would I ever let you go?"

I stood there nervously, watching as Dad forced Mom into the room, completely ignoring her desperate attempts to break free.

I could hear her anguished cries from inside. But there was nothing I could do. The door was locked tight.

It felt like forever. I huddled by the door and eventually drifted off to sleep.

When Dad finally came out, he didn't even spare me a glance before walking away.

Mom was slumped against the bed, sitting on the floor. She looked just like a flower in kindergarten, drenched and beaten down by the rain.

Her neck was covered in bruises.

Mom looked at me, her eyes full of emotions I couldn't even begin to understand.

She whispered, "Christine, don't be scared. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one who's wrong."

I finally burst into tears, too scared to hold it in.

*****

There was a long silence on the other end of the line.