Cassidy wept pitifully, her forehead swollen red from a knock.
I ignored her, bent down, and picked up my phone. A message from my brother lit the screen.
[Kendall, I’ve arranged top-tier mercenaries and a private jet. Please wait for me!]
The panic in my chest eased slightly, and I turned off the phone.
Aidan, however, struck me hard across the face.
“Put restraints on her!”
“Tie Kendall up, we’re going in to negotiate now!”
The restraints clamped tightly around my hands and feet. I struggled with all my strength, panic surging once more in my chest.
In my previous life, I hadn’t known why Aidan failed the negotiation.
But I knew in the end, he had saved only Cassidy’s daughter.
“Aidan, let me go!”
“I don’t trust you!”
“You’ll doom our daughter! You’ll fail the negotiation and get all the children killed!”
I shouted harshly, my hands and feet rubbed raw, bleeding from the struggle.
Aidan’s expression was dark, yet his voice brimmed with confidence.
“Kendall, I will definitely save our daughter. Just wait here.”
With those words, he turned and left, a bulletproof vest strapped to his chest.
Cassidy followed close behind, throwing me a proud, mocking smile before the door slammed shut.
My eyelids twitched violently as I writhed on the ground. No matter how I fought, the restraints cut deep, leaving me helpless.
Minutes dragged by. Sweat drenched my body, and my heart pounded like a drum in my chest.
Then suddenly, my phone rang.
“Mom?”
“Mom, I saw Dad!”
“Is Dad here to save me?”
Her soft, fragile voice flowed through the line.
“Mom, the bad man took away all our phone watches, but I hid mine secretly. He doesn’t know.”
“Mom, am I really smart?”
Hearing my daughter’s tender, childish voice, tears streamed down my face.
“Melanie, don’t let the bad man find out. Go hide in the corner, stay away from those explosives!”
I tried to comfort her, but fear consumed my mind.
Suddenly, silence fell on the other end. Then came the sound of children crying.
“Melanie?!”
“Melanie, what’s happening over there?!”
My chest felt as if it would burst open as I screamed in panic.
After what felt like an eternity, my daughter’s trembling voice returned.
“Mom, a kid got strangled to death by the bad man.”
“It was Auntie Cassidy’s daughter, Lyra. She said the bad man was crazy, a rapist, and then he suddenly went mad.”
“Mom, Dad is talking to him. He said he wants Lyra…”
“Why doesn’t Dad want me?”
Her innocent, naïve question left me speechless.
Ever since Cassidy’s daughter transferred into the kindergarten, Aidan had changed.
During the kindergarten sports day, he left me and our daughter behind to stay by Cassidy and her child’s side.
When the children at the kindergarten all caught the flu, he even took leave to be with Cassidy and her child.
I had argued with him, demanded answers, yet Aidan always spoke with the same calm tone.
“Cassidy and her daughter are alone in Rockville, with no relatives. It’s my duty to help them.”
Those words haunted me, echoing in my mind. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to stand.
“Melanie, don’t be afraid. Uncle is on his way to save you…” I whispered softly to comfort her.
Just then, the door was flung open.
“It’s her! She’s the one who ruined the negotiation rescue, she’s the reason your children died!”
Cassidy’s best friend pointed straight at me, accusing.
In an instant, several people rushed in, their faces wet with tears.
“Bitch! You murdered my son!”
“Why don’t you go die?!”
“You’ll pay with your life!”
