Between My Husband and Friend, Who Was My Real Ally

Bella's POV

“Bella, where did you go? I woke up and you were gone. I was scared to death!” Nate worriedly said.

I steadied my voice and answered casually, “I got hungry this morning and went out for breakfast. Then I ran into a college roommate, so I came to her place.”

Nate paused for a moment, then snapped anxiously, “What roommate? How come I’ve never heard of her? Listen, something urgent came up at work. I have to fly back immediately. I already booked the tickets. The plane leaves in two hours. Call a cab and come back right away. We’ll head to the airport together!”

He didn’t even wait for my response before hanging up.

When I tried calling again, his phone was already off.

My mind raced. Did Nate truly have a work emergency? Or was this just an excuse so I'd come back and he could hand me over as “the product”?

To confirm something, I opened our travel app and there it was. He really had bought me a plane ticket for a flight in two hours.

I couldn’t tell which part of his story was real and which was a trap. But I did know one thing: as long as I stayed in Cassie’s apartment, I was temporarily safe.

Just then, another notification popped up.

The livestream had started again.

I opened it immediately, ready to record everything as evidence.

There, I saw Morgan celebrating.

[Guys! I’m getting ready to pick up the goods! The streamer gave me the address early this time! Wait for my good news tonight. I’ll send out some bonuses!]

Someone asked him where the pickup point was.

He replied with a smug emoji, [2nd floor, Sunridge Residences, Eastview District.]

My pupils tightened, and my phone almost slipped from my hand.

Because Cassie lived on the second floor of Sunridge Residences.

And this floor only had two units—her place, and her brother Gabby Harper’s place.

How did the livestream host know I was here?

Could it be Nate? No, he had no idea where I had gone.

Then a colder, more terrifying thought crept into my mind.

The only person who knew I was here was Cassie.

Was the person arranging the pickup not Nate, but her?

A wave of uncontrollable trembling washed over me.

I tried to call the police, but my hands were shaking so badly that I couldn’t even press the right numbers.

And then, the doorbell rang.

When no one answered, loud banging began.

Through the peephole, I saw a man with tattooed arms grinning at the door. His teeth were yellow, and his eyes glowed with greedy excitement.

Two smaller men also stood behind him.

My knees nearly gave out at the scene. As a scream rose in my throat, a large hand suddenly clamped over my mouth.

“Don’t make a sound! I’m here to save you!”

I jerked in shock and saw it was Nate.