When He Betrayed Me, I Turned to His Brother

Chapter 4

Sophie's POV:

After what felt like an eternity, the car finally came to a stop outside an abandoned factory.

Several burly men dragged me out of the vehicle.

I struggled desperately, but no matter how hard I fought, I couldn't break free from the ropes binding my wrists.

The moment we entered the factory, I saw Farrah.

She was hanging from a rope, unconscious.

My heart sank.

This wasn't an ordinary k********g.

It was retaliation from one of the Warner family's business rivals.

Before long, I was hoisted up beside her.

The rough rope dug painfully into my wrists as we hung suspended in the air.

A moment later, Farrah stirred awake.

The instant she realized where she was, she let out a terrified scream.

"Who are you people? Let me go right now! If Ethan finds out about this, he'll never let you get away with it!"

Her shrill cries echoed throughout the factory.

The kidnappers exchanged annoyed looks.

One of them was about to step forward and silence her when the factory doors suddenly slammed open.

A tall figure strode inside.

The moment Farrah saw him, her eyes lit up.

"Ethan!"

Tears streamed down her face.

"Ethan, I'm here! I'm so scared!"

Ethan's expression changed immediately.

His eyes reddened as he looked at her.

"I'm here," he said hoarsely. "Don't be afraid."

Then he turned toward the kidnappers.

"You can let them go now."

One of the men burst out laughing.

"What are you dreaming about? You've ruined too many of our deals. Did you really think you could walk in here and take them away without paying a price?"

Ethan's jaw tightened.

"What do you want?"

Even then, his gaze remained fixed on Farrah, silently reassuring her.

He never looked at me.

The kidnapper grinned maliciously.

"Simple. I heard one of these women is your fiancée, and the other is your little lover. You get to choose one. In exchange, we take one of your hands."

For the first time since entering the factory, Ethan looked at me.

A trace of hesitation flickered across his face.

Before he could speak, Farrah burst into tears.

"Ethan! You aren't going to leave me here, are you?"

Then she shot me a venomous glare.

"Why are you even looking at that woman?"

The brief hesitation vanished from Ethan's eyes.

His attention returned entirely to Farrah.

A cold, decisive voice rang through the factory.

"I choose Farrah."

My fingers slowly tightened.

Then I closed my eyes.

I didn't want anyone to see the humiliation on my face.

The kidnapper let out a mocking laugh.

"You're even more heartless than I thought. Abandoning your own fiancée for your mistress? No wonder you've caused us so much trouble. Fine. I'll start by crippling the hand you use to make all those decisions."

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his knife and swung it toward Ethan's right hand.

But before the blade could land, a flood of figures stormed through the factory entrance.

"Police! Don't move!"

Special police officers swarmed into the building from every direction.

The kidnappers' expressions changed instantly.

Realizing there was no escape, the man holding the knife snarled in frustration.

Then he hurled the blade toward me.

The knife sliced cleanly through the rope suspending me.

For one terrifying second, I felt weightless.

Then I plummeted.

The world went black.

Somewhere in the darkness, I vaguely heard someone calling my name, again and again.

When I opened my eyes once more, I found myself staring at another hospital ceiling.

Jake was sitting beside my bed.

His eyes were bloodshot with exhaustion.

The moment he saw me wake up, relief flooded his face.

A genuine smile finally appeared.

"Sophie. You're awake."

I blinked slowly, my thoughts still sluggish.

It took several moments before I could speak.

"Jake..."

My voice was barely above a whisper.

"I don't want anything to do with Ethan ever again."

For a moment, Jake was silent.

Then he reached out and gently brushed my hair away from my face.

"Then come away with me."

His voice was soft, steady, and certain.

And for the first time in a long while, I felt safe.

On the day I was discharged from the hospital, I blocked every one of Ethan's contact numbers.

I deleted every possible way he could reach me.

Then, in the quiet of my heart, I said goodbye.

'Ethan. I hope you find the peaceful life you've always wanted.'

'From now on, your life and mine will never intersect again. Not in this lifetime. Not ever again.'

End of Sophie's POV.