Chapter 4
When I came to, I found myself in a rundown warehouse.
Athena was beside me, crying so hard that tears streamed down her face, looking utterly pitiful.
The kidnapper noticed we were awake and handed us our own phones.
"Call your husbands and tell them to pay the ransom if they want you back," he ordered.
"And if you dare call the police, you know what'll happen." He threatened.
He drew a finger across his throat. Slow. Deliberate. Athena started crying and screaming all over again.
We both made the calls at the same time. Athena's phone was answered right away.
The kidnapper repeated the same threat word for word.
Andrew's panicked voice nearly burst through the phone. "Don't you dare touch her! I'm getting the money right now."
I dialed James. Nothing. Just that cold, mechanical voice.
The automated system told me the number was busy.
No sooner had Athena hung up than her phone started ringing again.
James was calling.
He didn't waste a second before asking, "Athena, are you okay?"
Turns out, the reason I couldn't get through was James had been calling Athena nonstop.
The kidnapper gave me a pitying, almost sympathetic look.
Andrew and James rushed in, carrying a suitcase, only to realize there were two hostages, not one.
But they had only brought enough ransom for one person.
The kidnapper looked them over, clearly amused. "So, who are you going to save?"
He waved the knife back and forth between me and Athena.
"Her?" the kidnapper said, pointing at Athena.
Andrew's and James' faces changed instantly, calling out, "Don't hurt her!"
"Or her?" the kidnapper said, moving the knife to my neck.
James' brows furrowed, his gaze growing colder, but he stayed silent.
The knife cut into my arm, and blood started dripping down, pooling on the floor beneath me.
Then the knife swung back toward Athena.
James hurriedly spoke up, his voice tense. "Don't hurt her. We're here to ransom Athena."
My heart kept lurching up and down, like I was stuck on a rollercoaster.
Now, it crashed straight to the bottom, the impact echoing inside me like the end of everything.
I looked up, my face so pale that it was scary.
"James, even if I'm not your wife, I'm still your family," I said, my voice shaking with pain.
"Do 20 years together really mean nothing to you compared to just a few years with Athena?" I choked out.
James trembled, barely able to stand.
Even with a reluctant, torn look on his face, he still handed the suitcase to the man behind Athena.
"Selena, Athena's not well. We need to save her first," James said, his voice strained.
"As soon as we get more money, we'll come back for you. I promise," he added, trying to sound reassuring.
I stared at the blood pooling beneath me, then glanced at Athena. She was being fussed over by both Andrew and James, not even a scratch on her, perfectly untouched.
She turned to me with a taunting smirk, mouthing the words. "Selena, you'll never beat me. Not in this lifetime."
I dropped my head, numb and utterly exhausted, like all the strength had drained out of me.
I stayed silent, empty inside.
The car tore out of there, engine growling as it sped off into the night.
After what felt like forever, I finally pressed the detonator.
The blast sent shockwaves through the city. People paused and turned their eyes toward the outskirts.
Meanwhile, a headline exploded online, rocketing straight to the top of the trending charts.
It read: [Tragedy for Devoted CEO James Parker: Wife Dies in Explosion After He Allegedly Chose to Ransom Another Woman.]