“Good girl. Send me the details of the kidnappers, and I’ll deal with it. Five days. Be ready—I’ll pick you up.”
And then the call ended. I stared at the phone in my hand, my fingers trembling, my mind screaming at me to hang up, to change my mind, to run. But what choice did I have? Being with my enemy back in college was better than depending on the man who swore to love me, only to replace me.
My thoughts dragged me backward, to the years I had wasted. Back in college, I had been so foolish, so certain. I had fallen in love with Leandro first. My heart beat only for him. So when my father demanded I marry him to merge our families’ businesses, I didn’t even hesitate. I thought it was destiny—that he wanted me, too. For a time, it even felt true. He had been sweet, attentive, the perfect fiancé.
But that didn’t last. His true nature revealed itself slowly—whispers of late nights, lipstick-stained collars, excuses wrapped in lies. And then Nadine. My best friend. The betrayal was so sharp, I should have walked away then. But I stayed. Now I saw the price of my silence. And it was my daughter paying it.