The person is gone, leaving only heartbreak
Chapter 1
My stepson, Ethan, had been kidnapped.
The ransom demand? A million dollars.
They threatened to mutilate him if we didn’t pay.
And where was my husband, Mark?
At a freak show with his ex-wife.
A million dollars would save Ethan, but I hesitated to call Mark.
I remembered the last time this happened.
I’d rushed to the freak show, dragged Mark out, emptied our savings, and paid the ransom.
But while I was gone, his ex-wife, Jessica, had been snatched by human traffickers.
They turned her into a human skin kite.
After the police caught the traffickers, Mark held Ethan and me, saying it wasn’t our fault.
But on Jessica’s death anniversary, he skinned Ethan alive and chopped off my hands and feet.
“Does it hurt?” he’d screamed. “Do you know how much Jessica hurt? If you hadn’t made such a fuss, she wouldn’t be dead!”
This time, Mark and Jessica were finally enjoying their freak show.
Their biological son was performing in it.
The kidnappers had taken an entire kindergarten class hostage.
Every parent was there, except Mark.
“One million per kid,” the kidnapper’s voice boomed. “All or none, or nobody walks away.”
The familiar words snapped me back to reality.
I was reborn, back to the moment Ethan was taken.
……
My phone was already dialing Mark’s number.
“Why should I give you my bank account password?” he sneered. “That’s my and Jessica’s money. It has nothing to do with you.”
He hung up.
Just like last time.
“Did you get the ransom?” a frantic parent asked. “The kidnapper said they’ll kill all the kids if we don’t pay!”
Someone recognized me.
“That’s Mr. Walker’s wife,” they whispered. “Of course she has the money.”
“Ma’am, a million dollars is a lot,” another parent pleaded. “Could you lend me some? It’s just a word to your husband.”
I didn’t know what to say.
I didn’t have a million, or even a thousand dollars.
Before I could pay the ransom last time, Mark had changed the password to our joint account.
“I built this company with Jessica,” he’d said. “What does the money have to do with you?”
“I’ve given Jessica a supplementary card. Don’t use these cards anymore. I’m afraid it’ll upset her.”
“And today is my and Jessica’s wedding anniversary. I booked the entire freak show for her. Don’t bother us.”
It was also my birthday, but he’d rather celebrate his anniversary with his ex-wife than acknowledge me.
My jewelry box held three cheap bracelets, one for each birthday since our wedding.
As laughable as my marriage.
“Mom!” Ethan’s voice cried from the rooftop.
On the nights Mark worked late, it was just the two of us, the unloved ones, clinging to each other for warmth.
“Mom, when is Dad coming to save me?”
“Tell him not to worry, Ethan will be good.”
Poor kid. He didn’t know his dad was laughing and having a good time somewhere else.
I fought back tears, waiting for the police to arrive and take control.
“These kidnappers are organized and have a plan,” the lead officer explained. “The only way is to follow their demands and ensure the hostages’ safety.”
“Of course, we’ll also actively negotiate with them.”
After negotiations, the kidnappers agreed to extend the deadline.
Their new demand? The Beloved Pink Diamond.
My blood ran cold.
“The Beloved Pink Diamond?” a parent exclaimed. “Isn’t that the one Mr. Walker bought at auction for a hundred million? Where are we going to get that?”
Someone else spoke, their voice laced with suspicion.
“I remember Mr. Walker bought it. He said it was for his beloved.”
All eyes turned to me.
But I wasn’t Mark’s beloved.
He’d given the diamond to Jessica.
The police started to persuade me. Things are replaceable, people aren’t. Don’t be reluctant.
The parents’ patience wore thin.
“Why haven’t you given it to them yet?” one hissed. “Don’t tell me you don’t want to. I heard the kid is her stepson. Is she one of those wicked stepmothers?”
Their scorn and ridicule stung like slaps.
I took a deep breath to calm myself and handed over a phone number.
“The diamond is with my husband’s ex-wife,” I said. “This is her number.”
Everyone was stunned, then urged the police to call.
“Hello, this is the police,” the officer said. “Is this Ms. Jessica Miller? Your son has been kidnapped. We need the Beloved Pink Diamond to ransom him.”
Jessica scoffed.
“Is this some kind of prank by Laura?”
“Tell her that expensive diamond is way out of her league.”
Then her tone changed.
“Mark, honey, your wife is calling me, asking for the diamond.”
Mark’s voice roared through the phone.
“Laura, enough is enough! No matter how much you make a fuss, I won’t give you the diamond!”
In the background, Jessica cooed, “Don’t be so angry. Laura is young, she doesn’t know how deep our love is. It’s understandable that she’s jealous.”
“Jessica, you’re too kind.”
On the rooftop, the kidnappers, seeing the negotiations failing, cut the children’s arms.
“If you don’t pay up, I’ll start throwing them off the building!”
The children’s terrified screams and cries pierced the air.
My heart shattered.
I grabbed the phone.
“Mark, listen! It’s your son!”
Ethan cried, “Mom! Dad! Save me!”
But it was no use. Mark had already hung up.
I collapsed, numb with despair.
No one expected this.
Even the usually calm police officers were shaken.
“How can someone be so heartless? That’s his child…”
The rest of their words faded as Ethan’s cries filled my ears.
Because of his parents’ divorce, he’d always been a good boy.
Even with a 104-degree fever, he hadn’t complained.
But now…
“Mom, it hurts! My arm feels like it’s breaking!”
Every cut on him was a gash in my soul.
“Ethan, don’t be afraid! Mommy will save you!”
I ripped off my jade pendant, a family heirloom my mother had placed around my neck when I was born.
It was nothing compared to Ethan’s safety.
“Ms. Walker, please calm down,” the officer said, stopping me. “The kidnappers only accept cash. Even if you had a million, if the others don’t, the children won’t be released.”
He was right.
The only way was to find the diamond to buy time or raise enough money to ransom all the children.
And the only way to do that was to borrow from Mark.
“From now on, every half hour, I’ll throw a kid off the building!” the kidnapper yelled.
A little boy was pushed forward, trembling.
The police officer punched the wall in frustration.
The boy’s parents stared at me, their faces pale.
“It’s all your fault!” they screamed. “Why couldn’t it be your child who died first!”
They spotted the ring on my finger.
“The Beloved Pink Diamond! It’s on your hand!”
It wasn’t.
It was a crystal ring Ethan had given me for my birthday.
But they wouldn’t listen.
The mother grabbed me while the father snatched the ring.
My resistance was seen as cold-bloodedness.
“You have the diamond! Stop pretending!”
But their triumph was short-lived.
The kidnapper recognized the ring as a fake and, enraged, pushed the boy off the building.
“The Beloved Pink Diamond is a family heirloom! I’d recognize it anywhere!” he raged. “It was a non-selling exhibit in my family’s private museum. Jessica Miller forced us to sell it to her!”
“And Mark Walker! He threatened to kill us if we didn’t sell!”
I knew Mark showered Jessica with expensive gifts, but I never imagined he’d go this far.
The parents were furious.
“This is clearly revenge against Mark Walker!”
“He’s trying to win his ex-wife back, and our children are paying the price!”
The parents of the dead boy clutched his body, glaring at me.
“It’s all your fault! You can’t control your husband, and now we’re all suffering!”
Fists rained down on me.
The suffocating feeling of near-death brought back memories of my past life.
I’d rushed to the freak show, gotten the diamond, withdrawn the money, and saved Ethan.
But by the time I returned, half the children had been thrown off the building.
The enraged parents cyberbullied me, Mark gave me the cold shoulder, and Ethan and I lived a miserable life.
Later, Mark took his revenge, skinning me alive…
The father’s voice pulled me back to the present.
He said if I didn’t take them to Mark, they would beat me to death.
The police restrained the agitated parents.
On the roof, Ethan knelt, pleading, “Don’t hurt my mom! Mom, leave me! Run!”
“Mom! Go to the freak show and find Dad! He’ll save me!”
Silly boy, he still believed Mark would save us.
Hearing his hoarse voice, tears welled up in my eyes.
“Ms. Walker, where is the freak show?” the officer asked. “This is an important lead. If he doesn’t believe you, we’ll go find him ourselves.”
The kidnappers had lined the children up.
Every half hour, another young life would be extinguished.
I couldn’t hold back any longer. Trembling, I opened my phone.
“The location is on her social media.”
Jessica’s post was a photo of her and Mark, with the freak show in the background. She was leaning on his shoulder, showing off the pink diamond.
[Mark says the most beautiful diamond should go to the one you love most.]
The location tag was the freak show venue.
Further down were photos of piles of gifts.
Even after their divorce, Mark still prepared ninety-nine different gifts for her every anniversary.
Jessica had been a hands-off manager at the company, and after giving birth to Ethan, she’d left, claiming he wasn’t wealthy enough.
I was the one who’d helped him expand the company during its downturn.
But his heart belonged to Jessica.
He even used it against Ethan, saying Jessica left because she didn’t like children.
How could he do this to Ethan and me?
The officer took a picture of the location tag and handed me a walkie-talkie.
“Stay in contact,” he said. “If anything happens, let us know immediately.”
“Okay!” I looked at the uniformed officer, a flicker of hope igniting within me.
Maybe this time, the ending would be different.
I was wrong.
When the police arrived at the freak show, they found Mark was prepared.
A sign at the entrance read: “Laura and dogs not allowed.” Inside, countless bodyguards waited.
Not only did they fail to persuade Mark, but they were also thrown out as pranksters.
The walkie-talkie fell to the ground and Mark picked it up.
“Laura, you’re so manipulative! You’ll do anything to ruin my and Jessica’s anniversary!”
Anger surged through me, but before I could speak, Mark’s parents took the walkie-talkie. I’d called them when I couldn’t reach Mark.
“Mark,” his mother cried. “Laura is telling the truth! Please, son, give us the diamond!”
“And the bank account password,” his father pleaded. “Just lend it to us!”
Hearing his parents’ voices only enraged him further.
“All you do is complain to Mom and Dad!” he yelled.
Then, hearing other parents’ voices in the background, he accused me of infidelity.
“Where are you and Ethan? Why are there men’s voices?”
“So you’re cheating on me behind my back, and you’ve turned Ethan and my parents against me? You’re unbelievable!”
My heart sank.
Was this how he saw me?
Before I could explain, Jessica’s voice purred, “Mark, don’t be angry. You have me.”
The sound of passionate kissing followed.
“Jessica, I love you,” Mark murmured. “If it weren’t for that kid looking a bit like you, I wouldn’t have married her!”
“I shouldn’t have been swayed by my parents to marry her. I should have been braver when you got divorced.”
My heart turned to ash.
The walkie-talkie crackled with static, then a police officer’s voice broke through.
“Ms. Walker, what’s your situation?”
I finally noticed the rooftop.
The kidnappers had set up a livestream.
“Follow me, folks, and watch me kill these kids!”
He pushed a child off the building.
The child was from a single-parent family. His mother had died during childbirth, and his father had raised him single-handedly.
Now, witnessing his son’s lifeless body, the father succumbed to the pressure and slit his own throat.
I watched in horror, wishing it were me instead of these innocent children and parents.
Fighting back tears, I shared the livestream with Mark.
The only response was a red exclamation mark indicating he’d blocked me.
On the rooftop, the kidnappers pushed another child to the edge.
The sky was a cruel juxtaposition: Ethan trembling on one side, fireworks from the freak show exploding on the other.
Half an hour left.
An invisible clock ticked in my heart, each second a stab of pain.
Desperate, I forwarded the livestream to all our mutual contacts, including Jessica.
Ethan was her son.
A mother wouldn’t let her child die, right?
I was wrong again.
A second later, Jessica sent a voice message.
“That brat deserves to die! I’m his real mother, but he always sided with you!”
“I can’t wait to see Mark blame you after the kid dies. It’ll be so much fun!”
My heart froze.
Mark, having seen the livestream somewhere, called.
“Laura, what a show! You even made a video like this to scare Jessica? You’re quite the actress.”
The livestream showed Ethan being held hostage, asked for his last words.
“I want to see Dad,” he whispered. “Dad, save me…”
His voice echoed through the rooftop speakers, tearing at my ears.
Mark must have heard it too.
I switched to video call, holding up the phone.
“This is your son! Don’t you care?”
Hesitation flickered across his face.
“Still acting?”
A mutual friend burst into the frame.
“Mark, did you see what Laura sent?”
It backfired.
Mark punched his friend.
“If it weren’t for you, I almost believed her! Why does Laura always tell you everything first? Was that you talking on the walkie-talkie earlier?”
His friend was stunned.
“Mark, what are you talking about? Aren’t those your son and wife?”
“You’re still acting!”
“Laura and I are busy with work. You attended Ethan’s parent-teacher meetings and took my parents to the hospital. I was so blind! I just realized what you’re up to!”
His friend, who had been with him since the start-up, even through the company’s tough times, looked at him like he was seeing him for the first time.
As Mark’s accusations escalated, I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Mark, even if you hate me, don’t take it out on others!”
“You just want me to divorce you and give you the password. I’ll take my share and leave you and Jessica alone!”
Mark scoffed.
“I think it’s more like leaving you and your lover alone.”
In front of all the parents, he continued his tirade on video.
“Look at this slut! She’s shameless! Not only is she acting, but she’s also corrupted my child and parents!”
On the rooftop, Ethan, seeing Mark on the phone, pleaded, “Is Dad coming to save me?”
I didn’t know what to say.
Now that Mark had heard Ethan’s voice, he launched into a vicious verbal attack on his son.
Ethan, sensing my distress, his eyes lost their light.
“Dad doesn’t want me anymore, does he?”
When we got married, Mark had sworn to prioritize Ethan and me.
He’d thanked me for giving Ethan a complete family and told Ethan not to bully me because I was his stepmother.
But now, the only one bullying me was Mark.
During countless lonely nights, even Ethan couldn’t bear to see my sadness.
“Mom, don’t be sad,” he would say. “When I grow up, I’ll take good care of you.”
The video call ended.
At the same time, the kidnappers lost their patience.
They threw the children off the building one by one, but deliberately kept Ethan.
Holding a knife to Ethan’s throat, they demanded a car.
I immediately threw them my car keys.
The kidnappers drove off.
The police and I followed, clinging to the hope of rescuing the remaining children.
But the car in front suddenly threw something heavy at us.
It was Ethan’s limbs.
An hour later, the freak show’s grand finale began.
Mark, flushed and kissing Jessica, looked at the stage and froze.
“Don’t you think that boy in the jar looks a little like Ethan?”
