Chapter 1

My ten-year-old daughter was kidnapped. The kidnappers demanded a $5 million ransom, or they'd kill her.

In the video they sent, my daughter's face was streaked with tears, beaten black and blue, her voice hoarse as she cried for her mommy to save her.

Seeing the video, my mother-in-law was overcome with grief, nearly fainting.

My husband and sister-in-law were practically bouncing off the walls, looking like they wanted to tear the kidnappers limb from limb.

But me, the one who should have been the most frantic – her biological mother – I was strangely calm.

Not only was I leisurely sitting in the study reading a book, I even slowly brewed myself a cup of tea.

My husband knelt before me, pleading anxiously, "Honey! There's not much time! If we don't get the money together soon, our daughter will die!"

I replied coolly, "Whoever wants to scrape the money together can go ahead. It has nothing to do with me."

1.

My daughter was kidnapped. The kidnappers demanded five million dollars cash for her release.

Not only that, they brazenly sent a video.

In the short clip, my daughter's clothes were disheveled. The floral dress I picked out for her this morning was caked with mud and blood.

Her eyes were wide with terror, tears blurring her vision:

"Mommy! Help me! Lily doesn't want to die!"

My mother-in-law collapsed next to my sister-in-law, Chloe, sobbing uncontrollably, almost passing out from crying.

"Ava, you have to get the money, hurry! Time is running out! If we're late, they might hurt Lily! She's my precious granddaughter! If anything happens to Lily, what reason do I have to live?"

My usually calm and composed husband, Mike, who rarely showed emotion, now looked at me with tears in his eyes:

"Honey, please, save our daughter. Didn't your company just close a huge deal? Five million shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"

"Lily is the light of our lives! How can you bear to see her suffer? Every second we delay puts Lily in more danger!"

Chloe, tears streaming down her face, ran over and grabbed my arm tightly:

"Ava, please, hurry up and get the money! Lily's already hurt! Listen to her cries! Doesn't it break your heart?"

Lily’s cries echoed in my ears.

Yes, she was my everything, my most precious treasure in this world.

My baby girl was born prematurely, frail and sickly since childhood. This filled me with guilt, making me try to grant her every wish.

I always coddled her carefully, terrified she'd get even the slightest scratch.

Lily was also very considerate. Not only was she a top student, but she was incredibly filial.

Even as a little girl, she would hug me and say she wanted to grow up quickly to protect Mommy.

She'd even prepare water for me to soak my feet, gently touching the stretch marks on my stomach, saying with tears in her eyes how much she felt for me.

2.

Seeing the look on my face, my husband urgently grabbed my hand, ready to rush out.

"Honey, time is running out! We only have two hours left! If we don't pay the ransom, our daughter will die!"

But I calmly refused:

"Whoever wants to scrape the money together can go ahead. It has nothing to do with me."

The moment I finished speaking, my mother-in-law rushed over in shock and slapped me hard across the face.

"You venomous woman! Lily is your own daughter! How could you say such a thing?"

"It's only five million! That's pocket change for you! How can you bear not to save Lily? Is money really more important than your daughter's life?"

Chloe supported her mother, looking at me with tear-filled eyes:

"Ava, how can you think like that! It's just five million! The luxury items you usually buy cost more than that!"

I waved my hand impatiently, pushing my mother-in-law away in disgust.

"You people are so annoying! Can't you see I'm reading?"

"My daughter's been kidnapped, you should call the police. What good does coming to me do?"

"Because she's your daughter!"

Mike, furious, stormed up to me, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me violently:

"She's our daughter! Ava, do you have any idea what you're saying!"

Chloe quickly pulled out her phone, wanting to call the police.

"Yes, call the police, let the police rescue Lily..."

Before she could finish, the kidnapper's call came through.

"I'm warning you, if you dare call the police, I'll kill her immediately! Don't try to play games with me!"

Lily's heart-wrenching sobs and cries for help came through the phone.

Then, the kidnapper sent a photo.

In the picture were two small fingers. I recognized them instantly by the little black mole on one. They were Lily's fingers.

Countless times, I had held Lily close, gently stroking that mole on her pinky, comforting her softly:

"Look, aren't these moles on our baby so unique? If you ever get lost, Mommy can find you by them..."

But now, those two pinky fingers lay severed and alone on a cold surface, chilling me to the bone.

Because we delayed, the kidnappers had brutally cut off Lily's fingers.

If we called the police, Lily's life would be in danger.

After the picture arrived, the house filled with anguished cries.

My mother-in-law collapsed onto the floor in despair, silent tears streaming down her face.

Chloe trembled violently, her phone slipping from her hand and clattering to the floor.

Mike was overwhelmed with grief, covering his face and sobbing.

He fell to his knees, pleading with me:

"Honey! Please, I'm begging you, save our daughter! She's only ten!"

"She's your own flesh and blood! You can't just give up on her!"

The kidnappers called again, wanting us to hear our daughter.

Over the phone, her cries were gut-wrenching:

"Mommy! Lily hurts so bad! Come save me!"

My mother-in-law, who had always doted on her granddaughter, couldn't bear it anymore. She fell to her knees before me, banging her head repeatedly on the floor.

"Ava! I beg you, save Lily! Save your child! She's your own flesh and blood, you can't watch her die!"

Her and Mike's foreheads were cut from hitting the floor, blood trickling down their faces.

Chloe, tears streaming, clutched my arm, begging:

"Ava, there's not much time, we're really running out!"

I was engrossed in my book, and their constant interruptions were starting to annoy me.

"Can you all just be quiet! I can barely read!"

"The company funds have already been allocated to other investments. Forget five million, I don't even have five hundred."

"Besides, if a child is gone, we can always have another. All this noise is just irritating!"

I grabbed my bag from the sofa, preparing to leave, but Mike held me back tightly.

"Ava! How can you be so cold? How could the company funds just suddenly be invested?!"

"I'm begging you, honey, I know you must have a way. You must be able to find five million!"

"Even if I have to borrow it from you! When Lily comes back, I swear I'll find a way to pay you back!"

Unable to break free, I told them calmly:

"Life and death are decided by fate. It's Lily's fate to encounter this. What can we do?"

"Besides, maybe Lily is partly responsible. Why was she kidnapped, and not some other child? Maybe she accidentally angered someone, and they wanted to teach her a lesson."

Mike was stunned speechless by my words.

I took the opportunity to break free and head for the door.

Mike tried to stop me again, but his mother pulled him back from behind.

It was the kidnappers calling again.

I couldn't hear the conversation clearly, only saw my mother-in-law's face grow paler and paler, until she finally sank trembling to the floor, tears streaming down her face.

I ignored them and drove straight back to the office.

3.

I still had mountains of work piled up; I couldn't get distracted by minor issues.

My mother-in-law and Mike kept calling me nonstop. Chloe's messages were flooding in too.

It was too noisy, so I temporarily blocked them all.

My world finally returned to silence, and I focused completely on my work.

Until my assistant knocked urgently on my office door.

"Ms. Miller! Your family is here, they're waiting for you in the lobby."

"They also brought..."

My assistant looked incredibly grave, hesitating, unable to meet my eyes.

"Brought what?"

"They brought... your daughter's... body."

...

When I reached the lobby, I saw my mother-in-law sitting on the floor weeping, while Mike and Chloe's faces were pale as death.

My daughter lay there silently, her small body covered by a thin sheet.

My daughter, who always had a smile, always so considerate, now lay still, lifeless.

"Ava! How dare you show your face! Look! Lying here is your own daughter, and she's dead because of you!"

Mike's face contorted with rage. He strode forward, grabbed my shoulders aggressively, and pulled me towards our daughter.

"Ava, how could you? Is your career really more important than her life?"

I froze, staring blankly at my daughter's lifeless eyes.

Her body was covered in bruises and cuts. The fatal wound was a gash across her head.

My mother-in-law knelt beside her, tears flowing endlessly:

"Lily, how could you leave Grandma all alone! Without you, what will Grandma do!"

A crowd was gathering, surrounding us.

Seeing these three grieving figures, I couldn't help but chuckle.

The veins on Mike's forehead bulged. He slapped me hard across the face.

"You're actually laughing? You cold-blooded, heartless monster! You don't deserve to be a mother!"

"We've been married for so many years! I swear I've done right by you! I handled everything at home, never letting you worry about a thing."

"Any conflicts between you and my mom, I always took your side! I knew you worked hard. My mom always cooked different meals for you, never letting you step foot in the kitchen."

"When you were recovering after Lily was born, my sister even quit her job to take care of you and our daughter full-time. She treated you like family."

"Our daughter! She was smart, well-behaved, always top of her class. Her teachers adored her."

"Just last night, she was washing your feet! She said you were the person she loved most in the world, and you just let her die!"

Mike suddenly broke down. He fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands, tears leaking through his fingers.

A strong man, now looking so fragile, his sobs filled with helplessness.

His voice trembled as he choked out:

"Were we not good enough for you? Was Lily not good enough?"

"Why wouldn't you save her? Why wouldn't you save your own daughter?"

I stood there, my face stinging, but remained unmoved.

The onlookers began whispering, piecing together the story from Mike's words.

My reputation shattered in their eyes; the narrative that I caused my daughter's death seemed set in stone.

4.

Whispers rippled through the crowd, all eyes fixed on me.

"What kind of mother is that? She's basically an animal."

"Seriously, look at that poor kid. Even I feel sick seeing those injuries. How can her own mother be so indifferent?"

"She runs such a big company, and she couldn't cough up five million? I bet she has someone on the side, that's why she didn't want to pay."

"Really? If that's true, her husband and mother-in-law beating her serves her right!"

Hearing this, Mike's eyes widened. He stared at me in shock: "Ava? You really cheated on me?"

"So that's it... That's it! You wouldn't save Lily because you found some pretty boy!"

He kicked me furiously, sending me sprawling to the ground.

Though the sharp pain in my stomach made it hard to speak, I managed to force a defiant smile.