Chapter 5
Shane didn’t believe anything had happened to me. He slammed the car door shut and dialed my number again, only to hear the automated message saying my phone was turned off.
He opened WhatsApp. The first chat pinned to the top of his list was Amber’s. I noticed he had saved her contact with a nickname followed by a heart emoji.
For years,
replaced contact had been pinned at the top of his list. Two years ago, I discovered he had
with Amber.
The man who used to impatiently call her “little pest” had gradually changed his tone to affectionately address her as “Abbie“.
When I asked about the change in his pinned contacts, there was a flash of guilt in his eyes. He came up with some lofty excuse, even accusing me of being petty and overbearing.
Since Amber returned to the Schultz family three years ago, she had relentlessly targeted me. With her masterful acting skills, she managed to turn my parents and brother against me, convincing them I was the villainous older sister.
I thought Shane was different. We grew up together. No one knew me better than he did. However, without my noticing, he had changed too. He started looking at me the same way everyone else did.
The signs were there all along–Shane had drifted far away, but I stubbornly clung to the past.
Shane scrolled quickly through his WhatsApp messages, struggling to find my name amid the flood of texts from friends and family who were checking on him after his dramatic wedding escape. Finally, he found my profile picture and opened the chat.
Inside were two messages–a location and the last message I ever sent him.
“Shane, we need to talk.”
He stared at the screen, frozen for a long moment. Then, he hit the voice message button.
“Allison, where are you? I told you to stop playing games. We’re married now! Why do you always have to make things difficult for Abbie? Do you know how upset she was yesterday? If you come back now, I’ll let what happened last night slide.”
After sending the messages, he tossed his phone aside.
Through the rearview mirror, his assistant, Devon Wright, noticed the fatigue and faint worry etched on his face.
Trying to ease the tension, Devon said, “Mr. Lundberg, Mrs. Lundberg has always been a reasonable person. Even when you left her at the wedding yesterday, she didn’t lash out. I don’t think she would make a joke serious enough to involve the police. Maybe we should try
Chap 5
to find her?”
“You think you know her so well?”
“No, Mr. Lundberg. I just think she’s been through a lot.”
“A lot?” Shane let out a cold laugh.
Then, he sneered. “That woman loves putting on a show, pretending to garner sympathy, Fine, if you’re so free, gather some people to search Riverside. Let’s see if you can fish her body out of the water.”
When someone started to resent you, there was no point asking why. Every reason you could think of would only confirm their feelings.
I had long suspected Shane’s heart had changed. From his disdain for Amber to the way he now brought her up in seven out of every ten sentences, I knew things were different.
He remembered her preferences, her favorite foods. When he traveled, he brought back gifts.
for her in addition to mine.
Then, six months ago, Shane went abroad to inspect a project.
A sudden earthquake caused landslides, and I immediately booked a flight to be by his side, but Amber had hidden my passport and visa.
Unable to leave the country, I found later that she had boarded a plane that same day.
Desperately, I risked illegal passage across the Serenity Ocean, only to encounter a tsunami. If not for a kind stranger, I would have drowned.
When I finally made it back alive, overjoyed to return to him, Amber accused me of taking a luxury cruise for leisure.
I tried to explain about the passport, but she pulled open a drawer in front of everyone, revealing my passport neatly placed inside, making me look like a liar.
However, Shane refused to listen and lashed out at me with harsh words.
Looking at the man who had become a stranger, I decided to end it all.
“Shane, let’s break off the engagement.”
“Are you joking?” He frowned, looking displeased.
I spoke calmly. “I’ve done everything I can for this relationship. I don’t want us to go from supporting each other to hating each other. Let’s end it before it gets worse.”
When he realized I was serious, a flicker of panic appeared in his eyes. From that day on, he made promises to me and vowed to cut ties with Amber.
He showered me with gifts and organized an extravagant proposal, throwing himself into
preparations for our wedding. I thought I was finally going to be happy.
Three months ago,
after a drunken night, we were intimate, and I discovered I was pregnant.
I was excited to share the good news with him, but then Amber manipulated the situation again–this time by staging a fall down the stairs.
Shane rushed over in anger, cradling her in his arms. When I tried to explain, he shoved me to the floor without hesitation.
That was when I realized the happiness I thought I had was only an illusion. The fragile peace between us shattered with the slightest blow.
He always believed Amber, no matter the lack of evidence.
The pain from his push caused me to pass out. When I woke up, the doctor informed me that the pregnancy was at risk.
While I stayed in the hospital to secure my child, I heard through Devon that Shane was busy with a major project. Even though he knew I was hospitalized, he never came to see me.
But I no longer cared about him. The only thing that mattered to me was this child. I was determined to keep my baby safe.
But then Amber came to my hospital room. She painted vivid, disgusting pictures of Shane kissing her, holding her, caressing her….
My stomach churned, and I felt a warm, wet sensation spreading beneath me. Too weak to reach the call button, I called out for the doctor.
I stumbled out of bed, desperate to protect my baby no matter what. But when I looked back at the sheets, the sight of bright red blood froze me in place.
Pain racked my body, and cold sweat poured down my face. Step by step, I moved toward the door, blood trailing behind me.
I didn’t care about the pain–my mind clung to one thought–my baby… I had to save my baby.
But before I could reach the door, darkness consumed me, and I collapsed to the ground.
Chop &
