Chapter 1

The kidnapper forced my husband, Gordon Cooper, to choose between me and his first love, Natalie Reed.

Then my son, Adam Cooper, whom I had risked my life to save, leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "Dad, pick Natalie."

Gordon nodded, clearly pleased, and praised him for being so sensible.

Right then, I felt my heart crack.

So I guessed that was it.

If she was the one they wanted, then I was choosing myself.

*****

"Gordon, choose. Your wife or your first love. Only one of them walks out alive," one of the kidnappers roared.

His rough, gravelly voice echoed through the abandoned warehouse, rattling the metal walls.

I was on my knees, with my hands tied behind my back and a gag stuffed in my mouth, looking like a total mess.

Next to me was Natalie, also tied up and gagged, crying her eyes out. She looked so pitiful, honestly, even I felt bad for her.

The one who had to make the choice was my husband of ten years, Gordon.

He was dressed in a sharp suit, totally out of place in this rundown warehouse, and his face was filled with a panic I'd never seen before.

I looked at him, still holding onto a tiny shred of hope.

After all, I was the one who volunteered to take Adam's place as a hostage, just to save him from the kidnappers.

Natalie, though? She was just an unlucky bystander who got caught up in all this.

Adam was hiding behind Gordon, his small body trembling with fear.

I shot Adam a look, trying to reassure him with my eyes. I wanted to tell him, "Don't be scared, Adam. I'm here."

Gordon's eyes kept shifting between Natalie and me, looking torn and struggling to decide.

Just then, I saw my dear son, Adam, tiptoe closer and lean in to whisper in Gordon's ear.

His voice was soft, but I caught every single word.

"Dad, let's choose Natalie," he said.

"She's too timid for this, Dad. She can't handle it," he added.

Ha.

My mind went blank. It felt like something inside me just shattered completely.

Gordon paused for a moment. That torn look on his face slowly faded away.

Now his eyes showed something else. Approval.

He gave eight-year-old Adam a solemn nod, even reaching out to ruffle his hair.

"Adam, you're growing up. You're so sensible," Gordon said.

Sensible?

What a perfect little father-son act.

I watched the two of them, feeling like my heart was being squeezed by an icy hand and tossed into the depths of a frozen abyss.

The son I almost gave my life for... he seemed to have forgotten I was the one who traded myself for him with the kidnappers.

All that was on his mind was protecting Natalie his dad cared about so much.

Suddenly, I just felt completely drained.

Ten years of marriage, ten years of everything I'd given—it all felt like one big joke.

Gordon took a deep breath, like he was deciding something important, and looked up at the kidnapper.

Gordon said, "I choose..."

I shut my eyes, not wanting to see that phony expression on his face anymore.

"I choose Natalie," he said.

Figures. Just as I thought.

Natalie's sobs grew louder, like she'd just been scared out of her wits.

I couldn't even shed a single tear.

My heart had died inside me. I was just numb now.

The kidnapper looked surprised by the answer. He hesitated, then came over with his knife.

"You hear that? Sounds like your man just dumped you," he sneered.

I opened my eyes and just stared back at him, totally calm.

The kidnapper was caught off guard by my calm stare, then spat in contempt. "Damn, guess you're just unlucky."

He raised his knife.

Gordon instantly pulled Natalie into his arms, burying her face in his chest. "Natalie, don't look!" he shouted.

Adam followed Gordon's lead, squeezing his eyes shut.

Not one of them looked at me again.

Turns out, I was the outsider all along.

I smiled a silent, mocking smile to myself.

The knife came down.

I didn't even flinch.

With a clang, the blade was stopped mid-air.

The silent leader of the kidnappers with a scarred face, grabbed his man's wrist.

"Hold on," Scarface said.

He came over, crouched in front of me, and studied me with eyes hardened by years of trouble.

"Don't you hate them?" he asked.

I just stared at him, unable to speak.

"Tsk," he suddenly laughed, then reached out and yanked the gag from my mouth. "Interesting. Your husband dumps you for his first love, and your son would rather see you dead for his stepmom. And nothing? No reaction at all?"

I coughed a couple of times, my throat burning like it was on fire.

"Reaction?" I laughed. My voice came out raspy, like a busted bellows. "What are you expecting? Should I beg him with tears to choose me?

"Wouldn't that just play right into their hands? Make them feel like their love is so epic and touching, like they're the tragic heroes everyone should admire?"

Scarface's eyes shifted, a playful glint appearing in them.

"So, what do you want now?" he asked.

What did I want?

I glanced at the couple clinging to each other, and at my "dutiful son" hiding behind Gordon, too scared to even open his eyes.

I spoke each word slowly, my voice cold and steady.

"I choose myself," I said.

"Let me go. As for them, they're all yours," I added.