I kidnapped Chloe Vance, the wife of the new tech mogul, Caleb Vance. And I expected a hefty ransom from him. "You might be disappointed," Chloe said. "Caleb doesn't love me anymore." Her tone was too calm. So calm that I didn't believe a word she said. After all, Chloe lived in a basement with Caleb for five years. She worked three jobs a day to support his startup. When Caleb finally made it big, the first thing he did was give her the wedding of the century. They were in love. Everyone thought so. I used her phone to call Caleb. On the thirteenth attempt, he finally picked up. Hearing my demand, Caleb laughed. "Chloe's getting creative, hiring actors now? Tell her to behave. As long as she doesn't cross my bottom line, she'll always be the envy of everyone as Mrs. Vance." He hung up. Chloe looked resigned. "You won't get any ransom from him." Then, her tone shifted: "But I can give you twenty million dollars." Her request was simple: Help her fake her death. ... Three days later, Chloe's "body" was finally found. I stared at the pale-faced man on the TV screen, curious. Didn't he say he didn't love her? Then why is he crying? 1 After calling Caleb nine times with no answer, frustration bubbled up inside me. My stomach chose this moment to protest. I opened Uber Eats, planning to order something first. Scrolling for a while, I was about to place an order when Chloe, who had been silent behind me, spoke up. "Don't order from that place. It's not sanitary." I turned to look at her, frowning. Bound to a chair, Chloe didn't seem scared. Seeing me look at her, she twitched her lips: "Try the clay pot rice on the bottom left. I used to deliver for them. It's clean and tastes good." I paused. I didn't reply, but I hesitated. A minute later, I backed out and ordered the clay pot rice she recommended. While waiting for the food, maybe out of boredom, or maybe because this woman in expensive clothes but with a down-to-earth vibe intrigued me, I asked casually: "You used to be a delivery driver?" "Yeah," Chloe said. "I covered this area and the East Side." I was surprised. Then I remembered. I had read about this in a finance magazine. As the wife of Caleb Vance, the new tech darling, the public was always curious about Chloe. They envied her investment skills, envied her luck. A media outlet even did an exclusive interview with her. After that interview, fewer people said Chloe was just lucky. Because what Chloe did for Caleb, few girls could do. They met in college, fell in love. After graduation, Caleb didn't look for a job. He holed up in his room writing code that seemed to have no future at the time. Chloe bore all the living expenses. She lived in a basement with Caleb for five years. She worked three jobs a day just to earn a little more to support Caleb's dream. Facing the reporter, she smiled shyly: "Because I love him, I don't feel tired." "Caleb is amazing. See? He didn't let me down." The camera panned to the audience. Caleb sat in the corner, eyes red. Staff said Mr. Vance pushed back an important meeting just to be there because he was afraid his wife would be nervous. Caleb seemed worthy of Chloe's love. After achieving success, he gave Chloe the wedding of the century. At the wedding, he rubbed Chloe's rough hands and promised with a trembling voice: "One thing will never change in this life." "That is Caleb Vance loves Chloe Vance." Everyone knew how much they loved each other. Including me. So, I planned a kidnapping. I kidnapped Chloe, expecting a high ransom from Caleb. 2 Chloe tried to lie to me at first. She said: "Sorry, you might be disappointed." "Caleb doesn't love me anymore." I didn't believe her clumsy lie. Because she was too calm. Calm like she was talking about what she had for lunch. This calmness made me certain she was lying. ... The clay pot rice Chloe recommended was indeed good. I ate every last grain. After finishing, I looked at Chloe hesitantly. Her voice was soft: "Don't worry about me, I'm not hungry." Chloe was definitely the most cooperative, gentlest hostage... Since she said she wasn't hungry, I didn't push it. I picked up her phone and dialed Caleb again. No answer... No answer... Still no answer. suppressing my annoyance, I dialed the thirteenth time. Still a long busy tone, but just as it was about to disconnect automatically, someone picked up. "Hello?" It was a woman. I looked at the call screen in confusion. Confirmed I didn't dial the wrong number. "Where is Caleb?" "You are... Chloe?" The woman didn't seem familiar with Chloe, barely recognizing her voice. Sound of light footsteps. She seemed to have moved to a more open area with the phone. "Mr. Vance is asleep." She said: "What do you need?" I asked her: "Who are you?" "Me?" The woman laughed as if hearing a great joke. "Do you even need to ask? Chloe, we just met this morning. We didn't speak, but you should remember me." "I'm Vivian, Mr. Vance's... mistress." My eyes widened. Three seconds later, I slammed the phone down. For a moment, I thought I was being played. Did they team up to trap me? But thinking about it, I dismissed the idea. I'm just an ordinary woman; they wouldn't notice me. ... Caleb has a mistress. This twist disrupted my plan! I started to re-evaluate what Chloe said earlier. Caleb doesn't love her anymore. If it's true... Caleb might not care about her safety and call the police the moment I ask for ransom. Once the police are involved, I'm in trouble. But, how is this possible? How could Caleb stop loving Chloe? After the confusion passed, I turned to look at Chloe. The room was quiet. Chloe wasn't far from me. She heard everything the woman said on the phone. Her expression didn't change much, but sadness floated in her eyes. "You might not know," she said. "I was kidnapped by you on my way to handle a scandal for Caleb." 3 Sitting in front of Chloe, I asked my question: "Why doesn't he love you anymore?" Chloe paused. After a long time, she said: "Maybe because he loved me too much." What kind of answer is that? Chloe explained in the next second. "Back when we were struggling, I delivered food, handed out flyers, set up street stalls." "I fell off my bike countless times, got harassed by drunks. But the worst was when city management flipped my stall, and scalding oil splashed on my arm." She moved her arm, revealing a glimpse of a狰狞 (hideous) scar on her wrist. "I lay in the hospital for three days. Caleb guarded me for three days." "Later, when life got better, he never let me in the kitchen." "Every time he saw the scars on my body, his eyes would turn red." "He would feel guilty, hate himself for succeeding too late, for making me suffer so much." "But..." Chloe's tone shifted, her voice turning bitter. "Successful people generally hate these negative emotions." "They enjoy flowers, applause, admiration. Looking back at the past wretchedness... it feels unbearable." "Equally unbearable is the suffering I endured as his wife. Caleb gradually stopped touching my scars. Seeing them made him frown, subconsciously avoid them. Even during intimacy, he would turn off the lights..." "One afternoon, he suggested I get scar removal surgery." "He used to hate himself. Now, he started hating these scars." I frowned listening. I thought Chloe was delusional. "Is this called loving you too much?" I sneered. "This is called loving the new and loathing the old. It's the inherent bad nature of men." "Once they have money, they like young, pretty, smooth skin." "Disgusting." My merciless ridicule stunned Chloe. She didn't get angry; instead, she laughed. "You're right." "I was deceiving myself." 4 While I was thinking of a plan, Chloe suddenly seemed full of desire to talk. She told me about her first meeting with Caleb. "I got really good at riding an e-bike for deliveries later, but when I started college, I couldn't even ride a bicycle." "I bought a bike in a second-hand group. The seller was Caleb. He brought the bike to my dorm and taught me hand-in-hand." "I wasn't a fast learner, but he was very patient." "The summer afternoon was hot but quiet. That afternoon made us familiar, and we became friends." ... Chloe rambled on, looking nostalgic. She talked about how they got to know each other and fell in love. I wasn't interested. So I tuned most of it out. Chloe's tone changed: "So the first time I found out he cheated, I went crazy." My hand scrolling through the phone paused. I looked up at her. Chloe: "I questioned him like a madwoman, blamed him. Even went to find that woman." "Compared to her, I was indeed old and faded. Looking at her young, pretty face, I felt like a clown..." "Caleb comforted me, said it was just an accident. He said he was set up while drunk, it wasn't his intention." "He asked me to forgive him." "But such forgiveness... within a year, I forgave him four times." "By the fifth time, I was very calm." "Or you could say, I got used to it." "I paid to buy the photos from the paparazzi, diligently cleaned up his mess. I also negotiated with greedy women, paying them to shut up." "Three years after Caleb's success, we went from a loving couple to business partners." "He was very satisfied with my 'sensibility.' He thought I compromised for the position of Mrs. Vance." She paused. I looked up at her: "And in reality?" Chloe blinked, a bitter smile on her lips: "It was just... unwillingness to let go." Buzz—Buzz— While speaking, the phone vibrated. Someone was calling. I glanced at Chloe's phone. It was Caleb calling back. I glared at Chloe, signaling her not to speak. Walking to the window, I pressed answer. "What do you want?" Caleb's voice was tired, cold. I hesitated for two seconds. Remembering his past with Chloe, I decided to gamble. I got straight to the point: "Chloe is in my hands." "If you don't want her dead, have five million in cash ready at the location I specify by 7 PM, otherwise..." "Oh, then kill her." Caleb interrupted me. I froze for two seconds, looking back at Chloe in shock. Her face was expressionless, but I could feel her sadness. I closed my eyes, steadying myself. "What did you say?!" Caleb sounded amused: "Don't take me for a fool." "Is Chloe right next to you? Tell her for me, stop playing these boring games. As long as she behaves, she will always be the envy of everyone as Mrs. Vance." "I'm in a meeting. Whatever it is, we'll talk when I get back." I snapped out of it, hurriedly shouting: "Wait!" But Caleb had already hung up. I gripped the phone, body stiff. Chloe suddenly apologized to me. "Sorry, I... once faked an illness to get him to come back for my birthday." "He was very angry then. Now he's convinced I'm a liar."
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