After the call ended, the police shook their heads grimly. Even though the abductor had directly contacted me, it was still impossible to trace their location.
I turned around and saw Jimmy passing by. He had overheard everything and now looked as pale as a ghost.
“Nat, have Shane’s parents really been kidnapped? But Shane told me they were just acting to help you…”
I didn’t have the energy to argue with him, so I told him to call Shane and tell him the truth.
I anxiously glanced at the time. With Craig’s resources, transferring five million dollars shouldn’t take this long. After waiting for a while, I called him.
“Uncle Craig?”
I had barely begun when he sighed heavily. “Nat, lying is wrong, you know,” he said tiredly. “Look, no one in Shane’s family has treated you kindly except for his parents.
“I pitied you and tried to help you. But now, I see things clearly. Those who play the victim only end up looking pathetic. If you weren’t such a compulsive liar, a fine man like Shane wouldn’t have come to resent you.”
My heart sank into my stomach. I knew now that there was no chance of scraping together the remaining five million dollars.
“Uncle Craig, did Shane tell you I was faking this?” My voice trembled with urgency. “You may not believe me, but the police are standing right next to me. They can vouch for everything I’m saying—”
Craig interrupted with another deep sigh. “You don’t need to hire fake police officers to trick me. Even if you manage to fool me today, you can’t deceive yourself forever.
“Nat, I know you’re unwilling to let Shane go because you love him, but he has someone he cares about. And now she’s back. Why not just divorce him if this is too painful for you?”
I hung up midway through his rambling, my expression dark and stormy.
Shane’s parents’ lives were hanging by a thread, yet their own family took this crisis as an opportunity to attack me.
Meanwhile, Jimmy finally got through to Shane’s phone.
“Shane, listen to me! This is serious—your parents have really been abducted. The police—”
Before he could finish, Hailey’s lazy voice came through. “Jimmy, are you playing along with Natalie’s act now too? Tell me, how much is she paying you? I’ll double it.”
Jimmy grew emotional. “I’m not lying!”
Hailey, uninterested, handed the phone to Shane. “Shane, Jimmy’s been bought off by that wretched woman too.”
Shane’s cold voice sounded next. “Jimmy, stop it.”