“Really moving up in the world, aren’t you, baby?” Natalie said.
I shook my head, holding Liv as she struggled not to fall apart. None of this was her fault. If the blame belonged to anyone, it was mine. I’d fallen for the wrong woman. I hadn’t known Natalie would someday pull something like this.
“Don’t call me that,” I hissed.
“When I saw your face plastered all over the newspapers, I was shocked. I didn’t think it was possible, but you’ve gotten even more attractive over the years. Too bad I didn’t stick around longer.”
Blood dripped down my hand as I broke through the tender skin of my palm.
“Please just tell us he’s safe,” Liv begged.
“He’s safe. He doesn’t even really know what’s going on. For all those years of telling him what a horrible person his mother was, he sure seemed eager to leave with me. I’d expected him to put up a fight, but he happily said yes to my proposal for ice cream. We’ve been hanging out ever since.”
“I never told him you were a horrible person,” I said softly, shaking my head back and forth, regretting every single instance I’d tried to paint her in a better light for the sake of my son. Pictures, stories and the few mementos I had left of her was all given to him in hopes he would at least have something of the woman who gave him life.
I’d tried to be the better person. And now, it had cost me everything.
“Well, I guess that was your ultimate mistake.”
“What. Do. You. Want?” I asked again, punctuating every word.
“Two things actually. First, you’re going to call off that pesky AMBER Alert. It makes getting out of the country a little difficult. Second, I want money—lots of it. Around a million should do it.”
“Didn’t get enough the first time around?” I seethed.
“Always room for improvement. Plus, with your new love interest, I figured it shouldn’t be too hard for you now.”
That was what this was really about.
She’d seen Liv and me with her father, the wealthy Senator, and immediately thought of money. The press was still under the impression that all was well with the Prescott family. His camp had managed to keep everything under wraps, and to the outside world, Liv and her father were riding unicorns and skating on rainbows together. So, naturally, Liv would have access to mounds of cash.
God, what a clusterfuck.
“I don’t have that kind of cash,” Liv said.
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out, Miss Prescott. I’ll call back in the morning, Jackson. Get rid of the AMBER alert. Otherwise, Noah and I might be going on an extended vacation. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. A son really should know his mother, don’t you think? Perhaps a little trip is exactly what we need.”
“You fucking bitch!” I yelled.
The phone went dead.
I screamed out in frustration, every molecule in my body crying out in anger for my son. Falling to my knees, my cries turned into heaving sobs that tore through my entire body. I struggled to breathe from the sheer force of my internal torture.
Liv wrapped her arms around me and held me as we wept together, mourning the sudden loss of innocence we’d felt.
The world was not a safe place to us anymore.
It had taken the one thing that was pure and good.
And all that remained was despair.
Liv
Every time the phone rang, my heart leapt and firmly lodged in my throat.
I knew our friends and family meant well. I knew each and every one of them was calling because they cared, but I needed them to stop.
I needed it all to stop.
Nothing in my years of training and professional experience had ever prepared me for this. I didn’t know how to mentally process this sort of loss.
In my mind, we’d already lost.
How could we get Noah back when I couldn’t give Natalie the one thing she wanted?
I looked over at the phone, willing it to stop, begging it to end its constant reminder of my failure.
I didn’t deserve anyone’s empathy or love. Jackson’s tight hold around me only furthered my belief that I should have stayed away. I should have kept them safe.
“You’re spiraling.” Jackson’s quiet voice cut through the silence. “I can feel the guilt seeping through your pores.” He pulled back, and our tired, wet eyes met. “I can see it wrapped up in your soul, Liv. You can’t blame this on yourself,” he said, grasping my hand in his.
“She would have stayed away if it weren’t for me,” I cried out.
“No.” He shook his head. “She would have come back eventually. She was just waiting for an opportunity. If this were just about money, I’m sure she could have found a hundred ways to rip off some other lonely bastard far easier than hurting us. This was about revenge.”
“I just don’t understand why someone would do this,” I whispered.