\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 2\u00a0<\/p>\n
The kidnapper ripped the duct tape off my mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rough pull tore away a layer of my skin. Blood welled up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He pinched my chin. \u201cBryant\u2019s wife? Well, not much to look at.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A sinister grin spread across his face. He pointed at Buffy\u2019s remains while asking me, \u201cWanna live?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded desperately.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of course, I wanted to live.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen call Bryant This book had been added on your bookshelf. nd title to buy his\u00a0<\/p>\n
wife back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I heard this, my heart froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I gritted my teeth, telling him, \u201cBryant won\u2019t care if I live or die. You\u2019ve got the wrong person.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next second, a sharp slap across my face with a smack.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s with the excuses? You think we\u2019re idiots?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The kidnapper took my phone and dialed Bryant\u2019s number right in front of me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once, twice, three times\u2026 countless times. Bryant didn\u2019t pick up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The kidnapper hurled the phone at my face. \u201cYou had a fight? Damn!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
0.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
1017\u00a0<\/p>\n
Though furious, he had to use his own burner phone. The call rang only five seconds before it was answered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A boisterous noise came from the other end. \u201cDrink! Drink!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHello? Who is this?\u201d Bryant\u2019s voice came through. \u201cCori, let me take this call. It\u2019s a bit loud here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, Bryant could call someone\u2019s name that gently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The kidnapper deepened his voice, saying, \u201cMarjorie is in our hands. One million ransom for your wife. Your choice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A brief silence, then I heard a cold snort.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMarjorie? Well, tell her to stop playing these tricks. I\u2019ve had enough of them!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing this, the kidnapper stared at me in disbelief, rage boiling over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He yanked my hair. I even heard the sound of my scalp tearing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSay something!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I clenched my jaw stubbornly, refusing to speak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing this, the kidnapper slammed my head hard against the floor. Then, he picked up a pair of pliers and aimed for my fingernails.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first one ripped off was my index fingernail.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The second is my middle fingernail.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAHHH!\u201d I finally couldn\u2019t bear it, screaming in agony.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stopped, slapping my cheek in annoyance. \u201cScreaming\u2019s useless!\u00a0<\/p>\n
You need to talk!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sobbing, I spoke to Bryant on the phone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBryant, please\u2026 Help me! They\u2019re desperate men! Buffy is dead!\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m begging you. Please help me! I\u2019ll pay you back! Don\u2019t you want a divorce? I\u2019ll agree!\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf being your wife can\u2019t get the money, how about being your ex-wife? Bryant, I\u2019ll give my place to Corinne. Can that buy my life?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The kidnapper seemed satisfied with my performance, his lips. twitching in something like a smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Bryant\u2019s voice was utterly indifferent. \u201cMarjorie, stop acting. Haven\u2019t you stolen enough from the Jarvis family? Now you dare set your sights on my Whitney family? If you really wanna die, please do it far away, and do it quickly!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo! Bryant, I\u2019m begging you\u2026\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
I screamed desperately, terrified he\u2019d sever my last hope.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But in the end, my pleas meant nothing to him. He hung up without any hesitation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The kidnapper kicked and punched me, then resumed his task, pulling out my remaining fingernails one by one.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still not satisfied, they took photos of my bloody, mangled fingers and sent them to Bryant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTransfer the money in one hour. Or you\u2019ll face the consequences.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
This time, the reply on my phone came quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
10\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you wanna die, get on with it. You reap what you sow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Two casual sentences, severing my last sliver of hope.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I burst into hysterical laughter, tears blurring my vision.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With all my remaining strength, I bit down on the hand of the kidnapper reaching to slap me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Furious, he kicked me hard in the chest. \u201cBitch! You really wanna die, huh?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSince your teeth are so useful, let\u2019s pull them all out!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He signaled for a wrench, pried my mouth open, and knocked out all my teeth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My face covered in blood, I glared at them with red, furious eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing this, the kidnapper decided to gouge my eyes out with a knife.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What did I do wrong?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why did I have to suffer like this?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t stand this hellish pain for one more second!\u00a0<\/p>\n
A1.79%\u00a0<\/p>\n
1017<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Moon-Cursed Princess by Mark Twain 2 \u00a0 Chapter 2\u00a0 The kidnapper ripped the duct tape off my mouth.\u00a0 The rough […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-in-your-life-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22851\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}