Chapter 1
“We have the money! Let our sister go!”
The voices of my six brothers cut through the fog in my mind.
I was tied to the mast of a boat.
My lips were dry, my skin burned from days in the sun.
Four days without food or water.
I was barely alive.
But seeing all six of my brothers rushing to save me, my eyes burned with tears.
They came! They actually came for me!
tried to speak, my voice a broken whisper.“Brothers…”
They didn’t even glance at me.
Instead, they shoved a suitcase forward, shouting at the kidnappers, “Where is Chloe?”
My heart dropped like
a stone.
Of course. They weren’t here for me.
They
were here for her–Chloe Black, the girl they called their sister.
The kidnappers dragged Chloe out from below deck.
Her hair was messy, but she looked fine.
No burns. No pain. Not like me.
Yet the second my brothers saw her, their faces twisted in agony.
“Five million’s here!” Ethan, my eldest brother, barked.“Take it and let our sister
The kidnapper laughed.“Five million only buys one life. You want both? Pay double
go!”
My breath caught,
They’d only brought enough for one?
الله الله الله
The ransom was clear–five million per person.
Did they not have the money?
Or… did they just not care?
“We want Chloe!” Ethan snapped, his voice ice–cold.“Leave Alice. We don’t care what you
do with her.”
Noah, my second brother, glared at me.“If Alice hadn’t been out partying, Chloe never would’ve been taken! She deserves this!”
The others didn’t speak, but their eyes–full of disgust–said everything.
My throat burned, metallic with blood.
That’s not true!”
My voice was raw, tears streaming down my face.
“Chloe said Noah loved Tahitian black pearls! I came here to get them for his birthday!”
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But the Welch family wasn’t listening.
They never listened to me.
‘Chloe, hold on! We’re getting you out!”
Every single one of them had eyes only for her.
No one looked at me.
The kidnapper tilted his head. “Final decision?”
Without hesitation, they nodded.
The money was exchanged, Chloe’s ropes were cut, and she stumbled into their arms, sobbing.“I was so scared…”
As they hugged her, my heart turned to ash.
I’d held on this long because I believed they’d save me.
I’d made the Welch family millions.
And yet, they only cared about Chloe.
Blamed me for her kidnapping!
A sharp pain ripped through my thigh–the kidnapper’s knife sinking deep.
“Since your family doesn’t want you,” he grinned, “I’ll feed you to the sharks.”
Another stab.
I screamed, but my brothers didn’t even look.
*Why?”
*I was their real sister.*
Why didn’t they love me?!
The kidnapper dragged me to the railing, my blood smearing the deck.
Before he threw me over, he leaned in, whispering:
“Might as well die knowing the truth. Chloe hired us. She knew your brothers would let
you
die.”
My blood ran cold.
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Chloe Black.
She took my family.
With one last shove, I hit the water.
The sharks came fast.
As their teeth tore into me, I saw my brothers comforting Chloe, turning their backs as they walked away.
I closed my eyes.
If there’s a next life… I won’t want them anymore.
The sharks came fast.
As the pain swallowed me, I saw my brothers walking away.
Lone looked back.
No o
I closed my eyes.
If I get another life… I won’t want them anymore.
Do you even realize your mistake, Alice?*
My mouth and nose were submerged in water, choking my throat painfully.
As I opened my eyes from the brink of death, I saw my second brother, Noah, on the poolside, along with my fourth brother, Caleb, who was holding Chloe in his arms.
