His Choice

When his gaze settled on Sophia's cage, Emmy suddenly stopped crying in my arms and just stared at him wide-eyed like an abandoned kitten.

"I choose…" he spoke, his voice extremely hoarse. "I choose Sophia and Ethan."

The moment the kidnapper removed the dagger, I heard the sound of my heart shattering.

Emmy's lips twitched, and she burst into a heart-wrenching wail.

"Deal," the kidnapper opened the cage on Sophia's side. Just as he and his group were about to take Emmy and me away, William suddenly broke free of the restraints like a madman, rushed over, and hugged the iron cage. "Wait! I choose them! I choose Heather and Emmy!"

"Too late," the kidnapper sneered and walked to the corner with the cage.

As we passed by William, I clearly saw the crimson rage in his eyes and the fleeting smugness on Sophia's lips.

After some time, police sirens suddenly sounded from outside the warehouse.

I held Emmy and curled up in a corner, trying to shield her from the chaos. As soon as my nerves relaxed, I fainted.

…

When I woke up again, the smell of disinfectant made me cough violently.

The light reflecting on the white ceiling was so bright that it made me dizzy. However, I ignored the IV needle in my wrist and swiftly threw back the covers to get out of bed and hug her when I heard Emmy's babbling.

Alas, William held me back.

I shoved him away in a fit of rage and roared, "Fuck off!"

William's facial expression darkened. "I know you're angry, but Ethan was too scared at the time. Besides, Emmy is fine," he said.

"Yes, a six-year-old boy could get scared. Yet, it never occurred to you that a baby like Emmy could get scared too?"

I was so angry that I grabbed the glass from the bedside table and smashed it on William's head. "Give Emmy back and get out of my sight, along with Sophia and Ethan!" I demanded.

"Can't you be a little more sensible like Sophia? You just had to make a big deal out of nothing!" he complained, his tone laced with slight irritation.

After that, he slammed the door and left, leaving the room in complete silence.

Before I could even recover from my anger, Sophia pushed the door open and came in. I remained in my seat. By the time I looked up, my eyes were completely devoid of emotion. "Was it fun staging the whole kidnapping scene?" I asked.

Sophia raised an eyebrow upon hearing my question. "It's fun, of course. Thanks to it, I'd managed to mess with you and your daugther," she replied, openly admitting to it.

"I wanted to show you that he only cares about Ethan and me now and that you don't stand a chance against me. Leave, and don't ever show your face in front of us again. Otherwise, I can't promise that bastard of yours won't be missing an arm or a leg next time."

Suddenly, Sophia sighed and added, "Actually, I used to think he loved you, too.

"The first time we had sex was an accident. He gave me a lot of money and threatened me that he would have me killed if I dared to take it to you. He was only willing to accept me after I found out I was pregnant.

"You know how men are. Love is a fleeting thing to them. He may have loved you before, but now he loves my son and me."

Just before I boarded the plane with Emmy in my arms, I got a text from William.

'I have some urgent business to take care of at the company, so I'll be home late. When I get back, we'll apply for Emmy's birth certificate and Social Security number. Heather, I love you.'

I scoffed, blocked William's number, and texted his archnemesis. 'I'm off.'

The reply came almost instantly. 'Heather, I'll be waiting for you.'

As the plane flew through the clouds, I bent down and kissed Emmy.

"William, your daughter is about to call the person you hate the most 'Dad' in the future," I muttered to myself.