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"About$500,000.He can't afford more for my life."
Ethan,under the guise of emerald trading,planned to sell me in Southeast Asia, paying a premium to ship me to the notorious Shadow Zone.
He didn't know the"contact"was my childhood friend,Nathan Reed.
This was our orchestrated trap.
"The$20 million's transferred.As for the$500,000 he paid for your life,I bought an emerald necklace—perfect birthday gift for your mom."
Nathan grinned,handing me an emerald pendant.
I shot him a look.
"So now I should thank you?"
His deep eyes reflected me,a light smile playing on his lips.
"You should thank yourself—for finally seeing him for who he really is this time."
My expression shifted slightly.I stared at him in disbelief.
"What do you mean?"
Nathan glanced at the blue sky,silent.
That day,my company's headquarters called me back for urgent business.I returned home.
The next day,a strange call came.
"Prepare one million,or we'll kill your husband and you'll never see him again."
I glanced at the phone,cursing.
"Go to hell,scammer!If you want to kill him,just go ahead!"
I hung up.
Later,police informed me two bodies—a man and woman—were found in Southeast Asia,the man likely Ethan.
Chloe's earlier wealth-flaunting in Southeast Asia drew predators.They followed her home.
After returning home,Chloe sold off all her assets—totaling around twenty million.
That only made them believe she was a big catch.
On her second trip,she was snatched at the airport.
Unable to endure torture,she called Ethan for help.
He rushed over,only to be captured alongside her in the Shadow Zone.
Finding Ethan penniless,and with my refusal to pay,the captors drained their value and dumped their bodies.
Sophie,I heard,was groomed as a dealer.
Later,at my mom's sixtieth birthday,Nathan,now a Southeast Asian emerald trader,returned,presenting the emerald pendant as a grand gift.He became the center of attention at the party.
Mom held my hand,sighing.
"Nathan is such a good boy.It's a shame you two never worked out.And now,with your husband gone...fate truly plays cruel games."
Nathan chuckled,looking at me roguishly.
"Auntie,maybe I just like widows."
Nathan Reed's Epilogue:
I heard Claire died—cancer,untreated,alone in an abandoned mansion.
Her scumbag husband,with her money,celebrated with his mistress and daughter.
I felt heartbroken for her.
She used to be such a proud girl.In death,she lay there barely clothed,her body rotting and festering under the summer heat.
I didn't go to see her.I didn't know how to face her.
I think I was sad—but I couldn't even describe that sadness.
It felt like a venomous snake wrapped tightly around my heart,its fangs dripping poison.
I couldn't sleep.I felt like dying.
I guess I still loved her.
I had loved her since we were kids—enough to step aside if it meant she was happy.
After I heard she got married,I left the country and started my jade business.
Never did I expect to meet her again—at her funeral.
It rained heavily that day.
I stood alone beneath an umbrella in front of her grave for a long time,until an old woman approached me.
She handed me a candy.
"If you could choose again,would you change your fate and hers?"
I held the candy tightly in my palm.
"I would run toward her without hesitation."
The moment I ate the candy and opened my eyes again—I was thirteen years in the past.
This time,I would make sure to save her from the fate that never belonged to her.
Just as I was impatiently waiting to return home and find her,I received a call from her.
"Nathan,can you help me this time?"
