My Parents Neglected Me Until I Died Novel by yueji

Book 2: Our Child Was Kidnapped, Yet He Saved His Lover’s Child

While I was on a business trip, I received the shocking news that my daughter had been kidnapped. Just as I was about to pay the ransom, my husband called.

“Monica’s been kidnapped! Give me all the money you have so I can save her!”

I hurriedly transferred all the money to Tom. But after getting off the plane, I received another call from the kidnappers: “You didn’t pay the ransom. Get ready to collect the body!”

I was stunned. Didn’t Tom use the money to rescue Monica?

At the same time, my husband’s friend, Betty, updated her social media and tagged him.

“Julie is safe, thanks to you.”

The photo showed Tom carrying Betty’s daughter in one arm and embracing Betty tightly as they emerged from the abandoned factory, appearing heroic.

Devastated, I called him: “Tom, why did you use Monica’s ransom money to save someone else’s daughter?”

“I’m sorry. It was actually Julie who was kidnapped. I couldn’t just leave them, so I lied to you to get the money.

“Betty and her daughter are in shock. They’re not doing well. I’ll apologize to you and Monica later. We’ll talk then.”

Tom hung up before I could tell him that our daughter had also been kidnapped. He would never see her again!

By the time I arrived at the abandoned factory, all I found was my daughter’s bloodied corpse.

The police sighed and said, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Jones, but your daughter was raped before she died. We’ve collected DNA evidence and will do our best to catch the kidnappers.”

I held my daughter’s broken body, trembling uncontrollably.

I could have paid part of the ransom and saved Monica’s life, but I chose to trust Tom.

Staring at my daughter’s blood–soaked body in my arms, I was overcome with grief, to the point where it was hard to breathe.

All of this tragedy could be traced back to the day I accepted Tom’s pursuit when we were still in school.

In high school, I was a top student, someone everyone admired. Tom was just one of many suitors.

He chased me from high school to college, and eventually, I was moved by his persistence. I gave up the attention of wealthy and successful men to be with this poor boy.

As long as Tom pursued me, Betty was always by his side.

Betty was a troublemaker–plain–looking, always at the bottom of her class, calling boys her brothers, and notorious for breaking up couples.

Back then, even though Tom was great, I was far better than him. Everyone admired him for being able to capture my heart, so I never saw Betty as a threat.

On the day Tom proposed to me, he made sure Betty, his closest friend, was there to witness it.

I’ll never forget the moment the ring slid onto my finger. Betty’s cold, jealous gaze locked onto mine, and she silently formed the words with her lips, directed at me.

“You’ll pay for stealing Tom from me!”

The twisted expression on Betty’s face from that memory overlapped with the mutilated face of my daughter before me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

If I had known the price would be losing Monica, I would have handed Tom back to her without hesitation!

I cradled Monica in my arms and prepared to leave that horrible place.

Just as I stood up, darkness swallowed me, and I fainted.