Chapter 2

The next day, I went to a tattoo shop to have the ink removed—to erase the last trace of Tasha from my body.

When the artist saw where the tattoo was, a flicker of sympathy crossed his face.

"It already hurts enough to tattoo over scar tissue," he said. "Removing it is like inflicting a second wound. Besides, laser removal will thin the scar even more. There's a real risk of infection. You should think this through carefully."

Back then, after my kidney transplant, I'd been afraid she might notice the surgical scar, so I had her name tattooed over it.

When Tasha found out, she'd happily poked at the tattoo. I endured the pain beneath the scar and pulled her into my arms, doting on her.

Now, faced with the artist's warning, I remained resolute.

Compared to the wound in my heart, this pain was nothing.

As I stepped out of the shop, Tasha called me.

I hesitated for a moment before answering.

Her furious voice exploded in my ear the instant the call connected.

"Thomas, I never thought you were such a despicable, shameless man! You act agreeable to my face, then pull tricks behind my back! Tell me—where did you take Nick?!"

I was completely baffled.

But her voice only grew louder.

"Don't play dumb with me! I saw you in the surveillance footage, tying Nick up and taking him away! You're getting back at him because I'm pregnant with his child, aren't you? I'm telling you—if a single hair on his head is harmed, you'll pay the price!"

After three years of marriage, she still didn't understand the kind of person I was.

I didn't bother arguing anymore. I hung up and quietly headed toward the hotel.

I hadn't gone far when a van screeched to a halt beside me.

A group of masked men in black jumped out. One blow knocked me unconscious, and they dragged me into the vehicle.

A bucket of ice-cold water jolted me awake.

The moment I opened my eyes, Tasha slapped me across the face.

"Thomas, you actually handed Nick over to a bunch of women fatter than pigs—how can you be so shameless?"

I denied it again and again.

"It wasn't me! I haven't seen him since I left the villa yesterday! If you don't believe me, you can ask—"

Before I could finish, she kicked me hard in the groin with her high heel.

"And you're still trying to argue at a time like this?! If Nick has been humiliated, I'll make you suffer twice as much!"

The searing pain made sweat pour down my body. I never imagined that the wife who had lived beside me day and night would strike me so ruthlessly.

Her best friend, Emily, appeared from a distance, supporting a disheveled Nick as they approached.

"Tasha, Nick told me on the way here—it was Thomas who had him kidnapped."

The moment Nick saw me, his face turned deathly pale.

"Thomas! I know you hate me, but the child in Tasha's womb is innocent. Do you really want that child to be born without a father?"

Tasha rushed over and wrapped him tightly in her arms.

"Nick, thank God you're okay. I thought I'd never see you again in this lifetime!"