The Tenth Unanswered Call

I was once the wife of Caspian Hawthorne, an heir to a New York City fortune.

When I was five months pregnant, after a charity gala, I was ambushed and kidnapped by a group of thugs in the parking garage. I desperately called my husband, Caspian, for help.

But he ignored nine frantic calls from me so he could deal with a minor fender-bender involving his stepsister, Vivienne.

The kidnappers surrounded me, their fists hammering my arms and legs, each blow an agonizing wave of pain.

With a final, desperate gasp, I dialed his number for the tenth time.

This time, Caspian's cold voice cut through the line. "Are you done with your drama? Vivienne was in a car accident and she's scared. Stop bothering me."

Vivienne was Caspian and Sterling's stepsister—the one they truly loved.

With nothing to stop them, the kidnappers closed in. A man’s foot slammed into my stomach, and with sickening certainty, I felt my unborn child slipping away.

Just as I was on the verge of death, my sister, Scarlett, found me and fought the kidnappers off.

But there were too many of them. Soon, Scarlett collapsed beside me, a heavy blow to her back leaving her unable to move. She used her last ounce of strength to call her husband, Sterling, but the only reply she received was, "I'm with Vivienne. Don't bother me."

By some miracle, a security guard in the parking garage found us. Both Scarlett and I survived.

When I woke up in the hospital, my first thought was simple: divorce.

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1

Every socialite in New York City once envied my sister, Scarlett, and me for marrying the Hawthorne heirs.

But when we were attacked and kidnapped while I was five months pregnant, our husbands dismissed our calls. They told us not to bother them while they rushed to comfort their stepsister—the one they truly loved.

I lost my child, and my sister suffered a severe spinal injury that ended her career as a stuntwoman.

The moment I confirmed Scarlett had regained consciousness, I called Caspian’s lawyer to file for divorce.

For two full days, there was only dead silence from his end.

I realized he had frozen all my assets.

"Our baby is gone," I finally texted him.

To my surprise, my phone rang almost instantly. Caspian's furious voice crackled over the line.

"Juliet, is this your new ploy for attention? When your lawyer got no response, you decided to fake a miscarriage?" His voice was ice-cold with rage.

"I told you to stay home and rest while carrying my heir, but you insisted on parading around. Then you blow up my phone with nine calls when I don't answer right away. Are you that unstable?"

"Vivienne was in a car accident! She almost miscarried. What could possibly have been more important than me comforting her while she was terrified?"

"Let me be clear—stop using our child to manipulate me. If you think this lie will earn you sympathy, you're dead wrong."

"Caspian," I heard Vivienne's weak voice in the background. "Don't be angry with Jules. She's just worried about you. This is all my fault..."

"Vivienne, this has nothing to do with you…" His voice softened instantly, and then he hung up.

My hand fell from my temple, a bitter smile twisting my lips.

Of course. How could I ever matter more than precious Vivienne? Any attempt to explain would only lead to more humiliation.

I laid a hand on my now-flat stomach, grief washing over me. My poor baby. Five months along, with a strong, steady heartbeat. Now gone, torn from me by brutal kicks and punches.

The obstetrician told me the attack had damaged my uterus so badly that I might never conceive again.

Caspian didn't know. He had no idea that in his rush to soothe Vivienne, he had lost not only his unborn child but also any chance of a future heir.

This wasn't random. They were after me. And it was all Caspian's fault.

When the kidnappers surrounded me, their leader, a man named Rico, backhanded me across the face so hard I staggered.

Through the ringing in my ears, I heard him snarl, "Your husband got our whole security team fired! We lost our jobs, our livelihoods—everything!—because of him."

"We hear your husband is loaded. Once we have you, he'll pay a fortune to get you back."

Hearing they only wanted money, I felt a sliver of relief.

At least they might spare my baby.

But after nine desperate calls went unanswered, the tenth brought only Caspian's cold, dismissive words.

His rejection had rendered me worthless in their eyes.

A terror I had never known seized me.

I fell to my knees, begging them, pleading with them over and over.

I would do anything, anything, if they would just leave my baby alone.

But my pleas were meaningless. Rico's foot slammed into my abdomen with savage force.

Agony, white-hot and absolute, tore through me. Warm, sticky blood pooled on the cold concrete floor.

My baby was gone. Just like that.

Just this morning, I had felt their faint, fluttering kicks.

As a chilling cold seeped into my bones, my consciousness began to fade.