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Amanda's life fell apart on her daughter Kendall's second birthday when her husband, James, disappeared. Worried and scared, Amanda got a mysterious message that revealed a shocking truth - James was living a secret life, partying at a club instead of being there for their daughter's special day. But that wasn't all. Amanda discovered a dark secret about her family involving James's family that put her life in danger. Afraid and alone, she made the hard choice to leave James and ask for a divorce. Three months later, just as Amanda was trying to move on, James came back, demanding custody of Kendall. He was angry that Amanda had left him after a terrible accident that left him in a coma - the real reason he never showed up on their daughter's birthday. Amanda refused, determined to protect Kendall from the family that had hurt her so badly. Their fight for Kendall led them to court, where James won, leaving Amanda devastated. Desperate to keep her daughter safe, Amanda planned to go into hiding with Kendall. But then, tragedy struck. Amanda woke up from an accident to find Kendall missing. With no clues or leads, Amanda had to put her anger aside and work with James to find their little girl. Now, Amanda and James must race against time to find Kendall and uncover the truth behind her disappearance. As they dig deeper into the mystery, they'll have to face the painful secrets that tore their family apart. Can Amanda and James set aside their differences and save their daughter before it's too late? As they come face to face with the reasons behind their separation, will they find a way to heal their broken family and start anew?
"James, pick up the phone," Amanda muttered under her breath, pressing redial for what felt like the hundredth time.
Her thumb hovered over the screen as the call failed again. A familiar automated voice declared, "The number you are trying to reach is not available."
She sighed heavily, pacing the living room. The balloons and streamers swayed gently in the breeze from the open window.
Kendall's birthday party was long over, or, more accurately, it had never truly begun.
The cake sat untouched on the dining table, the candles burned out hours ago. Amanda glanced at the clock. It was past midnight, and James still hadn't shown up.
"Mama, where's Daddy?" Kendall's sleepy voice broke through Amanda's thoughts. The little girl clung to her favorite stuffed bunny, her eyelids drooping from exhaustion. Amanda knelt beside her, brushing a strand of hair away from her daughter's forehead.
"He'll be home soon, sweetheart. Daddy promised, remember?" she said softly, though her voice faltered. She kissed Kendall on the cheek and stood, lifting her into her arms. "Let's get you to bed, okay? You've had a long day."
Kendall nodded drowsily, resting her head on Amanda's shoulder as they climbed the stairs to her room. Laying her down, Amanda whispered, "Goodnight, my love. Daddy will be here when you wake up." But even as she said it, she wasn't sure she believed it.
Back downstairs, Amanda picked up her phone again. She debated calling James' mother, Agnes, but stopped herself. "If something's wrong, I don't want to worry her unnecessarily." Instead, she scrolled to Jerry's number, James' best friend and he picked up almost immediately.
"Hey, Amanda," Jerry answered groggily. "Everything okay?"
"Jerry, have you heard from James today?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.
"Yeah, I spoke to him this afternoon. He told me he'd be home early tonight for Kendall's birthday. Wait, he's not there?"
"No," Amanda said, trying to steady her breathing. "I haven't heard from him all day, and his phone's off."
Jerry paused. "That's strange. He seemed fine when we talked. Maybe he went to see his mom? She hasn't been feeling well."
Amanda felt really irritated. "His mother's sick? No one told me." She thought to herself. She kept her tone neutral. "I'll try calling her. Thanks, Jerry."
"Don't worry too much," Jerry said. "I'm sure it's just a mix-up. Keep me posted."
Amanda ended the call and dialed Agnes' number. It rang and rang, but there was no answer. She tried two more times before giving up and sending a text;
"Hi Mom, have you seen James today? He hasn't come home, and I'm worried."
Setting the phone down, she rubbed her temples. Her mind racing really fast wondering if anything had happened.
A soft chime startled her. A message. She grabbed her phone, expecting a reply from Agnes, but the sender was an unknown number. The text read; "Watch this."
Attached was a video file.
Amanda froze. Her heart pounded as she stared at the screen. Memories flooded back, months ago, an unknown number sent her a chilling message about her parents' deaths, urging her to investigate.
James had assured her it was a cruel prank, dismissing it after finding no evidence. Now, another anonymous message. Slowly, she clicked on the video.
The footage was grainy, taken in a club. The camera panned over a man laughing and chatting with a group of women. His face wasn't visible, but his physique, his voice..... James?
Amanda's breath hitched. She watched in disbelief as the man leaned in close to one of the women, his arm draped casually over her shoulder.
"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "This... this isn't real." She deleted the video in a panic, refusing to let the image take root in her mind. James wasn't like that. He couldn't be. He'd never miss Kendall's birthday for something so... so meaningless.
Before she could calm herself, another message came through. Then another. Her phone buzzed incessantly. She opened the texts, her hands trembling. She didn't know what to expect but she knew it wasn't anything good.
It's him, the first message said.
"You don't believe it, but it's your husband. He's hiding things from you. Check the secret closet in his home office. You'll find the truth about your parents' deaths."
Amanda stared at the screen, her blood running cold. The accusations were absurd, weren't they? But the mention of her parents... the same parents she had lost in what was declared an accident... It was too specific, too deliberate. Her mind swirled with doubt. "What if it's true?"
She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, she tried her possible best not to imagine things, she was still in doubts that James could leave their daughter's birthday for the club. He missed her one year birthday and had promised to meet up this one. James was someone who kept his word.
Kendall's peaceful face flashed in her mind. Whatever was happening, she needed to know. For her daughter's sake, if nothing else. Amanda kissed Kendall's forehead, whispering a prayer that none of this was real.
Downstairs, she retrieved James' access card and made her way to his home office. The door creaked as she unlocked it. The room was immaculate, as always, James was meticulous about his space. She began searching, opening drawers, sifting through files. An hour passed, and she found nothing.
Frustrated, Amanda was about to leave when something caught her eye; a stack of papers protruding from a panel in the wall near James' chair. She approached it cautiously, her pulse quickening. Tugging at the panel, she discovered a hidden closet.
Inside, an old brown envelope lay atop a pile of documents. Amanda's fingers trembled as she opened it. The first thing she saw was a photograph. A picture of her as a child, standing between her parents. Her knees buckled as she clutched the photo to her chest, a cold dread settling over her.
"What have you done, James? How... How did you get this?" she whispered into the silence.
Camilla's perfect marriage to Lawrence turns out to be a facade when she's shockingly divorced and framed for infidelity. The same day, she discovers her best friend and husband entwined in a twisted affair. Devastated, Camilla decided to harbor a secret: she's pregnant with Lawrence's child. Vowing to protect her unborn child from the toxic relationship, she walks away. Years later, Camilla has rebuilt her life as a brilliant surgeon. But fate brings Lawrence back into her life - as her new hospital boss. Determined to rekindle their lost love, Lawrence stops at nothing. However, Camilla's heart now belongs to Raymond, her devoted fiancé But as Lawrence's true intentions and the reasons behind his past betrayal unravel, Camilla's torn between: The Ex-Husband Who Won't Let Go (Lawrence) and The Love Who Stood by Her (Raymond) Which path will Camilla choose? Will she give Lawrence a second chance or follow her heart with Raymond? Dive into this gripping tale of love, lies, and redemption.
Everyone was shocked to the bones when the news of Rupert Benton's engagement broke out. It was surprising because the lucky girl was said to be a plain Jane, who grew up in the countryside and had nothing to her name. One evening, she showed up at a banquet, stunning everyone present. "Wow, she's so beautiful!" All the men drooled, and the women got so jealous. What they didn't know was that this so-called country girl was actually an heiress to a billion-dollar empire. It wasn't long before her secrets came to light one after the other. The elites couldn't stop talking about her. "Holy smokes! So, her father is the richest man in the world?" "She's also that excellent, but mysterious designer who many people adore! Who would have guessed?" Nonetheless, people thought that Rupert didn't love her. But they were in for another surprise. Rupert released a statement, silencing all the naysayers. "I'm very much in love with my beautiful fiancee. We will be getting married soon." Two questions were on everyone's minds: "Why did she hide her identity? And why was Rupert in love with her all of a sudden?"
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
Loraine was a dutiful wife to Marco since they got married three years ago. However, he treated her like trash. Nothing she did softened his heart. One day, Loraine got fed up with it all. She asked him for a divorce and left him to enjoy with his mistress. The elites looked at her like she was deranged. "Are you out of your mind? Why are you so willing to divorce him?" "It's because I need to return home to get a billion-dollar fortune. Besides, I don't love him anymore," Loraine replied with a smile. They all laughed at her. Some believed that the divorce affected her mentally. It wasn't until the next day that they realized she wasn't fibbing. A woman was suddenly declared the world's youngest female billionaire. It turned out to be Loraine! Marco was shocked to the bone. When he met his ex-wife again, she was a changed person. A group of handsome young men surrounded her. She was smiling at them all. The sight made Marco's heart ache severely. Putting his pride aside, he tried to win her back. "Hello, love. I see that you are a billionaire now. You shouldn't be with suckers who just want your money. How about you come back to me? I'm a billionaire too. Together, we can build a strong empire. What do you say?" Loraine squinted at her ex-husband with her lips curled in disgust.
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
"We are divorced, Adams." She sighed and wanted to walk away, but he held her. "It doesn't matter." He answered, his voice laced with determination. "I don't love you anymore." "That doesn't matter either. What matters is that I want you, and there's nothing you or anyone can do about it." ***** Alicia's life has been a series of ups and downs. She suffered abuse from her husband and his family because she couldn't give him a child. She thought she had seen it all, but not until the day she returned home only to receive the divorce papers from her husband's parents. She pleaded with them, but was met with deaf ears, and so she signed the documents and left. Little did anyone know that she was pregnant. She returned six years later with her baby girl only to find her Ex-husband craving her once more. How will she take this, and what other surprises does fate have in stock for her?