The Canto of Sin and LoveChapter 1
Two years after my best friend got married, she introduced me to her brother-in-law. She married the younger brother, a judge, and I married the older one, a renowned surgeon and team captain.
Eight months into my pregnancy, I was kidnapped.
The kidnapper used my phone to call my husband.
The line got disconnected seven times, and after each call, his patience wore thinner. Finally, he lost it and sent a hard kick straight to my stomach.
Pain erupted, twisting through me, and I broke into a cold sweat. A faint smear of red pooled beneath me on the floor.
One last attempt. This time, someone picked up on the other end:
“Winnie fell at the mall and is bleeding. Stop calling me, damn it! This isn’t about you vying for attention!”
When that threat didn’t work, the kidnapper’s frustration turned to fury. With a violent motion, he stabbed a knife right into my belly.
Just as I felt the end approaching, my best friend tracked me down through my phone’s location.
She saw me lying there in a pool of blood and quickly dialed her judge husband for help.
All she got was a message in reply: [Winnie’s in court. Do not disturb]
She tried to call the police, but there was no signal.
Unable to reach anyone, she dragged me to her car and tried to get us down the mountain.
But as luck – or fate – would have it, a landslide blocked the way.
We were trapped, rain pouring down and mud closing in.
It was a forest ranger who eventually found us, saving us from the brink of death.
When I came to, the first thought that crossed my mind was: divorce.
After confirming that my best friend had also made it through, I immediately messaged Ross, telling him I wanted a divorce.
Two days went by with no reply.
[Our baby is gone.] I finally messaged him.
That got his attention. For the first time, he called back.
“Maisie, is that what you do now? If I don’t respond, you threaten to hurt the baby?
“Didn’t I tell you to stay home and rest? You had to go off on these ridiculous whims, calling eight times when I didn’t answer, like some lunatic!
“There was a scene at the mall, Winnie was there, and she almost miscarried from the fright. How is anything more important than two lives?
“I’m warning you, don’t use the baby to manipulate me. If you want to get rid of it, do it! Just as you please.”