When my mother-in-law, Margaret Chapman and I were kidnapped and tortured by Henry Larson’s enemies, he was on a date with his first love, Bethany Foster.
Hours later, the burglars grew irritated by Margaret’s relentless cries and tore out her corneas.
They dumped her, barely covered in tattered rags, at the bottom deck of a cruise ship—right in front of Henry, who was gently draping a coat over Bethany’s shoulders.
Henry’s gaze swept over Margaret, who was whimpering helplessly. Then, in a voice laced with cold amusement, he scoffed. “Classic Jessica. You actually convinced Mom to go along with your little act?”
Margaret’s mangled arms twitched with flesh and blood exposed as she gasped through the pain. “Henry… It hurts…”
…
This was the 18th hour since the burglars had begun their inhuman torture.
And yet, Henry—the man whose mere presence could send waves through Jensburg’s business world—was too busy securing a name for Bethany’s son.
The burglars had made so many ransom calls from my phone that it went dead.
And as the burglars realized no one was answering, one of them grabbed my fingers and snapped two of them backward without warning.
A sharp, unbearable pain shot through me before I was kicked, landing at Margaret’s feet. She was heartbroken and stared down at me in terror.
The lead burglar snarled, “Isn’t Henry supposed to be a man who loves his family? Then why isn’t he picking up your calls? These family photos must be fake, huh? You messing with us?”
As he finished his words, his boot crushed my body, making my ribs creak.
My heart seized, and blood gushed from my mouth and nose. Before I could even react, his filthy, jagged nails dug into my nostrils, yanking me forward.
His sneering laughter buzzed in my ears like a death knell.
“You’ve got two minutes. If no one picks up, this old woman—well, you’ll see.”
I grew up in a single-parent home. But after marrying into the Larson family, Margaret had loved me like her own daughter.
And now, she sat beside me, trembling violently as her face had turned ghostly pale.
A sharp, searing pain made me cough up more blood, but I had no choice.
I clutched my phone like a lifeline, and my voice shook as I repeatedly swore Henry would answer the phone.
I vowed to protect Margaret.
