I snatched Jennifer back into my arms, holding her tight, my gaze like daggers aimed at Anastasia and that little monster she calls her son.
Jordan finally stiffened, pulling Blair Evan over. “Evan, apologize to your auntie and your sister right now.”
The boy just cried harder, kicking his legs. “My dad’s mean! Evan doesn’t want her dad anymore! Waaaaah!”
The crying from both kids mixed together and stabbed through my ears like knives.
Jordan turned to me, his face cold again. “Children don’t know their own strength. You’re being way too serious, Genevieve. You’re an adult. How are you going to teach your daughter to grow up right if you can’t even act mature?”
My heart shattered at his words. I shoved him as hard as I could, slapping his face with all my anger. “Get out of here, Jordan! Take your fake wife and your little monster and get the hell out of my house!”
“Why do you always have to hit people? Why can’t you ever act like a normal human?”
Anastasia lifted her hand, clearly ready to strike back, but Jordan grabbed her wrist like it was nothing.
“Stop it.” His voice was low, but sharp, and he shook her hand off like she was a bothersome fly. Then he turned to me, his eyes full of fake disappointment. “Genn, what’s gotten into you?”
I wanted to spit at him. What do you mean what’s gotten into me? You’ve been pretending to love me while letting her use our daughter as a pawn. How am I supposed to act?
“Let’s step outside. She needs to calm down.” He scooped Evan up like a trophy and shoved Anastasia out of the room.
...
The moment the door clicked shut, all my tension cracked at once. I slid down the wall and collapsed onto the floor, my body trembling, tears pouring down my face, salty and bitter at the same time.
My phone beeped. The equity transfer went through. My heart clenched, then clenched again with a strange mix of relief and rage. Tomorrow, we could finally leave this nightmare behind.
I checked on Jennifer in my arms, gently rocking her, trying to steady both of us. I had to be strong. I had to protect her. I whispered, “We’ll be free soon, baby. Mommy won’t let anything hurt us anymore.”
I got the nanny settled for the night, cleared out all the traces of our life there, and climbed into the pre-booked taxi as dawn cracked the sky.
“Driver, head to the airport.”
“Got it!”
I dialed the contact waiting for us. “Sorry for the delay, we’re on our way.”
A soft, gentle voice answered, like warm sunlight through frost. “No rush. Drive safe.”
For a moment, hope flickered in my chest, but then a sharp chemical smell hit me. My stomach dropped.
I looked in the rearview mirror. The driver’s eyes were dark, cold, slicing through me like knives. My daughter’s tiny body was in my arms, and I gripped her tighter, murmuring over and over, “I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you.”
When I opened my eyes again, we were stopped outside some abandoned factory. Overgrown weeds and cracked concrete stretched as far as I could see. Jordan stood there, phone in hand, Jennifer bundled in his suit jacket, her little face scrunched up.
“The people are here. Proceed with the plan,” he said into the phone. He hung up and turned toward me, his eyebrows knitting, his voice smooth, almost mocking. “You’re awake? Perfect. Saves me the trouble of explaining everything again.”
My wrists burned from the ropes, red welts digging into my skin. I tried to pull myself up. “Jordan, what the hell do you want?! Let my daughter go right now!”
He tilted his head slightly, calm as ice. “Evan has been kidnapped.”
I froze. “What? What do you mean?”
“They wanted my own son,” he said, still avoiding my gaze. “They got the wrong child, so they took Evan. They only want to see him, not Jennifer.”
I shook my head, my voice rising, trembling with disbelief and fury. “So you’re going to trade her for him? She’s only a month old! She has severe anemia from a rare condition! Even a mosquito bite could kill her! Are you insane?!”
Jordan’s expression didn’t change. “This is the only way. They said they’d only release Evan if they saw him in person. He’s six now, and this will mess him up forever if it drags on.”
I lunged for my daughter, but he dodged easily, holding her away from me like she was some fragile trophy.
“She’s still too young to understand, Genn. Nothing like this will leave a mark on her,” he said, his tone disturbingly calm, like my terror didn’t even exist.
Anastasia came running over, her hair messy and her makeup smudged, eyes wild with panic. "Baby! The kidnappers called again! They said if they don’t see the boy soon, they’ll… they’ll kill him!"
She froze when she saw me on the floor, then, like some crazy act of desperation, she dropped to her knees and started kowtowing, pounding her forehead on the ground over and over.
"Genevieve, please! Just this once! Let Jennifer help us get Evan back! I’ll do anything you want, anything at all!"
I kicked her hard, my hands shaking. "Get out of my way! You let this happen because you didn’t watch your kid! Why the hell should my daughter’s life be used to pay for your mess?"
Jordan squatted down next to me, his voice suddenly soft, almost sweet. "Genn, please. Evan’s innocent. Once he’s back, I swear I’ll fix everything for Jennifer too. We can go back to how things were. We… can be a family again, okay?"
I laughed bitterly, tears stinging my eyes. "The same as before? Trade my baby’s life for your illegitimate son, then go live happily ever after with you, the executioner? Jordan, what the hell do you think I am?"
From inside the warehouse came Evan's terrified cries. "Daddy! I’m scared!"
Jordan’s face went dark. He scooped Jennifer up and started toward the warehouse.
I lunged forward, my bound hands digging into his leg. "Jordan! You touch our daughter and see what happens! Go yourself if you care about him so much! Aren’t you her father too?! Go and take his place!"
He shoved me away like I was nothing. "Stop it! Evan’s a boy, the only heir of the Sinclair family! Nothing can happen to him!"
"Isn’t Jennifer your daughter too?!" My fingernails clawed at his trousers. "She’s your flesh and blood! How can you be so heartless?"
He froze, turned, his eyes flicking over my red, tear-streaked face, and said, "I… sorry."
Then suddenly, a sharp sting hit my neck.
"Just a little anesthetic. When you wake up, your daughter will be safe."
And just like that, he turned and walked toward the warehouse, holding her like a prize.
