Goodbye Innocence, Hello Revenge

Chapter 2 Mafia Trouble

Once those men were finally out of sight, I carefully drove home with Angela, constantly checking the rearview mirror to make sure we weren't being followed.

After we returned, I had to talk to Will about moving out. I couldn't let us stay in this neighborhood any longer. These kidnappers knew where we lived, and they knew Angela's school. It was far too dangerous to stay.

Will would agree—he'd always been a good husband, a good father. Nothing was more important than Angela's safety.

But why would they want a blank paper with my signature? That worry gnawed at me as we drove home.

After we arrived, I gave Angela a bath. She was still shaken up, clinging to me, refusing to sleep unless I held her.

"Mommy, where's Daddy? When is he coming home?"

"He will be home tomorrow, sweetheart. Now sleep, okay? When you wake up, he'll be back and bring you that Barbie doll he promised."

Before Will left on his trip, he'd promised Angela the newest Barbie—an old-fashioned toy that had recently made a comeback among little girls.

Once Angela finally drifted off, I tried calling Will again. No answer, just like before. My anxiety spiked—what if something had happened to him too? Should I call one of his colleagues to check?

The only colleague of Will's I knew was Anthony. I had called him once when Angela was sick, and I couldn't get in touch with Will. But Will had been furious afterward. He hated it when I contacted his colleagues or showed up while he was working unless it was for some formal event that required my presence.

Since then, I'd been careful not to cross that line. I respected his professionalism and tried to be the supportive wife behind the scenes. In truth, I was happy to leave behind the stress of a high-powered career.

While pondering in confusion, I gradually fell asleep clutching my phone. The stress and fear from the day had exhausted me. Even though I sensed a lingering trace of danger still clinging to the house as if eyes were watching us from the shadows, my fatigue won over fear.

The next morning, Will woke me up. He must have just gotten home—he was still in his suit, looking as if he hadn't slept at all.

The moment I opened my eyes, I jumped up and threw my arms around him.

"Oh my God, you're finally back! I couldn't reach you yesterday, I was so worried! Do you know what happened? Angela was kidnapped!"

I poured out all my fears and panic, not noticing that Will wasn't returning my embrace.

"I know," he said flatly, pushing me away. It was only then that I realized how serious his expression was, his brows furrowed in deep concern.

"You know?" I asked, confused.

"I received this last night, so I rushed back as soon as possible." Will pulled out his phone and showed me a picture.

I took the phone and saw the paper I had signed.

The only difference was that it was now covered in text. I read it carefully, and my face instantly went pale.

That blank sheet had turned into a loan contract. I was now in debt to some unknown company for a million dollars—about the equivalent of our entire savings, plus the house and Angela's college fund.

"I'm so sorry... I didn't know," I sobbed, burying my face in my hands.

Will placed a hand on my shoulder. "It's not your fault. If anything, we're just unlucky. The mafia got us."

"Mafia?" I echoed, confused.

"That company is a front for the mafia. They use it to cover up their dirty dealings."

Things had gone from bad to worse. If this were just a normal loan, we could dispute it in court, since there was no record of any transaction.

But with the mafia involved, everything became more dangerous.

"Can we go to the police?" I whispered.

"No. If we involve the cops, we won't even know how we died," Will said, his tone deadly serious.

Suddenly, images of the three of us lying dead in some desolate place flashed through my mind. I couldn't bear the thought—especially not Angela. I collapsed, overwhelmed with fear and helplessness.

After what felt like an eternity, I heard Will say, "Our only option now is to give up everything—our property, our money—to stay alive." His voice sounded heavy. It seemed like the decision weighed on his very soul.

"Will that be enough? Will they really leave us alone after that?" I asked, my voice filled with guilt and desperation.

Will gave a bitter smile. "What else can we do? We'll be penniless. They won't care about us anymore."

"But... it's everything you've worked for, all these years..."

"God, why us? Why did the mafia have to target us?" Will groaned, his frustration spilling over.

"The house, the money, none of it matters. We can always earn more," he said, though the pain in his voice was undeniable.

I was overwhelmed with emotion. Even in the face of all this, Will was still strong and responsible. With him, it felt like any problem could be solved. All I could hope for now was that, after we handed over the money, the mafia would leave us alone.

The next few days were a blur. We scrambled to liquidate our savings, stocks, and securities—anything that could be turned into cash. We even listed the house for sale, waiting for a buyer.

I also withdrew Angela from school. Not only were we planning to move, but after losing everything, there was no way we could afford the tuition at her private school anymore.

In a way, I was relieved we had set up Angela's education trust. That money was protected from debt claims.

Years ago, when Angela was just three, I started to consider her future education. Back then, Will had wanted to invest all our money into a decent project, saying we could deal with Angela's trust later.

However, I had basically forced him to put some money into Angela's trust funds. And over the years, I managed to add extra funds to it, and even Will didn't know how much money I had put in.

As we drove back from the bank to what was soon to be someone else's home—I had just sold it to an older couple who had recently moved to the area—I thought back on that decision.

"The mafia must have dug into every detail of our lives before they kidnapped Angela. Fortunately, the trust fund wasn't involved," Will suddenly said, breaking the silence.

I blinked, realizing I had been muttering my thoughts out loud.

"Exactly. If they hadn't, they wouldn't have set the ransom at exactly what we had."

Although we'd managed to protect Angela's future, the sense of loss was crushing. The car ride home was silent, the air thick with unspoken fears. Will didn't say another word, and neither did I.

Later that day, Will took Angela to his sister's house, saying it would be easier to manage everything without her around for the next few days.

Tomorrow, Will would wire the money to the mafia's account. By then, we'd be left with nothing.

As I stood in the now-empty house, tears quietly streamed down my face. The weight of the past few days had drained me of every emotion except this lingering, dull ache. The home that had once been filled with warmth and love now felt like a hollow shell. I had no energy left for crying out loud—only silent tears.

Will had been hit hard, too. He wasn't talking much anymore. Sometimes, I even felt like he was becoming distant. He hadn't comforted me as much as I had hoped, choosing to stay quiet instead. But I couldn't blame him. As hard as it was to be a stay-at-home mom, our wealth had all come from his hard work.

I silently scolded myself for expecting too much from him.

"I'll go stay with your sister for now," I told him as I packed. "Once you've found us a new place in the city, Angela and I will move in."

Staying with his sister wasn't a long-term solution.

Will nodded. "You go ahead. Things are busy at work. I'll be staying at the office for a while."

"You don't want to come with me to see Angela?" I asked, surprised.

"I'll check in later. There's an urgent situation at the office I need to handle."

With my suitcase packed, we said our goodbyes at the door. But as I watched Will's car disappear down the road, a strange feeling washed over me—a sinking dread that I might never see him again.