10: His Wife Or His Lover?
Ash stood there, looking between me and Kate. His face was pale, his hands. trembling slightly as he looked around with. confusion and surprise on his face.
He turned to the kidnappers, “What do you want?” Ash demanded, his voice firm but cracking just enough to betray his
unease.
One of the kidnappers sneered, leaning against the wall with a smug expression.
“What do we want?” he repeated mockingly. “You should’ve thought about that before you made enemies. But honestly, we should‘ ve taken Kate from the start. Would‘ ve saved us some trouble.”
Ash’s eyes darted to Kate, who
whimpered and as she looked into his
eyes.
He then looked back at me. His eyebrows pressed together, he seemed to be more confused but he stayed silent.
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Another kidnapper, his grin wide and malicious, turned to me. “And you. Poor thing,” he said, shaking his head in mock pity. “You called him so many times, didn’t you? But he didn’t bother picking up. Not even once.”
Ash’s face froze, his eyes widening slightly as he turned to me. “Astrid…” he started, his voice barely a whisper.
I laughed bitterly, my head shaking. “It’s true,” I said, locking eyes with him. “I called you over and over, Ash. But you were too busy. Too busy with her,” I added, gesturing toward Kate. “I’m not. surprised. Just… disappointed. So much more disappointed than I ever thought I could be.”
He flinched, his gaze dropping to the floor. For the first time, I saw something resembling shame on his face, but it was far too late for that.
“Enough of this chit chat!” One of the kidnappers snapped, rolling his eyes.
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“We’ll make it simple for you, lover boy. We’ll let one of them go.”
“And the other?” Ash asked, his voice shaky now.
The man smirked. “Well, let’s just say revenge has its price.”
Ash’s eyes darted between me and Kate, panic creeping into his expression. “No,” he said firmly. “You‘ 11 let them both
- go.
The kidnappers laughed, their eyes glinted with cruel amusement as their mocking laugh echoed through the room. “Both? That’s not how this works. You choose. The wife or the mistress.”
For a moment there was silence. The words dawned heavily on Ash and I saw Ash‘ s face twist in confusion.
“I…” He hesitated, his hands curling into fists. “I have to save Astrid for my best friend and Amelia’s sake,” he finally
said, his voice low but decisive. “There are
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never going to be happy if I didn’t save Astrid…”
For the briefest moment, a spark of something stirred in my chest. Was this it? Would he actually choose me for once?
But then, one of the kidnappers yanked Kate’s arm angrily, causing her to cry out in pain.
Ash’s head snapped toward Kate the moment she whimpered, clutching her injured arm, Ash‘ s resolve shattered. He threw the money at them without a second thought and said, “Let her go.
My heart stopped.
The kidnappers exchanged a glance, then burst into laughter. “That was fast,” one said, shaking his head in mock disbelief.
I froze, disbelief crashing over me like a tidal wave. *Let her go?*
Ash turned to look at me,
look at me, “This is your fault. You shouldn’t have gotten into
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trouble.”
I laughed. It wasn‘ t joy, nor sarcasm, it was the kind of laugh that comes when the world crumbles, and you can’t decide whether to scream or cry.
I was kidnapped just because he had gone against them in a case and made their boss imprisoned. Now, I had to face the consequences?
“My fault?” I echoed, my voice trembling but steady. “I was kidnapped because of you, Ash! It was because of you!” I yelled at him.
He didn’t reply. Instead, he turned and walked toward Kate, who clung to him like a lover I thought I’d once been.
The kidnappers‘ laughter pulled me back to my grim reality. “Poor thing,” one sneered. “Your husband chose the mistress over you. Some poor love story.”
Their mocking words stung more than the bruises and cuts on my body. “Pathetic,”
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another jeered, stepping closer. Their intent was clear in their leering gazes, and fear clawed at me.
But amidst the chaos, something inside me. snapped. I gritted my teeth, straining against the ropes binding me to the chair.
When they reached out, I didn’t hesitate. With every ounce of strength I had left, I wrenched free from the restraints. The adrenaline coursing through me dulled the pain as I fought back, shoving them away with everything I had.
“Stop that bitch!
“Don’t be stupid bitch!”
Their curses and shouts echoed behind me as I made a run for the open window. My heart pounded wildly in my chest, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.
The last thing I saw before I leaped was Ash standing in the distance, his arms wrapped protectively around Kate, his face. filled with concern, for her.
