Chapter 4

In the living room, I locked eyes with Leon, my gaze unwavering, unable to tear myself away.

Leon and I fell in love back in college, we were inseparable, and our life was once blissful and safe.

But after his brother died in that car crash, and his parents brought Nina into our home, everything changed.

Nina spent every day plotting to seize everything for herself, determined to leave all our family's wealth to her son, always sowing discord between us.

And Leon slowly turned cold and selfish, no longer the man I'd once given my heart to.

Day after day, he'd side with Nina, argue with me, and always make Timmy give in to her son. I gritted my teeth and put up with it.

Whenever Nina whispered something to him, he'd secretly move our savings around, always acting like I was the enemy, never caring about the family. For Timmy, I kept backing down and forgiving him, over and over.

But I never imagined he could be this stupid and heartless.

With Timmy's life on the line, a few words from Nina were enough to make him believe the whole kidnapping was nothing but a lame April Fool's prank.

The kidnapper kept pushing us, extending the deadline again and again. But Nina kept stirring things up, convincing Leon I was acting. He blocked me from transferring the money and even hid all the bank cards.

"He's our son. Your own flesh and blood. I don't care if it's April Fool's Day, I would never risk my kid's life for a joke," I snapped.

Leon scoffed, eyes glued to his phone as he absentmindedly scrolled through viral clips. "Stop pretending. I've seen this kind of stunt a million times. April Fool's Day is nothing but fake pranks like this.

"Everyone's running the same play on their feeds. You really think you can fool me? Look at you, bawling your eyes out. Your acting is almost too good. It's a shame you're not an actress.

"I've got plans to meet my friends for drinks later, so I don't have time for your nonsense."

"Timmy's been kidnapped, and all you care about is going out drinking? Do you even care about your own son at all?" I gritted my teeth, every word burning with pain and anger.

Leon stared at me like I was being ridiculous, his tone ice-cold. "What do you expect me to do? It's some dumb prank. You really think I'm going to fork over real cash for this? I'm not that stupid."

He shot me a look full of disdain, his voice thick with mockery. "Stop pretending. You obviously put Timmy up to this and made that fake video to trick me. All you want is to take all the family money and force me to send Nina and her son packing."

Leon lifted his eyes, giving me a cold, almost bored look. "Haven't you said this a million times already?"

Nina jumped in, playing the victim and trying to stir things up. "She can't stand my kid and me, thinks we're a burden. She wants to grab all the money and leave us with nothing."

As I was about to break down and scream, the door burst open with a thunderous bang.

My dad, who had rushed all the way from home, stumbled in, his face ashen and his voice trembling. "The police called, saying they've officially started an investigation.

"The police said we have to keep the kidnapper calm, not push him into hurting Timmy, and do whatever he asks."

My eyes lit up with a last shred of hope, and I grabbed his hand desperately. "Did you hear that? This isn't a joke. It's real. The money. Give me the money. Is there still time to transfer it?"

My dad glanced at the clock on the wall, his face streaked with tears as he closed his eyes in pain. "It's too late. The kidnapper's deadline is already due."

My legs gave out, all the strength draining from my body as I collapsed onto the cold floor.

Leon put his phone away, still looking completely unfazed, even letting out a mocking laugh. "Wow, you really went all out this time. Now you've got your parents playing along with your act. Man, you'll do anything for your drama, huh?"

Nina stood off to the side, sneering and nodding, acting like she knew for sure I was faking it.

I ignored him, tears silently splashing onto the floor.

My phone started buzzing like crazy, and a video call from the kidnapper popped up, the screen blindingly bright.

My hands were shaking as I answered. On the screen, Timmy was tied up with thick ropes in a dark corner, his little face was so red from crying he could barely catch his breath, sobbing so hard it looked like he might suffocate.

"Mom... please help me... They're not kidding... It's real..." Timmy choked out, his voice breaking with terror.

My heart felt like it was ripped to shreds. I couldn't say a single word; my throat was locked up, and all I could do was cry, tears pouring down uncontrollably.

The camera jerked, and the kidnapper's icy voice came on, totally emotionless. "You don't give a damn? Fine. Then you can say goodbye to your kid for good."

My mind went blank, everything spun, and I nearly blacked out right then and there.

Right then, Leon barked at the phone, totally fed up. "Enough already. This April Fool's crap has gone way too far. Cut it out."

The kidnapper's voice was icy, every word slamming down like a hammer. "If you care more about cash than your kid's life, don't blame me for ending him right here.

"Poor boy, next time, pick a family that actually cares about you. Don't get stuck with people this heartless."

Timmy's gut-wrenching scream echoed from the screen, and then everything flashed red with blood.