Chapter 6
Noelle stood outside the ward, feeling her blood run cold drop by drop.
So, Hector knew. He knew how much she and Ian loved him—that was why he wasn’t afraid to trample all over them.
She clenched a fist around the bag of medication she held as her heart sank into an abyss.
Hector was wrong. This time, she and Ian would disappear from his life forever. He would never be able to find them.
1/1
On the day Ian was discharged from the hospital, Noelle held his hand as they walked home.
He looked up at her and asked, “Mommy, when are we leaving?”
She rubbed his head. “Once I’m done with the remaining—”
A van screeched to a stop before them before she could finish. The door opened, and two masked men jumped out. They clamped their hands over Noelle’s and lan’s mouths before yanking them into the van.
Noelle struggled to break free, but the man holding her karate–chopped the back of her neck, making her black out.
When she woke up, she found herself and Ian bound before a cliff.
L
“Finally awake, huh?” The lead abductor crouched and tilted her head up with a knife. “Call your rich husband and tell him to prepare 50 million dollars in ransom.”
Noelle’s throat was dry. “He won’t do it.”
“Don’t bullshit with me!” He slapped her. “You’re his wife, and you gave him a son! There’s no way he won’t pay up!”
“1
Blood trickled from the corner of Noelle’s mouth. She said hoarsely, “We’re about to be divorced, and he doesn’t care about us.‘ “As if!” He grabbed Ian and pressed a needle to his finger. “Refusing to call, are we? I’ll show your son what true pain is like, then!” “No, don’t! I’ll do it!” Noelle screamed.
ཚ ཛ ༀ འ ཚེ
She dialed Hector’s number, and the call went through. It rang a few times before being rejected.
ل الله الله الله
(
lan screamed as the needle was pressed into his finger. His face turned ashen, and he wailed at the top of his lungs. “Mommy, save me!” Noelle’s heart broke, and she struggled with all her might. “Please, stop! I’ll call him again!”
–
She called Hector a second time, a third time… a tenth time. Each time the call was rejected, the abductor would prick Ian’s fingers with a needle. Ian fainted from the pain before being rudely awakened by a pail of cold water.
Hector finally answered the call on Noelle’s 11th attempt. She cried brokenly, “Hector, Ian and I have been abducted, and they want 50 million dollars in ransom. If you don’t pay, they’ll-”
“Haven’t you had enough of this?” Hector cut her off coldly. “Have you resorted to hiring people to put on a show with you now? When did you become so unscrupulous, Noelle?”
She was horrified. “It’s not an act! Ian is-
“I told you I’m bankrupt.” He sneered. “I don’t have any money. Try something else if you want me to come home.”
Even the abductors couldn’t take it anymore. The leader snatched the phone and said, “I’ll kill them both if you don’t bring me the money, Mr. Yarrow! Your wife and kid are dead meat!”
Hector fell silent for a few seconds. Then, Lindsey’s voice rang out. “Hector, Micah wants to get ice
cream…”
Hector’s voice instantly became gentle. “Alright. I’ll bring him out right now.”
He turned back to the phone, his tone cold and aloof again. “I don’t have time for this shit. Since you guys insist on playing this game, go ahead and kill
them.”
He hung up without another word.
