The Unpaid Ransom

My husband left our son alone at home because of a phone call from his first love.

This decision led to our son being kidnapped by a criminal.

When I desperately needed money to save my son's life, my husband was busy cooking for his ex.

He snarled at me over the phone with pure annoyance.

You're a pathological liar, and your son is exactly like you. Neither of you can tell the truth!

"I don't even want a son like this anymore. Tell the kidnappers to go ahead and finish him! I want to see how far you two can take this little drama."

Later, he knelt by our son's hospital bed, repeating "Daddy was wrong" over and over again.

But some mistakes can never be paid for.

My son was kidnapped.

The kidnapper called demanding 0-0.5 million in ransom.

In the background, I heard Harvey's terrified, sobbing voice. "Mommy, save me! Mommy!"

My face went pale instantly. I had to lean against the wall just to stay upright.

The kidnapper only gave me thirty minutes.

After the call ended, my remaining sanity forced me to check the home security footage.

I saw Heath Jenkins, who had been punishing Harvey with a ruler, suddenly answer a call.

He rushed out of the house in a frantic hurry.

He left Harvey alone in the corner, still forced to face the wall as a punishment.

A few moments later, a strange man walked in.

He ignored Harvey's struggling and carried him out the door.

I spiraled into a complete panic, my body shaking uncontrollably.

I dialed Heath's number with a heart full of fire.

He hung up on me five times in a row.

When he finally answered, his voice was dripping with impatience.

"I'm in a meeting. Whatever it is, wait until I get home."

"Harvey has been kidnapped! Go to the bank and get the money right now!" I screamed.

Heath let out a cold sneer.

"You've lost your mind. No wonder that kid tells so many stories; he learned it all from you. Stop bothering me!"

The line went dead, and I felt like I had been dropped into an ice cellar.

I suppressed my rage and kept dialing his number with trembling fingers.

On the tenth try, he finally picked up again.

I couldn't hold back anymore and shrieked with everything I had.

"Heath Jenkins! Harvey was really taken! Where did you go? Why did you leave him alone? They want money! Money!"

Heath roared back, "Are you freaking done yet? Is this ever going to end?"

"Fine! I get it! You just want money, right? I'll send it to you right now!"

Before he hung up, I clearly heard a woman's voice in the background.

"Heath, I want seafood bisque. Can you go make some for me?"

I knew that voice all too well. It was his ex-girlfriend, Brianna Sterling.

He had left Harvey home alone just to go cook a meal for her.

My knuckles turned white as I gripped my phone.

I clutched my chest, trying to catch my breath through the suffocating pain.

While I waited in agony, my phone finally buzzed with a bank notification.

I looked at the screen, desperate for the ransom money.

When I saw he had transferred exactly fifty cents, my eyes turned bloodshot.

The last of my sanity was swallowed by a tidal wave of suppressed fury.

A second later, a video message popped up on my phone.

In the video, Harvey looked like a broken butterfly.

He was being thrown off the top of a building.

With a sickening thud, I collapsed to my knees and let out a soul-shattering scream.

"No!"

"Harvey! Harvey"

I gripped my phone as infinite despair wrapped around me like a shroud.

I stumbled toward the door while calling the police.

I could only repeat one sentence over and over.

"Help me! Save my baby! Please save my baby!"

The police quickly tracked Harvey's location.

When I saw him lying in a pool of blood, my face was ghost-white.

I rushed over and carefully scooped my child into my arms.

"Harvey, Mommy's here. Mommy's here"

Harvey gripped my sleeve with his tiny, weak hand.

"Mommy, don't let Daddy be mad at me. I'm stupid, but I'll listen to him"

I was sobbing so hard I could barely breathe.

"You're not stupid, Harvey! You're not!"

"Mommy is taking you to the hospital right now. Don't leave me, please don't leave me"

My tears fell onto his blood-stained face one by one.

Harvey endured the pain and tried to wipe my tears away.

"Don't cry, Mommy. It doesn't hurt"

I bit my lip so hard it bled, trying not to have a total breakdown.

His father was so eager to see his first love that he didn't even lock the door.

That was the only reason the criminal got inside.

He even ignored the kidnapping because he was too busy cooking for Brianna.

How desperate must my son have felt in those final moments?

The doctors fought for two days and nights to pull Harvey back from the brink of death.

But he was still in critical condition and far from safe.

I stood outside the window, watching my son covered in tubes.

My eyes were constantly wet.

He was always the one most afraid of pain.

Even getting a simple shot required me to hold him tight.

I couldn't even imagine how much it hurt when he was thrown from that height.

Heath Jenkins!

I clenched my fists as my hatred reached its absolute peak.

While he was playing the devoted lover to his ex, our son was suffering inhuman torture.

The doctors told me we needed a compatible blood donor immediately to prevent his condition from worsening.

I didn't hesitate. I went straight to Brianna Sterling's place.

I used all my strength to pound on her door.

When the door opened, Brianna looked startled for a second.

Then she crossed her arms and leaned against the frame with a mocking smile.

"Brooke, it's been a long time."

She looked me up and down, her lips curling into a sneer.

"Years have passed, but you've only gotten more aggressive, haven't you?"

I balled my fists and glared at her with dark, heavy eyes.

"Where is Heath? Tell him to get out here."

Brianna ignored my request and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I heard Harvey got kidnapped? Brooke, it's not good to teach a child to lie at such a young age."

"Will he ever tell the truth again after this? You really shouldD"

My remaining restraint shattered completely.

With bloodshot eyes, I grabbed her by the hair and delivered two hard slaps to her face.

"Keep your mouth shut. Harvey has never lied in his life."

Heath heard the noise and walked out, still wearing an apron.

He saw what happened and immediately pulled Brianna into his arms.

His face turned cold as he shoved me away with force.

"Brooke Miller! What kind of madness is this? Is your son kidnapped again today, or did he jump off a building this time?"

I stumbled back a few steps, my hip hitting the doorframe behind me.

The sharp pain made me gasp, but I didn't look away from him.

I stared at him, my body shaking with pure rage.

"Yes, your son was thrown off a six-story building by a kidnapper. Are you satisfied now? Is this what you wanted?"

Heath froze for a split second, but then a look of annoyance crossed his face.

"Brooke! That's enough! Harvey is only this way because you spoiled him!"

"He cries every time someone says a word to him, acting like a little girl. I should have toughened him up long ago!"

"When he's a bit older, I'll send him to a military school to see if they can fix his attitude."

My face turned grim. I stepped forward and grabbed him by the collar.

I used every ounce of my strength to slap him across the face.

"Heath Jenkins, are you freaking deaf? I said your son was almost killed because of you!"

"He is lying in a hospital bed right now, and we don't even know if he'll make it! Do you understand?"

Heath stood there stunned, looking at me with suspicion.

After a moment, he let out a cold laugh.

"Find a more believable reason to trick me into coming home next time."

I closed my eyes, feeling a wave of total powerlessness wash over me.

"The doctor will call you tomorrow morning for a blood transfusion. It's the only way to save him."

"If you don't show up, consider your relationship with your son officially over."

I threw those words at him and walked away without looking back.

The next morning, Heath actually showed up at the hospital.

He looked at Harvey's frail body on the bed and turned pale.

"That's not Harvey" he whispered under his breath.

I let out a cold, sharp laugh.

"Open your damn eyes and look. The boy covered in tubes is the son you wished was dead!"

I watched his face grow paler as I stepped closer to him, my eyes burning with rage.

"While you were playing house with Brianna, your son was being tossed off a building."

"Did you have a good night? Did you ever once think about your son bleeding on the pavement?"

"Stop it! Just stop!"

He looked miserable as he pushed me away, his face ashen as he fell to his knees.

His hand trembled as he slowly reached out to hold Harvey's thin hand.

His voice was raspy and soft, as if he were afraid of scaring the boy.

"Harvey, wake up. Don't scare Daddy like this. Didn't you say you wanted to spend my birthday with me?"

"Please wake up. I'll take you to get the biggest cake you've ever seen"

His voice broke into a sob, and tears began to stream down his face.

"How did this happen? You were jumping around just two days ago. Why?"

Suddenly, a thought seemed to strike him. He looked up at me with sudden resentment.

"It was you. You must have done something to him!"

I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms.

I stared at him with bloodshot eyes, my blood boiling in my chest.

I thought I had already seen the worst of him, but I didn't know he could be this disgusting.

I raised my hand and slapped him hard, my nails leaving a bloody scratch on his cheek.

Then, I pulled out the security footage and held it in front of his face.

As he watched with bloodshot eyes, I spoke words that cut like knives.

"Because you were in such a hurry to see Brianna, you didn't close the door properly."

"The criminal walked right in because of your negligence."

"Do you know what your son said while he was lying in his own blood? He told me not to let you be mad at him."

"He promised he would study harder and be smarter than all the other kids!"

"Heath Jenkins, the boy you called a moron was almost killed by you! You should be happy now!"

My face was flushed with rage as I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Heath's lips trembled. He clutched his chest, his breathing becoming shallow and fast.

He collapsed onto the floor, sobbing hysterically and hitting himself with his fists.

"I'm sorry, Harvey. I'm so sorry. Daddy didn't mean it I didn't mean it"

He pressed his forehead against Harvey's small hand, repeating the apology over and over.

I closed my eyes, my face covered in tears.

"I don't need you to be smart anymore. I don't want anything else. Just wake up, Harvey"

Finally, the doctor couldn't stand it anymore and helped Heath up.

"There is still a chance for your son, but we need to bank his blood type immediately."

"We need to be prepared in case his condition takes a turn for the worse."

"I'll do it. I'll give him whatever he needs!"

Heath's firm words made me feel slightly better for a brief moment.

Just as we were following the doctor to the donation room, Brianna Sterling ran in, looking panicked.

She went straight to Heath and grabbed his arm, her eyes filled with tears.

"Heath, you're Type A, right? Please, you have to save my brother! He was in a car crash!"

"The hospital is out of his blood type. Please! He's the only family I have left!"

Heath bit his lip and looked at me with hesitation.

Seeing that look on his face, I felt like I was falling into a bottomless pit.

I grabbed his other arm, my voice low and pleading.

"Heath Jenkins! Wake up! Your son is in the ICU! She can find someone else!"

I didn't want to believe he would actually choose her over his own flesh and blood.

But Heath only hesitated for a second before pulling his hand out of my grip.

"The doctor said the chance of Harvey getting worse is small. Brianna's brother is in immediate danger."

"I'll come back tomorrow to give blood to Harvey."

After saying that, he took Brianna's hand and rushed out of the hospital.

My face went pale as fire consumed my logic. I screamed with everything I had left.

"Heath Jenkins! Are you really abandoning your son for that woman?"

Heath paused for a moment, a flash of annoyance on his face.

"Stop acting like a crazy person, Brooke! I told you, I'll be back tomorrow morning."

"Learn how to prioritize for once!"

Then he left without a single backward glance.

Brianna looked back at me, and I didn't miss the look of triumph in her eyes.

I leaned against the wall, my body swaying. The doctor just looked at me with pity.