Ignored Kidnapping, The Abandoned Daughter

When I was kidnapped, my fianc and my brother ignored my pleas for help.

They chose to spend the night celebrating my stepsister's birthday instead.

Gia, when did you get so pathetic? Do you really think you're in a movie? Stop faking a kidnapping for attention, they sneered.

Then, they hung up the phone.

As the kidnappers prepared to end me, I broke free from my zip ties and jumped into the freezing river to escape.

After surviving that nightmare, I finally gave up on them. I chose to leave.

But suddenly, they were the ones who were sorry.

After dragging myself out of the river, a kind stranger helped me call the police.

Once the statement was filed, the officers drove me home.

As I reached the front door, the sound of laughter and music drifted out.

My own brother and my fianc were busy celebrating Sienna's birthday.

I looked at Sienna in her expensive designer dress, then at my own torn, muddy clothes.

I couldn't help but let out a bitter, dry laugh.

The sound caught everyone's attention inside the foyer.

"Gia? You're back?" Sienna asked, faking a look of shock. She pointed at my filthy dress and covered her nose.

"Gia, if you wanted attention, you didn't have to try this hard. You look like a disgusting beggar. It's actually making me sick."

As soon as she spoke, the two men who had looked shocked by my state immediately changed their expressions. Their faces twisted with disgust.

"Gia, I thought you said you were kidnapped? What happened? Did the act fail, so now you're back to play the victim?"

I was covered in bruises. My hair and clothes were soaking wet. Anyone with eyes could see I was hurt.

But because of one word from Sienna, they assumed I was faking it.

My nose stung with tears. I clenched my fists, trying my best not to let them fall.

"Gia, please don't do something this stupid again. We were all so worried about you," Sienna said.

She walked over and tried to grab my hand.

I didn't move an inch, but she suddenly collapsed onto the floor. She took the massive birthday cake down with her.

"Gia! You it's okay if you push me, but how could you ruin my cake? Do you really hate me that much?"

Sienna's eyes turned red as she looked up at me with a pout.

Before I could even open my mouth, my brother, Jax, lunged forward. He slapped me across the face with everything he had.

"Gia! You come back just to cause trouble? Can't you stand to see Sienna happy for even one second?!"

His cold voice cut through my heart like a blade. I touched my throbbing, swollen cheek, and the tears finally hit the floor.

In all the years we had grown up together, Jax had never laid a hand on me.

Once, I accidentally broke his favorite vintage watch, and he didn't even raise his voice.

But now, he was hitting me for Sienna.

Maybe my expression was too haunting, because a flash of regret crossed Jax's face.

However, it was quickly replaced by cold indifference.

Meanwhile, Landon, the fianc who once promised to love me forever, was tenderly pulling Sienna into his arms.

That gentle look on his face used to belong only to me.

"Why are you even talking to her? Gia, get on your knees and apologize to Sienna right now, or we're done," Landon said.

He looked at me with pure annoyance.

I stared back at him, unable to believe what I was hearing.

He wanted me to kneel?

We grew up together. He knew better than anyone how much I valued my pride.

Yet, he was demanding I kneel to Sienna.

"I didn't do anything wrong. I'm not apologizing for anything!"

Landon's face darkened. His voice turned icy.

"First you lie about being kidnapped, then you attack Sienna and ruin her party. You still think you're innocent?"

"Honestly, I wish you really had been kidnapped and stayed gone. At least then you wouldn't be here ruining our lives!"

Hearing such hateful words from the person I loved most made it hard to breathe.

But they weren't finished with me yet.

Jax grabbed my wrist while kicking the back of my knees.

Caught off guard, I slammed forward onto the floor. I ended up on my knees right in front of Sienna's smug face.

The pain in my knees was the final straw. Twenty years of love and family turned into ash in that moment.

I scrambled up, breaking free from their grip like a madwoman.

The family, the loveDI didn't want any of it anymore.

2.

"Gia, stay right where you are!"

"If you walk out that door today, don't you ever think about coming back!"

Jax grabbed my arm, his voice vibrating with suppressed rage.

I gave him a self-deprecating smile and pried his fingers off me, one by one.

"Don't worry. I'm never coming back."

This place hadn't been my home for a long time.

Jax opened his mouth to say more, but Landon let out a cold snort from the side.

"Let her go, Jax. It's just another one of her games to get attention. I don't know who taught her to be so manipulative."

"Let her leave. It'll be better for Sienna anyway. Once she struggles out there on her own, she'll come crawling back crying for help."

Hearing that, the flicker of worry in Jax's eyes turned into pure irritation.

I knew they wouldn't stop me again.

But the moment I turned my back, the tears started falling like a storm.

The physical pain and the emotional trauma finally took their toll. My vision blurred, and I collapsed the moment I stepped outside the estate.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed.

The nurse checking my IV smiled at me. "Where are those two handsome guys who usually come with you? They aren't here this time?"

She was talking about Jax and Landon.

The last time I was here was six months ago.

I had a severe case of food poisoning back then.

As soon as they heard, both of them dropped their business meetings and rushed to the hospital. They stayed by my side all night without sleeping.

The story spread through the hospital. Everyone knew I had a brother who adored me and a fianc who treated me like a queen.

But now, that love belonged to someone else.

The nurse saw my silence and realized something was wrong, so she stopped asking.

I watched the cold medicine drip into my veins and drifted into a feverish sleep.

I dreamed of the past.

Sienna was my stepsister who moved in six months ago when her mother married my father.

At first, both Jax and Landon hated her.

They said she was trying to steal what belonged to me and even tried to kick her out.

But slowly, something changed. They started accepting her, and then they started choosing her over me.

When I noticed the shift, I panicked. I cried and threw fits, trying to get them back.

But the men who used to hate seeing me cry started scolding me instead.

"Gia, stop being so dramatic. You're the heiress of this family. You've had everything since you were a baby. Sienna has nothing but us!"

The two people I trusted most had joined Sienna's side.

Twenty years of history were wiped out by a girl who had been here for six months.

It was a joke.

If they didn't want me, then I didn't want them either.

3.

I was startled awake by a loud crashing sound.

I opened my eyes to see the hospital door being kicked open. Landon walked in with a face made of stone.

"Gia, stop faking it. Get up now!"

Before I could react, he grabbed me and hauled me out of the bed.

The IV needle was still in my arm. The sudden yank caused a sharp, white-hot pain to explode in my wrist.

Blood started seeping out from under the tape, staining my hand.

Landon didn't even glance at the blood.

"Sienna has been emotionally unstable since you caused that scene yesterday. The doctor said she needs to stay for observation."

"This is your fault, Gia. You're going to her room right now to take care of her. Consider it your penance."

I looked at him, wanting to laugh through the pain.

Sienna's excuse was so pathetic, yet they fell for it every single time.

It was hilarious.

"I'm not going! If she's sick, hire a nurse. Why the hell should I do it?!"

My voice broke. I was becoming hysterical.

I couldn't understand how two people who loved each other so much ended up like this.

Landon frowned and ripped the IV needle out of my hand himself. He started dragging me toward the door.

"Gia, we didn't raise you to be this cruel to family. You're going, whether you like it or not!"

The commotion drew a crowd in the hallway. Nurses and security guards came running.

"Mr. Landon, this is a hospital! Let go of her immediately or we're calling the police!"

Landon clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Right then, Jax appeared with a squad of bodyguards.

"My sister is having a mental breakdown. She's not fit to be here," Jax stated coldly.

The bodyguards surged forward and pinned me down.

I fought with everything I had, but it was useless.

The onlookers didn't know what was happening, and the security guards hesitated.

The Jaxson Group owned 70% of this hospital's shares. Crossing Jax meant losing your jobDor worse.

The crowd began to disperse, and I felt the last bit of hope die.

Jax gripped my chin, his eyes full of malice.

"See this, Gia? Nobody is going to help you."

"If you don't start behaving, I'll have you committed to a state asylum. You'll never see the sun again."

I closed my eyes. Tears of pure despair rolled down my cheeks.

When I spoke, my voice was hollow.

"Fine I'll do it"

4.

I was shoved into Sienna's private suite.

When she saw me, her eyes gleamed with triumph, but she quickly put on a fake pout.

"I didn't mean for them to force you, Gia. You aren't mad at me, are you?"

I stared at her blankly. I felt nothing.

Jax frowned and grabbed a handful of my hair, jerking my head back.

"Stop acting like a corpse. Sienna is talking to you. Can't you hear her?"

"Letting you take care of her is the most merciful punishment you could get. You should be thanking her."

I could only offer a bitter smile.

They forced me, while I was sick and injured, to be Sienna's servant, and they expected me to be grateful?

How low did they think of me?

"Don't bother talking to her," Landon scoffed. "You know how she is. She was a stutterer as a kid, and she's a mute now."

The words felt like a bucket of ice water being dumped over me. I froze in place.

It was trueDthe people who know you best know exactly where to twist the knife.

I had a speech impediment when I was young. I couldn't speak clearly until I was almost eight.

The other kids called me "G-G-Gia" and bullied me constantly.

Back then, Jax and Landon were the ones who protected me. They used their fists to drive away anyone who mocked me.

They promised to stay by my side forever and never let anyone hurt me.

Now, they were the ones ripping the scabs off my oldest wounds.

Sienna giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Gia was really a stutterer? That is so funny."

Landon looked at her with such tenderness, but his words for me were pure venom.

"It was hilarious. She couldn't even put a sentence together. She looked like an idiot."

"I still have the videos on my office computer. Don't worry, Sera. Rest up, and I'll show them to you when we get home."

The video he was talking about was from my eighth birthday. Landon had given me a family heirloom necklace and filmed me.

I only had to say one thing: "I love Landon. I want to marry Landon when I grow up."

But I couldn't get the words out. I had struggled and cried until my eyes were red.

Jax had even gotten into a fight with Landon because he thought Landon was teasing me.

Landon had kept that video for years.

He told me it was his most precious memory and that he'd never show it to anyone else.

Now, that promise was dead. The memory was just a weapon used to stab me.

Only the necklace around my neck, still warm from my skin, reminded me of what we used to be.

Watching Landon make Sienna laugh at my expense, I reached up and unclasped the necklace I had worn for over a decade.

Landon's expression stiffened for a second when he saw what I was doing.

"What is this, Gia? Another one of your pathetic stunts?"

My heart was suffocating, but I kept my face calm.

I was just so tired. Deeply, painfully tired.

"You said this necklace was for the person you loved most."

"Landon, I'm giving it back. Give it to the person who actually deserves it."

Sienna's eyes lit up with greed, but Landon's face turned ugly. He didn't reach out to take it.

It wasn't until Sienna tugged on his sleeve like a spoiled child that he snapped out of it.

"I'll buy Sienna a brand-new one," he spat. "We don't want anything you've touched. It's filthy."

Even though I expected it, his words still felt like a punch to the gut.

Sienna pouted, looking like she had been insulted.

"Gia, do you think I'm a trash can? You just throw your unwanted garbage at me?"

Landon looked like he'd been triggered by her comment. He lunged forward and grabbed my throat.

"Gia, you are so disgusting it makes me want to vomit!"

I couldn't breathe. I tried to pry his fingers off, but he threw me aside with total revulsion.

I hit the floor like a broken doll, knocking over a table and chairs.

A sharp pain shot through my bones. I didn't even have the energy to scream. I just curled up on the floor.

Landon looked at my state, and for a split second, panic flashed in his eyes.

He started to step forward, but Jax blocked him.

"She's faking. You know her."

"Gia, you have three seconds to get up, or I'll have someone throw you out of here like the trash you are!"

He gave me his ultimatum, but there was no way I could stand up that fast.

He looked at me with pure rage.

"Fine. You want to play the rebel? Security! Throw her out into the hallway!"

"Watch her! If she tries to run, don't be gentle!"

5.

Being violently tossed out of the room made me realize something clearly.

As long as Jax and Landon didn't let me go, I didn't even have the right to leave.

I was like a stray dog to themDsomething to be humiliated and tortured at their whim.

Unless someone powerful enough to stop them decided to save me.

A face flashed through my mind. I took out my phone and dialed the number.

I tried to sound calm, but my voice shook.

"Killian," I whispered, sniffing quietly. "You once said that if nobody wanted me, you would. Does that still count?"

There was a long silence. Then, a deep voice answered, "Wait for me."

I hung up and curled into a ball on a bench in the hallway, drifting into unconsciousness with that one shred of hope.

Sometime later, Jax grabbed my collar and yanked me up.

"You ruined Sienna's cake yesterday. We're throwing her another birthday party today."

"You're coming with us to celebrate her properly."

I knew nothing good was waiting for me, but I didn't have a choice.

I followed them back to the estate in silence.

Sienna was already there, glowing in another stunning princess gown.

I looked pathetic in my hospital gown, covered in bruises and dried blood.

Landon suddenly pushed me into the center of the grand hall. The spotlights hit me.

I realized then that the balcony above was filled with guests. They were all looking down at me like I was a freak show.

"That's the Jaxson heiress? She looks so bitter. No wonder she bullies her sister."

"I've never seen someone apologize so publicly. It's more like a public execution."

My blood ran cold. I finally understood what they were doing.

They were using this party to force me to apologize to Sienna in front of everyone!

They wanted to crush my dignity into the dirt to make Sienna look like a saint.

Jax and Landon stood on either side of Sienna like knights guarding a princess.

"Gia, we haven't settled the matter of the cake. If you apologize to Sienna right now in front of everyone, we'll let the past go."

I looked at this circus. My heart was already dead, so why did it still hurt to breathe?

I let out a soft, mocking laugh.

"Sienna, you're really good at this."

She had stolen everything from me so easily.

Sienna looked down, faking a sad expression. She managed to squeeze out a few tears.

"Gia, you don't have to apologize if you don't want to. Please don't mock me like this."

*Slap!*

Landon hit me so hard I fell to the floor.

"You never learn! If you bully Sienna one more time, I swear I'll kill you myself!"

Jax looked at me with cold eyes before turning back to comfort Sienna.

Then, someone started it. A guest on the balcony threw their wine at me.

The sticky red liquid soaked my clothes. Then came the glasses. Shards of glass sliced into my skin.

I curled into a ball to protect my face, enduring the insults and the wine.

I felt like I was drowning in despair. I couldn't find a single reason to keep living.

Suddenly, the front doors were kicked open. A pair of warm arms wrapped around me.

"How how dare you do this to her!"