Chapter 1

I received a call from the abductors just as my husband's first love, Hailey Crosby, arrived at the scene."You have an hour to gather 20 million dollars," the abductor barked at me. "Place the ransom under the Central Bridge. Don't call the police, or I'll kill them!"Armed with the knowledge from my past life, I put the call on the speaker so my husband, Shane McClure, could hear them.I turned to face him and met his clouded expression. He snorted. "Natalie Swanson, how low could you go? Did you get my parents to put on this act just so you could push Hailey out of the picture?"I didn't cry or wail like he had expected. Instead, I calmly clarified, "This isn't an act. Your parents have been abducted, and we need 20 million dollars to pay the ransom. Go get the money now."His icy gaze bore into me. Stone-faced, he said, "Are you trying to swindle my money after you failed to win my heart with this sham marriage?"Shane and I had known each other for two decades. When we were

Chapter 2

Even though the abductors had warned me not to call the police, I thought it over and decided to report it anyway. I decided to leave the task to the professionals. After making the report, I headed to the police station with long, determined strides.Before I got there, my phone rang with an incoming call. I frowned at the familiar name on the screen before picking up."Ugh," came the exasperated voice of Jimmy Fletcher, Shane's cousin. As usual, his tone was full of impatience. "I see you're having fun making false police reports. What did Shane ever do to you? Why are you so pathetic?"Shane's family had always looked down on me. The only ones who treated me kindly were his parents, and that was why I had to save them.Keeping my voice even, I asked, "Jimmy, did Shane tell you I made a false police report?"The silence on the other end was answer enough. I let out a cold chuckle."Jimmy, as a police officer, you're mocking me instead of responding to my plea for help. If you

Chapter 3

After the call ended, the police shook their heads grimly. Even though the abductor had directly contacted me, it was still impossible to trace their location.I turned around and saw Jimmy passing by. He had overheard everything and now looked as pale as a ghost."Nat, have Shane's parents really been kidnapped? But Shane told me they were just acting to help you…"I didn't have the energy to argue with him, so I told him to call Shane and tell him the truth.I anxiously glanced at the time. With Craig's resources, transferring five million dollars shouldn't take this long. After waiting for a while, I called him."Uncle Craig?"I had barely begun when he sighed heavily. "Nat, lying is wrong, you know," he said tiredly. "Look, no one in Shane's family has treated you kindly except for his parents. "I pitied you and tried to help you. But now, I see things clearly. Those who play the victim only end up looking pathetic. If you weren't such a compulsive liar, a fine man like Shane woul

Chapter 4

I cried so hard it felt like my heart was shattered. My vision blurred to the point where I couldn't see."Ms. Swanson, are you alright?"The police had arrived. They stared at the two lifeless bodies on the floor in stunned silence.I felt myself swaying. The world was spinning around me. A police officer came up to support me with a conflicted expression. "Ms. Swanson, we've arrested the abductor. We also recovered the ransom money."His eyes flickered as he whispered apologetically, "I'm sorry. We're late to the rescue. Please accept our condolences."After giving my statement at the police station, I was ready to leave when I bumped into Craig. It seemed the police had already notified him.The moment he saw me, he let out a mocking laugh. "Is this entertaining to you? You've really gone all out, even hiring the police to put on a show and fool me."I lowered my gaze and refused to meet his eyes. "Do you honestly think I have the power to bribe the police to play along with me? Th

Chapter 5

I placed the divorce papers in front of Shane and said softly, "I'm tired. Let's get a divorce."Shane's expression turned cold. Sneering, he said, "Are you serious?""Yes," I replied.He picked up his pen and said dismissively, "Sure, I'd be delighted. Just don't regret this and don't come to my house crying after the divorce. That would be incredibly annoying."I laughed. "I definitely won't do that."With a swift stroke of his pen, Shane signed his name on the papers, black ink stark against the white background."Wait!" Hailey took one glance at the divorce agreement and immediately turned pale.She shrieked loudly. "Shane, look closer at the asset division clause in this agreement! This bitch wants to take all of your parents' inheritance. I can't allow that!"Shane grabbed the papers and looked at me in shock. "I can't believe you're so greedy, Natalie. They're my parents. Why would they leave their money to you?"I sighed. "Believe it or not, their last words before the

Chapter 6

I made the choices that Shane had failed to make on this behalf.Over the years, I had built my own business and now owned a fairly successful company. Although my in-laws said that they were leaving everything they owned to me, I had no interest in fighting with Shane over the inheritance.His parents were gone. He was pitiful enough without all that.I didn't need to fight an orphan for anything, anyway.I chose to leave with nothing and coordinated the details with my lawyer in the following days.The last thing to do was getting Shane to agree with it.I went to the funeral home, where the air reeked of cigarette smoke.Craig seemed to have aged decades overnight. There were dark circles under his eyes. When he saw me, he lunged at me like I was his savior. "Nat, I knew you wouldn't give up on Shane!" he cried. "He's inside. Please talk to him."I got a bad feeling from that. Quickly, I hurried into the funeral home.As soon as I stepped in, I tripped over something—or r

Chapter 7

After sorting out my affairs, I went home to rest for a few days.My parents didn't blame me for divorcing Shane. All they cared about was whether he had mistreated me over the past few years.Their concern warmed my heart. I regretted my reckless decision to marry Shane in the first place. My parents loved me. I had my own career and proper education. I led a happy and fulfilling life before I met him. So why did I insist on giving all of that up for love and marriage?"My life has just started," I told my parents. "I will not live for anyone else anymore."A few days later, I received a call from the police station. Shane had murdered someone. He was now in prison.Languidly, I asked the policeman who called me, "I'm sorry, what has that got to do with me?""Ms. Swanson, the suspect has specifically requested to see you. He says he will kill himself if you don't see him."I raised an eyebrow. "And what does it matter to me if he dies?"In the end, after much persuasion, I reluctantl

All Chapters of Choosing Love Over Kinship: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7