Chapter 1

I didn't return until I'd spent the entire afternoon away.

The moment Julianne saw me, she took my hand and led me to the table to eat the cake Adrian had bought.

It seemed neither of them had even noticed I'd been gone all afternoon.

"Maddie, come have your favorite blueberry cake.

"We already had some. We saved the rest for you."

I said nothing and glanced at the blueberry cake on the table. They had eaten half and left half for me.

Apparently, they'd both forgotten I was allergic to blueberries.

Julianne was the one who loved blueberry cake.

Julianne couldn't find another spoon and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Maddie. There are only two forks, and we've already used both of them."

"This is your fault. We should've just shared one fork."

Adrian let her swat his arm and replied evenly, "Who dropped hers before taking a single bite? Didn't I let you use mine?"

They bantered back and forth like a couple in love, moving from the cake to the details of the wedding.

I hadn't been told a single one of those details.

After a while, Julianne finally noticed my mood.

Only then did she stop the conversation. "Maddie, I'll box the cake up for you to take home."

"I'm allergic to blueberries."

I looked at her without expression.

They both froze and exchanged awkward looks.

Julianne took my hand, her eyes reddening.

"I'm sorry, Maddie. We were so busy today that we forgot about your allergy.

"I wore heels all day, and my ankles are swollen. It's a good thing I handled the wedding rehearsal for you, or you would've been the one who got hurt.

"But none of that matters. What worries me most is the kidnappers. You have no idea how terrified I was when you were taken.

"As long as you're safe now, Adrian and I can finally breathe easier."

Adrian cleared his throat and took my other hand.

"Jules is only worried about you."

I looked at them and said nothing.

I'd heard those words countless times. When I was five, I was kidnapped and forced to survive on moldy bread and muddy water in my captors' hideout.

I waited for my parents to bring the ransom and rescue me.

But two weeks passed without any sign of them.

My captors grew furious and decided to kill me, but a fight broke out among them.

That gave me the chance to escape.

Julianne told me that after I got away, they kept searching for another opportunity and swore they'd kill me on sight.

That was why she never allowed me to attend public events.

But so many years had passed. I looked nothing like I had at five, and the kidnapping ring had long since collapsed in an internal feud.

The surviving members had since been convicted and executed.

Julianne still insisted, "There has to be someone left. They're probably hiding somewhere, waiting for a chance to come after you."

I stopped arguing with her.