Ch. Collection-Kidnapped, while my husband and brother 8 Collection-Kidnapped, while my husband and brother 8

Chapter 8 

“This is…” Nathaniel stammered, trailing off, his voice faltering. 

N stood frozen, unable to speak, my eyes locked on the gruesome sight before me -the mangled remains of blood and flesh, sealed inside a plastic bag. 

A few nurses, nearby, screamed in horror upon seeing the bag. 

“That’s the remains of a baby!” one nurse cried out in shock. 

I barely registered her words, my gaze shifting to the document in the second box. My stomach churned when I saw the doctor’s report detailing a miscarriage caused by trauma from a kidnapping. 

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Turning to Nathaniel, my voice trembled. “Rose… was kidnapped?” 

Nathaniel’s face turned ashen, and his hands shook uncontrollably. He pointed to something on the document, his voice strained. “The dates, Gideon,” he whispered. 

I followed his finger and my heart dropped. The dates matched–exactly the same day Serena had given birth. The day Rose had called me ninety–nine times… that was when she was taken. 

I felt my legs weaken as the world seemed to spin. Grabbing the edge of the desk, I muttered, “I need to sit down.” 

I collapsed into the nearest chair, my throat dry, my fingers hovering over the third box. I wasn’t sure I could handle whatever was 

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inside. These first two boxes had shaken me 

to my core. 

“What is going on here?” Nathaniel whispered, equally stunned. 

Serena was the only one who didn’t look horrified. Instead, she appeared… guilty. 

I narrowed my eyes at her, my voice cold. “Do you know anything about this, Serena?” 

She shook her head rapidly. “No! I don’t! I’m just… I’m just so heartbroken. Rose lost her baby, and we didn’t even know.” 

Her words struck me harder than I expected, even though I knew she didn’t mean them that way. 

I was supposed to protect Rose. I was the one who gave her a fake wedding and got 

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her pregnant. And now, while she went through hell, I was nowhere to be found–no, worse–I tormented her. 

The mailman, still standing there, grabbed the third box. My voice was icy as I barked, “Hey! Put that down.” 

“I’m sorry, sir,” he stammered. “But I was told you needed to open all the boxes.” 

He opened the box and handed me a flash drive. I stared at it, confused, but before I could react, the mailman produced a projector and connected it. The screen flickered to life, casting the image across the entire hospital. 

What I saw next was seared into my mind. Rose, confined to a prison cell just days ago. Then, a group of women barged in. 

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One of their voices rang out clearly. “Serena sends her warmest regards. She wants you dead in this place.” 

My heart sank, and I turned to Serena. Horror spread across her face as she shifted uncomfortably. Even Nathaniel had distanced himself from her. 

The video continued, showing the brutal assault on Rose, her body writhing as she pleaded for mercy. The women showed no mercy, continuing to beat her until she bled. Only the intervention of the warden and a couple of policewomen saved her life. 

I was still reeling from the video when I heard hushed whispers from the nurses. 

“Oh my God, that’s the woman we treated.” 

“She was in a coma for five days…” 

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“Did you know she lost her womb?” 

“Is this after she was kidnapped and lost her baby?” 

“How could she do something like this to another woman?” 

“And to think, I admired her… She’s a vile, wicked witch.” 

Their words hit me like a freight train, each one louder than the last. 

“Rose… lost her womb?” I muttered, the weight of it sinking in. 

“Gideon, I swear I didn’t mean to hurt her,” Serena sobbed. “It was just a joke, a stupid thing Serena said. But I lost it, and I didn’t know…” 

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Instinct overtook me. My hand flew out, and the slap echoed through the room louder than I expected. 

The nurses gasped, and Serena flinched, her face pale in shock. 

“Gideon-” she whimpered. 

“Don’t you ever say my name again,” I hissed, my voice venomous. 

“Please, Nathaniel, help me” Serena reached for him, but he stepped back, his gaze cold. 

“Let’s go find Rose, Nathaniel said firmly, turning to me. “She deserves more than an apology.” 

As we drove, the silence between us was 

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suffocating. Both of us lost in our own thoughts, neither of us speaking. The weight of everything that had happened hung heavy in the air. I couldn’t stop blaming myself. 

“How could I have been so blind?” I 

muttered. “I should have noticed… everything that was going wrong.” 

“It’s my fault, Nathaniel whispered, “I should have protected her.” 

I shook my head, my voice filled with regret. “No, Nathaniel. It’s mine. I deceived her when I could’ve told her the truth. Instead, I gave her a fake wedding to spare her feelings. And now, look at what’s happened.” 

As we neared my house, I saw the road blocked off. Ambulances, fire trucks, and a crowd had gathered. My heart began to race. 

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I parked the car, getting out quickly. 

Nathaniel followed as we approached one of the workers. 

“What happened?” I asked, my voice tight. 

“There was a fire,” he explained. “We just managed to put it out. But we found a badly burned body.” 

“Fire? Where?” My chest tightened with fear. 

I pushed past him, ignoring the yellow tape, and gasped when I saw the mansion engulfed in smoke. 

“Oh no… no, no, no. Rose! Rose, where are you?” I screamed, rushing inside. 

Nathaniel froze, his face pale. He muttered to himself, “I should’ve protected you better. I deserve to die…” 

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Firefighters tried to hold me back as they brought the charred body out of the house. My eyes locked onto the body, and my breath caught in my throat. 

On top of the body was a silver necklace I had given Rose five years ago, the one she never took off. 

“No!” I cried, stumbling backward, gasping for air. 

“No! This can’t be it. Rose! Come back to me, please!” I wailed, my voice breaking. 

Reality crashed down on me like a tidal 

wave. 

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