Stolen Away For Six Years, My Lover Chose My Best Friend

A month before I was supposed to get engaged to my childhood sweetheart, I was kidnapped by traffickers and taken deep into the mountains.

They sold me to a bachelor, and within three years, I gave birth to two children.

I lived in a cowshed, waking every day to beatings and insults. By the sixth year, I finally earned his trust, and one night under the pale moonlight, I ran, seven days and seven nights without stopping.

When hunger tore at me, I chewed on leaves and picked wild fruits; when thirst burned, I drank from the rain.

With the last of my strength, I finally broke free from the mountains I had long dreamed of escaping.

I drifted through towns, wandering, until I found my way back to my boyfriend’s home.

But the wedding photo that once held our faces now showed him with my best friend.

——

Relying on what I knew about him, I reached under the carpet, found the hidden key, and pushed the door open with trembling hands.

The massive wedding portrait hanging on the wall was the first thing I saw.

In the photo, Quincy Larson, my best friend, and Luka Caldwell, my childhood sweetheart, held hands, smiling as if joy belonged only to them.

I rubbed my eyes hard, unwilling to believe what I was seeing. The image struck me like lightning, leaving me stunned.

The house was laid out the same as before, yet everything tied to me was gone.

The souvenirs from trips with Luka, the anniversary vase we had ordered together, the photo wall in the living room, every trace of me had vanished.

Then I heard the sound of the door unlocking behind me, followed by laughter and voices.

“Quincy, I just learned a new recipe. I’ll cook it for you.”

“Alright, I’ll help you out.”

I didn’t turn around. My eyes stayed fixed on the wedding photo. The laughter and chatter stopped the moment the door opened.

“Who are you?” Luka’s voice was cautious, edged with suspicion. He didn’t recognize me anymore.

Once, no matter the distance or the crowd, Luka could always find me instantly.

I turned slowly. The second they saw my face, both of them froze in shock.

I was covered in dirt and mud, my body weak and thin.

There was no joy in Luka’s eyes; his hand tightened around Quincy’s without thinking. It lasted only a moment, but I saw it clearly, and it cut deep.

“Talia Pearson? How did you…”

Luka let go of Quincy’s hand, smiled, and walked toward me.

When he tried to pull me into his arms, he hesitated. That pause, that flicker of disgust he couldn’t hide, pierced my heart like a knife.

For a brief moment, Quincy looked shaken at being let go, but she quickly regained her composure.

“Talia, you’re finally back. We’ve been looking for you everywhere. Where have you been all these years?”

As she stepped closer, Luka still embraced me, but it was reluctant, and the distaste on his face was impossible to miss.

I couldn’t help but think back to that graduation trip, when I had fallen into the forest during the storm.

I was gone for two days, and when I finally stumbled out, soaked and covered in mud, Luka had rushed to me without hesitation, pulling me into his arms as if he would never let go.

In that moment, I wanted to shove him away. “Dirty.”

But Luka only pulled me closer. “You’re not dirty. How could my Talia ever be dirty? I finally found you.”

“Am I… interrupting you two?”

Luka’s body stiffened. He gave me a quick squeeze before letting go in a rush.

“Of course not. Talia, we were all so worried about you.”

They stood in front of me, faces full of worry and unease. To me, it was almost laughable.

One was Luka, who had grown up by my side since childhood.

The other was Quincy, the friend I once pulled out of a dark alley when she was beaten and broken.

My eyes drifted to the wedding photo on the wall. The two of them instantly understood and lowered their heads in shame.

“Talia, please, let me explain. After you disappeared, we were crushed. We searched together for more than three years, but we never found you. Later…”

I gave a bitter smile, my eyes stinging with tears, and finished the sentence for him.