The Substitute Bride

"Yes, " Autumn mumbled with a slight nod. "Yes, I gave Nancy the money. She initially refused it, but eventually accepted at my insistence. I suppose she is really in trouble."

Charles frowned, feeling annoyed and anxious at the same time. "Why didn't you tell me when you first learned about it?" he demanded. His mind was racing. If Nancy did something to hurt Autumn for money, he wasn't letting her off lightly.

Autumn tried to defend herself. "But it wasn't a lot of money, so I didn't feel the need to tell you." She was becoming upset, too. "Besides, if Nancy didn't tell you what was happening to her, it must be because she felt it was none of your business."

"You don't…" Charles paused after looking at his wife, then sighed with resignation. "You don't know that, Autumn. If only you had told me this, your condition might not have gotten so serious, " he pointed out, trying to be careful not to make his wife more worried.

"What are you saying, Charles?" Autumn asked, puzzled. "I'm saying this now hoping you'll pay more attention to Nancy and see for yourself if she needs any help, " she added.

Charles exhaled. "I know…" Then rubbing Autumn's shoulder, he told his wife, "Go on to bed. I still have some work to finish."

She nodded, somewhat relieved, and said, "I see. Good night, Charles." Autumn fell asleep after browsing through a parenting book.

Charles lost track of time while immersed in work. It was the middle of the night when he decided to get a glass of water downstairs. Unexpectedly, as soon as he came downstairs, he saw Nancy slip out of the house quietly. He debated with himself for a moment, but decided not to follow her.

It was February and the night wind was near freezing that it cut through the marrow. Nancy clutched her coat tighter to ward off the cold as she walked to the gate. There she saw a black car and got in. She was blindfolded and driven to a warehouse where Leila had previously been taken.

It was warm inside the warehouse, yet Nancy could still feel the chill seeping through her bones.

Once the blindfold was removed and she had adjusted her vision, Nancy saw a mystery man sitting in front of her. Reacting in panic, she tried to push him away, but another man in a suit, standing beside her, stopped Nancy.

"Where's my son?" she shrieked. "Where

rdered, "Get him out of here!"

As the two thugs picked him up to drag him away, Brent kept shouting to his mother, "Mom! Help me, help me! I can't go through this anymore, Mom! Help me."

He was 30, a fully grown man, but he sobbed like a child who could not be consoled.

The man turned to Nancy, dark eyes boring into hers. "So, can we talk about helping each other now?" He gave a sinister smile while ordering Nancy to sit. He sat down first and waited as Nancy hesitated.

She took a deep breath before sitting opposite him. "What is it that you want me to do?" she asked.

"It's quite simple, " he started, and took out a small pack that contained a drug which he pushed towards Nancy. "I want you to find an opportunity for Autumn to take this." His gaze never left hers. "If you pull this off, I will release your son."

Warily, she took the package. "What kind of medicine is this, " she inquired. Her heart was racing at the prospect of doing something really bad to harm Autumn.

"It's a drug that induces abortion, " he replied. He then let out an evil laugh. "She's out of her mind anyway, so she'll lose that baby sooner or later. Let's just say I'm helping her make it sooner, " he snorted.

Nancy gasped, her eyes turning wide in horror. "You want me to kill the child she's carrying, " she whispered.

The man's eyes gleamed in delight. "That's right. Don't tell me you can't do it! Remember what you said, " he said gruffly. "Let me help you. Think about your son. I'm sure that's enough incentive to do what I'm asking."