CHAPTER 4 – The Man Who Was Supposed to Die
The car tipped forward.
Emma clutched her stomach as broken glass rained over her lap.
The river churned twenty feet below.
Ryan ignored the blood running down his forehead.
His only concern was Emma.
“Listen to me,” he said, gripping her trembling hand. “When I count to three, climb through your window. Don’t look back.”
Emma shook her head violently.
“I’m not leaving you!”
“You have to!”
Behind them, the black SUV stopped.
Two men stepped out.
They weren't calling for help.
They were walking toward the hanging car.
Ryan's heart sank.
“This wasn't an accident,” he whispered.
One of the men pulled a pistol fitted with a suppressor.
“Finish it,” he ordered.
Emma froze.
“They're trying to kill us…”
Ryan suddenly remembered Vanessa.
The insurance policy.
The strange phone calls.
The airport.
Everything clicked together.
“She planned this from the beginning.”
The first bullet shattered the rear windshield.
Emma screamed.
Ryan shoved her toward the passenger window.
“GO!”
Another shot struck the dashboard.
Smoke filled the cabin.
Ryan kicked the windshield with everything he had.
The cracked glass finally exploded outward.
Cold air rushed inside.
“NOW!”
Emma crawled through the opening, crying uncontrollably.
Ryan followed—but just as he reached for her hand...
The damaged guardrail snapped.
The entire car slid off the bridge.
“RYAN!”
For a terrifying second, Emma's fingers brushed his.
Then the vehicle plunged into the river below.
The explosion echoed through the night.
Flames lit up the water.
Emma collapsed on the bridge, screaming his name over and over.
Police and firefighters arrived within minutes.
Divers searched the river for hours.
At sunrise, they recovered the wreckage.
But when they opened the driver's door...
It was empty.
No body.
No blood.
Nothing.
The police declared Ryan missing, presumed dead.
News stations reported that the terminally ill husband had sacrificed himself to save his pregnant wife.
Emma attended a memorial service with an empty coffin.
She believed the love of her life was gone forever.
Until three weeks later.
At 2:17 a.m., her phone buzzed.
An unknown number.
Attached was a single photo.
Ryan.
Alive.
Bruised.
His wrists chained to a metal chair inside a dark warehouse.
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Below the picture were only six chilling words:
"Bring the insurance money. Come alone."
