Chapter 3

Ethan didn't believe me.

The lead police officer stepped forward, his expression stern.

"Ma'am, you are under arrest for grand larceny. Please come with us to the station."

Click.

The cold steel of handcuffs locked around my wrists.

I stared at Ethan, completely speechless.

Old wounds ripped wide open, and a sharp, physical ache in my chest made me stumble.

We had grown up together.

He had once promised he would always protect me.

So why? Why did he keep hurting me over and over again?

As the police led me away, Tiffany leaned in close, whispering in my ear so only I could hear.

"You lose, bitch. You never stood a chance against me."

I was pushed into the back of a police cruiser and driven away.

Meanwhile, in the employee breakroom, Vivian and her friends were packing up their belongings with sour faces.

"It's all Chloe's fault. She did this on purpose. She saw the bosses coming and didn't even warn us!"

An intern chimed in, "Exactly! She got what she deserved, being dragged out like a thief! I hope they lock her up for ten years so she can't act smug anymore!"

Vivian, furious about losing her job, gritted her teeth in silence.

As she zipped up her bag, something caught her eye in the corner of the room.

It was Joey.

He was sitting quietly, turning the pages of an old picture book, waiting patiently for me.

Vivian stared at him, and a cruel, wicked idea formed in her mind.

She dropped her bag and forced a sweet, sickening smile as she walked over to him.

"Hey there, Joey. Reading your book?"

"Such a good boy."

Joey shrank back slightly, but politely replied, "Hi, ma'am."

Vivian reached out to pat his head.

"Joey, I have to tell you something. Your mommy was just taken away by the police. They said she did something very bad, so they put her in handcuffs."

"What?"

Joey's picture book slipped from his hands and clattered to the floor.

His voice cracked as he fought back tears. "My mommy would never do anything bad!"

"I believe you," Vivian lied smoothly, leaning closer. "But if you want to save her, you have to go right now!"

She pointed toward the massive, brightly lit ballroom.

"Go out there, Joey. Run to the brightest, loudest part of the room. Look for a very wealthy, powerful-looking grandma in a sparkly dress."

"Find her, and beg her to save your mommy. Tell her to make the police let your mommy go!"

"Remember, she's the only one who can help your mommy!"

Joey was too young to recognize the malice dripping from her voice.

"Thank you!" he cried, tears streaming down his face.

He didn't even stop to pick up his book before sprinting out of the room toward the ballroom.

Vivian watched his little retreating figure, a twisted, satisfied grin spreading across her face.

Her coworkers gathered around, looking a bit nervous.

"Vivian... won't we get in trouble for this?"

"Trouble? What trouble? At worst, he'll annoy the Vance family, and they'll make Chloe's prison sentence even worse. If the little brat gets lost, that's not our problem."

With that, Vivian and her crew left the hotel, laughing.

Joey was terrified.

But his love for me pushed him forward. He ran blindly into the grand ballroom, his eyes scanning the crowd.

He instantly spotted the elderly woman in the sparkling dress, surrounded by a crowd of attentive guests.

That was her!

Joey didn't hesitate. He pushed through the sea of legs, crying out with everything he had.

"Grandma! Please tell the police to let my mommy go!"

Joey ran full speed, crashing straight into Beatrice Vance.

Beatrice stumbled back, startled, but someone caught her just in time.

She opened her mouth to scold the child, but as she looked down, the words died in her throat.

The entire room fell into a dead silence.

The boy's eyes, the bridge of his nose... he was the exact spitting image of her son, Ethan, when he was a little boy.

Ethan, who had just walked over, froze in his tracks.

He stared at Joey's face, his heart stopping. He scooped the crying boy up in his arms, his voice shaking with disbelief.

"Kid... who is your mother?"

Joey, frightened by the intense gazes, sobbed, "Sir, please save my mommy! The police took her!"

"Mommy... I want my mommy."

"Her name is Chloe."