Chapter 4

Benjamin stared at me in disbelief.

He glanced impatiently at the divorce agreement and immediately tore it to shreds.

"Nonsense. Chelsea, I told you there's nothing going on between Melanie and me.

"You want to divorce me just because I donated sperm so she could have a baby? Even if you take this to court, the judge won't grant it.

"Besides, the doctor said back then that it'd be hard for you to get pregnant. So what if I had a child with someone else?

"Don't even think about it."

The child, Toby, took his hand, "Daddy, kindergarten, with Mommy."

Just like that, his whole demeanor changed.

Before taking Toby to school, Benjamin told me, "Think it over carefully. Do you want to keep making a good life together, or keep being stubborn? Either way, I've got plenty of time. I'm happy to wait you out."

Melanie gave me a meaningful look, but I didn't think much of it.

My mind was already made up. I was divorcing Benjamin.

While I packed my bags, I also pulled up the security footage from the bedroom.

It showed that the night before, they'd left Toby in the living room while the two of them were busy with each other for half the night.

So I saved the evidence, checked into a hotel, and rushed straight back to the office to file for divorce.

This time, my client was myself.

When I left work that evening, the second I stepped out of the building, camera flashes converged on my face.

Melanie knelt in front of me, sobbing, "Chelsea, please, where did you hide Toby? It's okay if you don't like me, but my son is my whole life. Can you get the kidnapper to give him back? I'm willing to trade my life for his."

Benjamin tenderly helped her up, then slapped me across the face.

Blood streamed from the corner of my mouth.

He shouted himself hoarse, "Chelsea, you're an attorney. Don't you know that conspiring with a kidnapper to abduct a child for ransom is a crime?

"All I did was take in a mother and her child. How could you be such a monster? Toby was perfectly fine this morning, and by this afternoon, he'd been kidnapped!"

I covered my red, swollen cheek. "This has nothing to do with me. I haven't left the office once today. If you don't believe me, ask my coworkers."

Benjamin barked, "Stop making excuses!

"I spoke with the kidnapper today. He knew our home address and all our personal information. He said someone had offered five million dollars to have Toby killed, and he's going to kill him tonight.

"Who else knows us that well and hates Melanie and Toby that much besides you?"

He grabbed me by the throat. "Tell me where Toby is right now, or don't blame me for forgetting we're married."

More and more onlookers gathered.

Melanie knelt down facing the cameras. "I'll be honest with all of you. Toby really is mine and Benjamin's. That's why Chelsea hates us so much.

"But it's only because my ex-husband can't have children, and Chelsea has trouble getting pregnant, so the two of us teamed up to have one.

"But no matter what, even if Chelsea is angry, she can't do this to my son. She might as well just kill me instead.

"All I ask is for everyone to help me and get me justice."

She banged her head frantically against the ground, and Benjamin immediately stopped her.

He kicked me in the knee, forcing me to kneel, then shoved my head down and slammed it against the ground over and over.

"You're not the one who should be groveling. She is. She needs to beg for forgiveness."

The onlookers shouted excitedly, "That's right! Down with the kidnapper! Down with child traffickers!"

"How disgusting. She's useless and can't have kids of her own, so she goes after someone else's."

"A jealous woman is a terrifying thing."

"A woman like her is nothing but a menace."

Someone picked up a rock off the ground and threw it at me.

The blow split my head open. Blood trickled from my forehead into my eyes, blurring my vision for a few seconds.

I never imagined that Benjamin, after all his years as an attorney and all the high-stakes situations he'd seen, could be so foolish that he didn't spot a single hole in her story.

But I had already seen through Melanie's scheme.

I gritted my teeth and stood up. "I'll tell you where the boy is."

The whole crowd fell silent, and the cameras zoomed in on my face.