Chapter 3

Even though Ethan and Willow didn't like Vanessa, they couldn't resist York's persistence and started preparing for their engagement party.

The engagement party was a lively affair, with all the big names from the business world in attendance.

Sitting in the corner, I couldn't help but overhear people gossiping about me.

"Poor Zara. The man she loves is about to get engaged to another woman."

"I always thought they'd end up together. They grew up together, after all."

"If it were me, I'd be making a scene. There's no way I could just sit here and watch them act all lovey-dovey."

I was about to take a sip of my juice to steady myself when, suddenly, the lights in the party hall suddenly went out.

In the darkness, screams and the sound of glasses shattering mixed together, and everything turned into total chaos.

Instinctively, I made for the door, but someone grabbed my wrist and clamped a handkerchief reeking of chemicals over my mouth and nose.

Right before I blacked out, I heard Vanessa, her voice full of panic and anger. "Why did you take her, too? I only told you to take me."

It was another one of her schemes, but this time, the kidnappers went off-script.

I had no idea how long I'd been out when a sudden jolt woke me up.

I was lying in an abandoned warehouse by the docks, and right next to me, Vanessa was tied up, too.

Not far away, a few guys were on the phone, and one of them sounded familiar. It was Hudson Brooks, the guy York had just put out of business.

Once the call connected, Hudson pointed his phone at us and grinned. "York, take a look at who's here. One's your childhood sweetheart, your ex-fiancée, and the other's the woman you're about to marry.

"So, if I toss them both into the sea, who do you save first?"

On the phone screen, York's face was grim, but when his eyes landed on Vanessa, he panicked. "Hudson, don't you dare touch Vanessa. Name your price, and it's yours."

I closed my eyes, and tears slipped down my cheeks in silence.

I should've known. He'd never choose me.

Hudson burst out laughing. "Who wants your money? I just want to see if you are really as devoted as everyone says,"

With that, he ordered his men to drag us to the edge of the dock and shove us into a wooden crate.

The crate was suspended above the sea by a rope. If they loosened it, we'd drop right into the icy water below.

"York, I'm giving you ten minutes to make up your mind," Hudson shouted into the phone.

I looked over at Vanessa, shaking with fear right next to me, and my mind flashed back to how, in my previous life, after her car accident, York had lost his mind and camped out at the hospital for her.

Even when I was burning up with a high fever, he didn't have a second to spare for me.

Clenching my jaw, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a tiny blade I'd stashed in my keychain before leaving home, just in case something went wrong.

I sliced through the ropes binding Vanessa, then started sawing away at the boards of the crate as hard as I could.

"Go. Head down the dock. There are fishing boats there," I told her.

I pressed the blade into her hand, but just then, my arm suddenly went numb. My illness was flaring up again.

Vanessa looked stunned, staring at me. "But what about you?"

"Don't worry about me," I said, giving her a gentle push. "As long as you make it out, he'll finally have some peace of mind."

Vanessa had just climbed out when the crate lurched, and the rope snapped.

I plunged down with the crate, and the icy water engulfed me in an instant.

I tried to struggle, but my arms kept getting weaker, and all I could do was just let myself sink.

In the blur of consciousness, I thought I saw someone dive into the sea, swimming straight toward me.

Could it be York? Or was I just hallucinating?