My sister was kidnapped by thugs, and to save her, I lost an arm. But afterward, she stole my RV and emptied my bank account. When I confronted her, she was irritated. “Callie Harlow, don’t guilt-trip me! Losing your arm was your own choice; what does that have to do with me? Besides, you hardly use any of that stuff, so give it to me.” Humiliated and angry, she schemed to push me off a cliff. The next thing I knew, I was back to the day she begged me to save her. From the rooftop, I shouted, “Fiona, what did you say? I can’t hear you!” As soon as I said that, I ran. I sprinted away, not giving the kidnappers or Fiona a chance. What a joke—if I survived death once and still acted like a fool, then my death in the past life would’ve been for nothing. “Callie, help me!” Fiona’s voice tore through the air, desperate and heart-wrenching. She was shouting so loudly that, even though I had already run quite far, I could hear her crystal clear. “Dad’s already gone! Are you really going to let your only sister die?” Fiona cried, her voice thick with sobs. From a distance, her words sounded like the shrieks of a banshee, haunting and relentless. And honestly, that’s exactly how it felt. In my previous life, those same words made me run back without hesitation. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing my sister, my own flesh and blood. But what happened in the end? I lost my right arm to the kidnappers. It was my dominant hand. After losing it, even simple tasks like writing became exhausting. But even though I lost my arm, I didn’t regret it at the time. Back then, the kidnappers had given me a choice: either they cut off one of my arms, or they’d take Fiona’s head. Trading my right arm for Fiona’s life? At the time, I thought it was worth it. I worked hard through physical therapy, joined Mom in managing Harlow Enterprises, and despite the pitiful stares from everyone around me, I slowly rebuilt my life. But after Mom passed away, Fiona didn’t care that I had lost my arm for her. She took my RV and drained my bank account. Crushed, I thought I’d use my savings to buy a new house—only to find that I didn’t have a penny left in my account. I ran back and forth between the bank and the authorities, and finally discovered that Fiona had stolen every last cent that Mom had left me. At thirty, not only was I missing my arm, but I had lost everything I owned. When I confronted Fiona, her face was full of disdain. “Callie Harlow, don’t try to guilt-trip me. Losing your arm was your own choice. It has nothing to do with me.” That was the moment I realized I no longer recognized my sister. Back when Mom was still alive, Fiona was sweet and charming. She would tell anyone who would listen that we were sisters, that because I had sacrificed my arm for her, she’d repay me. She even said she’d stay single forever to take care of me. I was deeply touched. I even told Mom to give Fiona a larger share of the inheritance. After all, I had practically raised her. I didn’t want her to suffer. But in the end, Fiona sweet-talked Mom into leaving all the houses and cars in her name. When I questioned her, she responded like it was the most natural thing in the world: “Besides, you don’t use them much anyway. Just give them to me.” I was so angry, my face flushed red, and I blurted out the whole truth in front of everyone—that I had lost my arm saving Fiona from kidnappers. Everyone was outraged on my behalf, calling her an ungrateful wolf in sheep’s clothing. I thought that maybe, after hearing so many people call her out, Fiona might feel some sense of guilt. But I never imagined that she would lure me to the edge of Overlook Ridge and push me off. And as I fell, the truth behind the kidnapping finally came out. The so-called kidnapping? It was all Fiona’s doing. She wanted the money that Mom had, but since Mom was trying to teach Fiona independence by cutting off her extravagant allowance, Fiona staged the entire kidnapping. My arm? That was just for added realism. After securing a million dollars from Mom, Fiona instructed the kidnappers to chop off my arm to make it look convincing. It wasn’t until I was dying that I realized the sweet little sister I grew up with had turned into a cold-blooded stranger. I raced downstairs. As soon as Mom saw me, she was frantic. “Callie! Fiona’s been kidnapped!” She was crying, and her voice was filled with genuine panic. Fiona was the apple of her eye, raised by Mom’s side, so of course, she couldn’t sit idly by. I gently took her hand and led her to a seat, calmly reassuring her. “Mom, don’t worry. Fiona will be okay.” “How can you say that?” Mom’s voice rose in disbelief. “They’re asking for a million dollars! If we don’t pay, they’ll kill her!” “Callie, I know you and Fiona didn’t grow up together, so maybe you don’t feel that close to her, but you can’t just let her die!” Mom’s voice cracked, on the verge of breaking down. When I was five, Mom and Dad divorced. Fiona, still a baby, stayed with Mom, while I was sent to live with Dad. Even though we lived apart, we weren’t strangers. During school breaks, we’d do homework together, play together. To say we had no bond would be a lie. Even though Mom’s words stung a little, I understood. Right now, Fiona’s life was in danger, and Mom was too panicked to think straight. In my past life, I was just as blinded by fear. “Mom, we’ll save Fiona. But if you sell everything to raise that kind of money, what will you do if this happens again?” Mom hadn’t thought about that—she was so focused on saving Fiona that she couldn’t think about the future. My words snapped her back to reality. Giving in to the kidnappers would only encourage them to come back for more. “Callie, what should I do?” Mom asked, gripping my hands like a lifeline, her eyes full of desperation. In this moment, I had control of everything. Fiona, this time, you’re going to experience exactly what I went through.
“Mom, you’re too emotional to think straight right now. Trust me and go home. I promise, I’ll bring Fiona back safe and sound.” After much reassurance and persuasion, I finally got Mom to leave. The first thing I did was call the police. In my past life, I had listened to Fiona and didn’t call the cops, choosing instead to charge in on my own to save her. But this time, I knew exactly where the fake kidnapping was happening. I led the police straight to the location where Fiona was being held. Sure enough, there she was. When the kidnappers saw the police, they were frozen in shock, and Fiona? She looked just as stunned. “Fiona, I’m here to save you,” I said, making sure to speak before she could even react. “Didn’t I tell you not to call the cops?” Fiona screamed at me, furious. What she wanted was for Mom to bring the million dollars to the drop-off point, or for me to come alone to rescue her. Now, with the police swarming the place, the kidnappers were already under control. There was no chance for anyone to get hurt—not even me. “Don’t worry, Fiona. The officers will take care of these bad guys,” I said, wearing the perfect mask of concern, playing the role of the devoted sister. “You bitch!” one of the kidnappers spat, furious. They had been working with Fiona from the start, and part of the deal was that no one would get the police involved. “Nobody move,” one of the cops ordered sternly. The kidnappers didn’t dare make a sound. They sat quietly, obedient, knowing they had no other choice. The police successfully rescued Fiona, and this time, Mom’s assets were untouched. In my past life, saving Fiona had cost Mom a fortune. The strain on the business was too much, and eventually, Harlow Enterprises went bankrupt. Mom, crushed by guilt for her employees and overwhelmed by the pressure, fell ill. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and passed away within two years. This time, I won’t let that happen again. “Officer, what’s going to happen to them?” Fiona asked a young cop, her face filled with nervousness. The officer, thinking Fiona was traumatized by the kidnapping, reassured her. “Don’t worry, this is a serious case of kidnapping and extortion. They’re going to face severe punishment.” The two kidnappers glared at Fiona with hatred, and Fiona quickly grabbed the officer’s arm, her voice trembling, “Officer, can you give me an idea of how bad it’s going to be?” “From what we know so far, they’re looking at at least ten years in prison,” the officer said, trying to comfort her. Upon hearing the sentence, both Fiona and the kidnappers’ faces darkened. The cop, misunderstanding Fiona’s reaction, added, “While they did extort and threaten your family, since you weren’t physically harmed, they probably won’t get life sentences.” He was still trying to console her, but Fiona wasn’t listening anymore. “Officer, they were just acting impulsively. I wasn’t hurt—can’t their sentence be reduced?” she said, her voice loud enough for the kidnappers to hear. “If you sign a settlement agreement, there’s a chance their sentence could be lessened,” the officer responded, looking confused. It wasn’t often he saw someone advocating for their kidnappers. “Callie, let’s sign a settlement,” Fiona rushed over, grabbing my hand. She was terrified the kidnappers would expose her. All she had wanted was a quick way to get money and show off. She hadn’t expected things to go this far and was now scared that the thugs would hold a grudge against her. These men weren’t the kind you could mess with lightly. They might look unremarkable, but they were ruthless. In my past life, they hadn’t hesitated for a second before chopping off my hand. “Fiona, don’t be scared. I’m here now. We’ll make sure those men are punished,” I said, embracing her as I turned to the police. “Officer, please take them away. My sister is so shaken that she’s not thinking straight. I need to take her to see a psychiatrist.” I lowered my voice, but we were all standing close enough that everyone could hear. Fiona immediately freaked out. “They didn’t scare me! They treated me well! I want to sign the settlement. They must’ve been desperate. They wouldn’t have done it otherwise.” Her frantic tone only made her seem more unhinged. The police officer came over and gently told me, “We’ve secured the kidnappers. Take your sister to see a doctor.” Following his advice, I didn’t even bother going home. I drove Fiona straight to the psychiatrist. Mom arrived at the hospital later and was shocked to see Fiona there. As soon as Fiona saw her, her eyes lit up with hope. After all, she had grown up with Mom and believed Mom would always take her side. So the first thing Fiona said after being rescued was to ask Mom to sign the settlement. The joy drained from Mom’s face instantly. “Have you lost your mind?” “I haven’t! I’m just trying to show compassion, to be kind. Mom, don’t you know those men had hard lives too? If they hadn’t been driven to desperation, they wouldn’t have committed such a crime!” Fiona cried, genuinely believing her own words. She was terrified. If those men ratted her out, her future would be ruined. Fiona’s sobbing was pitiful, and Mom’s heart wavered. “Fiona, have you ever heard of someone asking for a million dollars as a ransom out of desperation?” “A million dollars! That’s enough to support countless families,” I added, cutting through the tension. My words made Mom’s earlier sympathy vanish. She firmly led Fiona out of the hospital. I smiled. It wasn’t going to be that easy for Fiona to wash her hands clean.
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