Just because I refused to give my husband’s childhood sweetheart my emergency parking spot, she ended up dying in an accident.

On the surface, my husband Ethan Miller didn’t blame me. But when our daughter Lily went away to summer camp, he handed her over to kidnappers.

When I learned the truth, tears streamed down my face. I wanted to beg Ethan to save her, only to find his phone turned off.

I went alone to rescue Lily, but instead I suffered inhuman torture and nearly lost my life.

Ethan’s childhood sweetheart, Sarah White, had kidney failure and needed regular dialysis. She asked me several times to give her my emergency parking spot.

But Sarah’s apartment complex had plenty of parking spaces in its underground lot. Renting one only cost a little over a hundred dollars a month, yet she was too stingy to pay for it. Her place was barely a mile from the hospital—just a short drive around the block.

Why did she have to fixate on mine?

“Your home is so close to the hospital. Why insist on my spot? This spot is reserved by the hospital for attending physicians. I can’t lend or transfer it, otherwise I’ll be fired for breaking hospital policy.”

Sarah cursed under her breath, then went to complain to Ethan:

“Ethan, I’m practically dying, and all I asked was for Emily’s parking spot. It’s not like I wanted it for free. Once I make money, I’ll pay her back. How can she be like this?”

Ethan brought it up to me many times, but I never agreed.

The day Sarah died, I was shocked. I never expected that someone so regular with her dialysis treatments would suddenly pass away.

Her doctor told me, “Sarah wasn’t following her diet. She overate and drank. Dialysis should have been three times a week, but lately she only came once. That alone wouldn’t have killed her. But this time, she got drunk, missed her treatment, and died of poisoning at home.”

I relayed this to Ethan to clear myself of responsibility.

And indeed, I wasn’t responsible.

Ethan seemed to forgive me.

“You’re right, Emily. It wasn’t your responsibility. That spot was never Sarah’s. She was careless. Don’t blame yourself.”

He hugged me. I thought he truly forgave me. I had been so worried, but he seemed calm. That night, I even felt grateful to have such a composed husband.

When summer came, Lily, who was eight years old, needed to go to camp. Ethan didn’t bother with it, so I drove her there myself.

But on my way back, I got a call from kidnappers:

“Your daughter is with us. If you know what’s good for you, come get her. Otherwise, she’ll die young.”

“Mommy, save me! I don’t want this, I’m so scared!”

Her voice broke my heart. I wasn’t even home yet and frantically tried calling Ethan, but his phone was off. I even called his mother repeatedly, but no one answered. I had no choice but to go rescue Lily myself.

When I saw the gang leader and his men, I froze. Over a dozen men surrounded Lily, who was crying her heart out, tears streaming like a waterfall.

“Mommy, you finally came! I was so scared.”

“Let her go, or I’ll call the police!”

I threatened them, but they didn’t move.

“Lady, turn around.”

I looked back to see the path I came from blocked, the underground garage doors locked, people closing in. We were trapped.

“Lily!! Are you okay?”

Suddenly Lily broke free and ran into my arms. I held her tightly.

“It’s okay now, Lily. Mommy’s here.”

The men laughed. “No, lady. It won’t be okay. Since you came, things just got worse.”

A man who looked like the leader walked over with a sinister grin.

“Let us go! I already called the police. They’re on their way!”

“Heh, in this line of work, do you think I’m afraid of that?”

One of his men kicked me, knocking my phone away. I fell hard onto the ground. Lily sobbed, begging them not to hurt me, but they ignored her.

Soon the mob surged forward. They punched and kicked me until I passed out.

When I woke again, I thought I was in heaven. The smell of antiseptic filled the air, and the ceiling was white as snow. I pinched myself.

“Am I… in a hospital?”

I looked at my legs in disbelief. They were broken, hanging in casts.

“I… I didn’t die? I’m in a hospital? But where’s Lily?”

Panicked, I looked around, but everything was quiet. Midnight.

Then I heard whispers from the next room:

“Daddy, just because Mommy didn’t give Aunt Sarah the parking spot and caused her death, you’re getting revenge? You made me pretend to be kidnapped, then lured Mommy here so she’d get her leg broken, and now she’ll walk with a limp forever?”

“What about Mommy’s daily life?”

Ethan’s voice was cold:

“She only lost a leg. Sarah lost her life. If it weren’t for Emily’s lack of compassion, if she hadn’t coldly refused that spot, Sarah would still be alive. Besides, don’t you like Aunt Sarah too? Aren’t you glad she cared for you?”

Lily’s voice was trembling with tears:

“Yes… Aunt Sarah was so kind. Mommy’s so heartless. Aunt Sarah always bought me burgers. She was sweet. Mommy just forces me to eat broccoli. She’s too controlling.”

My blood ran cold.

So it was all fake. The kidnapping, the danger—an act. My own daughter pretended to be kidnapped, all to punish me for Sarah’s death.

When the police came to take my statement the next day, Ethan and Lily kept up their act of being a loving husband and daughter.

“Officer, in broad daylight, my daughter was kidnapped and my wife’s leg broken. I demand justice. These criminals must be caught!” Ethan said solemnly.

“It’s all my fault, officer,” Lily cried. “If I hadn’t been so naughty, those men wouldn’t have taken me, and Mommy wouldn’t be hurt like this.”

The officer patted her head gently. “Don’t worry, little one. We’ll make sure justice is served.”

After they left, Ethan took my hand.

“Feeling better, Emily? I’m sorry. My phone died. If it hadn’t, you wouldn’t have been hurt like this.”

Looking at his fake concern made me sick.

“I don’t care anymore whether you answered my call.”

“Let’s just get divorced. Tomorrow morning, County Clerk’s Office.”

Both Ethan and Lily froze.

“What? You’re in this condition and still want a divorce? Who’s going to take care of you?” Ethan asked, shocked.

“That’s none of your business.”

“Can you stop making a scene? You’re hurt. Just focus on healing instead of being unreasonable.” Ethan’s tone was impatient.

“If you don’t agree to divorce, I’ll tell the police the truth.”

I stared at him. “Tomorrow morning at the County Clerk’s Office. Don’t think I won’t show up, even if I have to hobble there on crutches.”

His face paled, his expression twisted with anger.

I longed for the divorce. What good were a husband and daughter like this?

All this, just because of a parking spot? Sarah brought her death upon herself, yet they blamed me.

Why should I stay in such a family?

Near midnight, a loud knock woke me.

Startled, I sat up to see several men entering my hospital room—disheveled, dressed like vagrants. My heart pounded.

“Who are you? This is a hospital. You’re trespassing!”

The gang leader smirked.

“What, lady? Already forgotten us? You sure have a short memory.”

My face went pale. This wasn’t simple.

“Was it Ethan? Did he send you? Tell him to come here. I’ll face him myself. I’m his wife. This is our family business. Outsiders have no right to interfere!”

I shouted, but they ignored me.

“Ethan? We don’t know him.”

“You offended the wrong person.”

“Lady, in your next life, learn to behave.”

The group surged forward. My heart seized.

“I’ll pay thirty thousand dollars—no, seventy thousand! Just stop this. Let me go!”

The leader froze for a moment, then sneered.

“Sorry. No matter how much you offer, we keep our word. Otherwise, how could we survive in this business?”

“Nothing personal, lady.”

He raised a chair leg and smashed it into my other leg. My scream tore through the night before I blacked out.

When I woke again, the world spun, but I was alive.

Alive… but both my legs were gone. Amputated.

And worse—I wasn’t whole anymore. The medical report told me the truth: my womb had been ripped from me.

Tears streamed silently down my face.

Then I heard a voice from the bathroom. Ethan, talking on the phone, on speaker.

“Daddy, because Mommy caused Aunt Sarah’s death and tried to force you to divorce, you had no choice but to send the gang again. But Daddy, you let them take Mommy’s womb. How will she ever have more children?”

Ethan’s voice was chilling:

“She has you. That’s enough. Why would she need more? Breaking her legs was the point—now she can’t push me to divorce. And I had the leader record everything. If she dares threaten me again, I’ll release it. She’ll be ruined in New York City, disgraced, abandoned even by her parents. Let’s see how she survives then.”