Chapter 1

1

My husband left our son alone at home because of a phone call from his first love.

This decision led to our son being kidnapped by a criminal.

When I desperately needed money to save my son's life, my husband was busy cooking for his ex.

He snarled at me over the phone with pure annoyance.

"You're a pathological liar, and your son is exactly like you. Neither of you can tell the truth!"

"I don't even want a son like this anymore. Tell the kidnappers to go ahead and finish him! I want to see how far you two can take this little drama."

Later, he knelt by our son's hospital bed, repeating "Daddy was wrong" over and over again.

But some mistakes can never be paid for.

……

My son was kidnapped.

The kidnapper called demanding $1.5 million in ransom.

In the background, I heard Harvey's terrified, sobbing voice. "Mommy, save me! Mommy!"

My face went pale instantly. I had to lean against the wall just to stay upright.

The kidnapper only gave me thirty minutes.

After the call ended, my remaining sanity forced me to check the home security footage.

I saw Heath Jenkins, who had been punishing Harvey with a ruler, suddenly answer a call.

He rushed out of the house in a frantic hurry.

He left Harvey alone in the corner, still forced to face the wall as a punishment.

A few moments later, a strange man walked in.

He ignored Harvey's struggling and carried him out the door.

I spiraled into a complete panic, my body shaking uncontrollably.

I dialed Heath's number with a heart full of fire.

He hung up on me five times in a row.

When he finally answered, his voice was dripping with impatience.

"I'm in a meeting. Whatever it is, wait until I get home."

"Harvey has been kidnapped! Go to the bank and get the money right now!" I screamed.

Heath let out a cold sneer.

"You've lost your mind. No wonder that kid tells so many stories; he learned it all from you. Stop bothering me!"

The line went dead, and I felt like I had been dropped into an ice cellar.

I suppressed my rage and kept dialing his number with trembling fingers.

On the tenth try, he finally picked up again.

I couldn't hold back anymore and shrieked with everything I had.

"Heath Jenkins! Harvey was really taken! Where did you go? Why did you leave him alone? They want money! Money!"

Heath roared back, "Are you freaking done yet? Is this ever going to end?"

"Fine! I get it! You just want money, right? I'll send it to you right now!"

Before he hung up, I clearly heard a woman's voice in the background.

"Heath, I want seafood bisque. Can you go make some for me?"

I knew that voice all too well. It was his ex-girlfriend, Brianna Sterling.

He had left Harvey home alone just to go cook a meal for her.

My knuckles turned white as I gripped my phone.

I clutched my chest, trying to catch my breath through the suffocating pain.

While I waited in agony, my phone finally buzzed with a bank notification.

I looked at the screen, desperate for the ransom money.

When I saw he had transferred exactly fifty cents, my eyes turned bloodshot.

The last of my sanity was swallowed by a tidal wave of suppressed fury.

A second later, a video message popped up on my phone.

In the video, Harvey looked like a broken butterfly.

He was being thrown off the top of a building.

With a sickening thud, I collapsed to my knees and let out a soul-shattering scream.

"No!"

"Harvey! Harvey…"

I gripped my phone as infinite despair wrapped around me like a shroud.

I stumbled toward the door while calling the police.

I could only repeat one sentence over and over.

"Help me! Save my baby! Please save my baby!"

The police quickly tracked Harvey's location.

When I saw him lying in a pool of blood, my face was ghost-white.

I rushed over and carefully scooped my child into my arms.

"Harvey, Mommy's here. Mommy's here…"

Harvey gripped my sleeve with his tiny, weak hand.

"Mommy, don't let Daddy be mad at me. I'm stupid, but I'll listen to him…"

I was sobbing so hard I could barely breathe.

"You're not stupid, Harvey! You're not!"

"Mommy is taking you to the hospital right now. Don't leave me, please don't leave me…"

My tears fell onto his blood-stained face one by one.

Harvey endured the pain and tried to wipe my tears away.

"Don't cry, Mommy. It doesn't hurt…"

I bit my lip so hard it bled, trying not to have a total breakdown.

His father was so eager to see his first love that he didn't even lock the door.

That was the only reason the criminal got inside.

He even ignored the kidnapping because he was too busy cooking for Brianna.

How desperate must my son have felt in those final moments?