LOGIN“Bomb...” I whispered.Vallen and I exchanged a glance.My eyes fell back on the device strapped tightly to Anna’s body. For several seconds, my mind refused to process what I was seeing. I could only stare at it, holding my breath and hoping there had been some mistake.But the small screen on its surface remained lit. The numbers continued to count down, as if warning me that if we were even a little too late, everything would be over.14:32My heart seemed to stop beating.“Don’t touch it!” Vallen warned me, grabbing my wrist.“What are we supposed to do?” My voice sounded foreign to my own ears. “We have to get this damn bomb off her before it’s too late, Vallen!”Vallen stared at the device strapped to Anna’s body, his face tense. “We don’t know what will happen if we try to remove it.”My chest tightened even more. “So we’re just supposed to sit here?”“No.” Vallen pointed at my phone. “Call the police. Quickly. I’ll check on Anna.”I immediately grabbed my phone.My fingers cou
Then where was he?Could I trust anything Eron said now?What if he was lying about Anna again?Those questions raced through my mind. The call had ended, and I sat on the sofa, running a hand through my already messy hair.Vallen placed a hand on my shoulder. “What happened? The search failed?”“The location didn't match the results. I think Eron took Anna somewhere else. I don't know where or why. That man has been a pain in the ass since high school!” I said, tugging at both sides of my hair.Eron had always been an asshole. Even back in high school, he was always looking for trouble. Whenever he got the chance, he would look for a way to gain an advantage, and now, by sheer coincidence, I had become his source of fortune.“Let's wait for now. If he doesn't contact you within a few hours after the news comes out, then he's lying. He's only using you,” Vallen advised.Although I agreed with him, waiting two or three hours felt unbearable. I took a shower and changed my clothes, whil
I didn't understand why Eron was doing this to me. But one thing was certain, he was my only hope of bringing Anna back now. Without wasting any time, I ordered Erwin to send the files to a trusted news station.“What if this is just a trick? We still don't know if he's actually with Anna or not,” Vallen remarked beside me.He pressed a towel filled with ice against the corner of his injured mouth. A servant had placed medicine on the table, while the others were busy preparing dinner. But I had no appetite whatsoever, especially knowing that Anna still hadn't come home.“I know, Vallen. That's why I ordered my men to track his phone signal right now,” I said as I exchanged messages with Eron, giving them enough time to trace his location.“You'll see the news in a few hours,” I typed in the chat.Eron replied almost immediately. “Good. Once the news is out, I'll tell you where Anna is.”Damn it!I ran a hand through my hair. The pressure in my chest was suffocating. In the past, when
“Anna?”I froze for a few seconds when I saw that the well was empty. Part of the wall appeared damaged, causing stones to tumble into the water with a fairly loud splash. I stepped back, wiping the sweat from my forehead.“What’s wrong?” Vallen came over.“I thought Anna was in here,” I said, peering down into the empty well. But when I noticed the reddish stain along the edge, my suspicion only grew stronger.Anna must have been put into this well, and someone had taken her away before we arrived.“Vallen, look at this. Is this blood?” I asked as Vallen immediately examined the red stain on the stone. He looked at me and nodded.“Anna must have been taken, but by whom?” I asked. Vallen looked just as confused as I was.Realizing our search had been futile, Vallen and I finally decided to leave.Inside the car, we sat in silence, still trying to process what had just happened. Our search had failed. Anna was nowhere to be found, and something cold slowly crept into my chest.What if
DYLAN“How could you leave my wife behind like that?” I shouted at them. My face burned with anger, while my hands trembled as I checked my phone again, hoping Erwin had found some kind of clue. But there was nothing.I paced back and forth inside the room Anna had been staying in, but now the woman was gone. I knew who was behind this, but at this moment, I had no idea where they were hiding Anna. I couldn't even reach Jessy.“Mrs. Anna said she wanted to meet a friend. So she told us to get her bag and buy her some coffee,” the guard who had been on duty explained.I immediately turned toward him. “A friend? Vallen?”“As far as I remember, his name was Vallen. He was the one who asked Mrs. Anna to meet him in the hospital lobby.”My brows immediately furrowed. Vallen had asked Anna to meet him?What for?I immediately called Erwin. He answered almost instantly.“Erwin, check whether Vallen is working at St. Maureen Hospital or not. I want the information as soon as possible,” I said
Slowly, I removed the gag from my mouth. I tried with all my strength to loosen the ropes around my hands, but I failed.I could only free the rope wrapped around my legs.For several minutes, I forced myself to calm down. Crying wouldn't get me out of this well, I reminded myself.My chest rose and fell rapidly. My lungs had to work even harder to draw in air that seemed to be growing thinner by the second. I looked around the narrow well, desperately searching for a way to climb out.This old well was probably only about thirty feet deep. The water had receded, and judging by how isolated this place seemed, I couldn't even hear a single car passing by. It felt impossible for anyone to hear me screaming, especially with the top of the well covered.The water rippled violently as I tried to shift my body toward the stone wall. I rubbed the rope binding my hands against a small protruding rock, hoping it would eventually snap. But the more I rubbed it, the more my hands became scraped
I didn't know how long I had been lying on the floor.When I woke up, my head was throbbing and my entire body ached. Slowly, I pushed myself upright and rubbed my face. When I looked down, I found several dried drops of blood on the floor.Not wanting to dwell on it, I got up and walked into the b
For nearly half the day, I lay in bed, curled up as I stared blankly through the open window. My body felt hot, and I was utterly exhausted even though I hadn't done anything physically demanding.Fortunately, Jessy wasn't home. She was probably working at her boutique. If she saw me lazing around
I stared at the food I'd prepared with a satisfied smile.The servants who hadn't bothered helping me all morning simply watched with amused expressions. Some of them had even started placing bets on what would happen to the dishes spread across the table.There were only two possibilities. They wo
"Anna, do you really think a pathetic stunt like this will make Dylan change his mind about divorcing you?" Lea sneered, her gaze sweeping over me with open judgment.I swallowed hard.A mocking smile curved her lips. "Do you honestly think Dylan has ever wanted you?"The question cut through my ch







