Chapter 1
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When a kidnapper pointed a gun at my sister’s head, my fiancé was worried sick.
He pushed me toward the kidnapper, “Can we switch hostages?”
“I’m sorry,” he turned to me, “Your sister’s carrying my baby.”
Six months later, I escaped from the kidnapper and returned home with a baby bump.
My fiancé completely lost it, “Whose baby are you carrying?!”
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I thought I knew Leland so well. After all, we were childhood
sweethearts. Ever since he was a kid, he promised that he would marry me when we grew up.
So, I never expected that one day, he would tell me that my 19–year–old half–sister, Tamia, was pregnant with his baby. To make things worse, he even asked me to take Tamia’s place ast the hostage.
I couldn’t believe it. I stared at Leland like a complete idiot and blurted out, “You’re joking, right?”
He clenched his jaw and didn’t say a word.
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The kidnapper chuckled. “Even I can tell he’s not.”
He then lit up a cigarette and pointed at Leland. “So, who’s gonna be the hostage then?”
Leland turned away, refusing to even look at me.
The harsh truth hit me like tons of bricks.
Was he still the Leland I used to know?
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He told me again and again that he would marry me. He used to cherish me and treat me like treasure.
But today, he wouldn’t even spare me a glance.
Instead, he gazed at Tamia, concern in his eyes, urging her to stay calm for the sake of their baby.
Then Leland looked at me. “Glinda, I will bring you home. Just hold on a little longer. The child is innocent.”
He turned to the kidnapper. “Keep her as a hostage, and let me take Tamia back. If not, you won’t get a dime from me.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I gazed at Leland’s handsome face. I used to be captivated by his looks and charms. But now, all I felt was despair. I still couldn’t believe he’d become so heartless.
I had no other choice.
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“I can be the hostage,” I said.
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Leland looked at me, his eyes devoid of any affection. In that moment, I was sure that he no longer loved me, or even cared about me. He gave all his love and care to Tamia.
I sniffled, trying to hold back my tears.
“But, can you tell me when you and Tamia got together?” I closed my eyes, racking my brain for memories. “Was it when I had that accident and called you? You said you were in at meeting, but… you sounded out of breath. Or maybe on my birthday? I noticed those red marks on your neck. You said they were mosquito bites but wouldn’t let me see them up close, or…”
Tears streamed down my face, and I continued, “You used to go with me to the cemetery every year on the anniversary of my mother’s death. But this year, you ignored my calls for twelve hours straight! I should have suspected something was wrong…!”
Yet, I didn’t doubt him even once.
He was my childhood sweetheart, the boy I grew up with, and the man I loved with all my heart.
Little did I know that he would have an affair with Tamia, my own half–sister.
Tamia was my father’s illegitimate daughter, born from his affair with a woman named Sheila. Unfortunately, my mother,
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Delilah, died of a broken heart because of Tamia’s existence.
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After my mother’s death, Tamia and Sheila moved into our house. From that moment on, it felt like my father had shifted his attention and affection entirely towards Tamia. He showered her with expensive jewelry, gave her the best house in town, and treated her like a princess.
Perhaps noticing I wasn’t happy about it, my father tried to console me.
“Glinda, please don’t be angry. I wasn’t there for Tamia when she grew up, but you have me all the time. I just want to make up for my past mistakes…”
I couldn’t help but sneer to myself. He seemed to have forgotten the fact that Tamia was his illegitimate child, and it was normal for her to have grown up without a father.
To make amends, my father donated money to a university to ensure Tamia’s enrollment. He even transferred the company’s shares to her.
Sheila even took over my mother’s old rooms, wore her jewelry, and socialized with her former friends. Even the household servants began treating me differently, as if I were no longer a part of the family.
Every time I told Leland about it, he would hold me in his arms, assuring me, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll marry you. Then, all these people will know how important you are, including Sheila and Tamia.”
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I truly believed we would be together forever.
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But things took a turn when Tamia started playing the pity card in front of him.
When Leland was around, she often fainted. Her face would be red and sweaty, but she would bite her lips and act tough.
Too often, Tamia pointed at the designer clothes I was wearing and asked Leland about the brands. Whenever she asked him that, she would act like a pitiful little rabbit. And she would tell him that she had a hard life when she was young, so she knew nothing about designer clothes.
On top of that, I often caught her exposing the scratches on her arms, but then hurriedly covering them up like she didn’t mean to show them.
Leland couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked her how she got those scratches. She cried in his arms, telling him how kids bullied her for having no father, and that she would feel better after hurting herself.
At first, Leland got stiff all over, his hand hanging in the air. But then, he patted her back gently, soothing her with a soft tone.
As I snapped out of my memories, I saw the two of them walking away from me.
They looked certain that the kidnapper would never let me go, and I would be out of their sights for good.
