In front of nearly a hundred relatives, my mother-in-law slid the dinner plates away from my daughters and declared, “Seats at the head table are reserved for women who give this family sons.” My husband told me to quit causing a scene, so I calmly cleaned my little girl's face, gathered both of my daughters, and walked out without another word… while no one in that room had the slightest idea that a 5.4-million-peso promissory note carrying his signature was already waiting for the perfect moment to surface.

The line went dead, leaving me in a chilling silence.

The cartel had Andrew, but my only priority was protecting my daughters.

I immediately called Marcus and authorized the deployment of a private tactical team to find Andrew.

I was not going to pay the ransom, but I needed to know where they were holding him.

The next morning, I kept the girls home from their elite private school.

My security chief, a former Navy SEAL named David, informed me of a breach attempt.

"Someone tried to bypass the school's security protocols an hour ago," David reported.

"Who was it?" I asked, feeling a surge of adrenaline.

David handed me a tablet showing the school's security camera footage.

It was Patricia Vance, marching toward the front gates with two suspicious-looking men in suits.

She was trying to take my daughters out of school without my authorization.

I grabbed my coat and ordered David to drive me to the campus immediately.

When we arrived, Patricia was screaming at the headmaster in the main lobby.

"I am their grandmother, and their mother is an unfit, broke lunatic!" Patricia yelled.

I walked through the double doors, flanked by three of my armed security personnel.

"You have no authority here, Patricia," I said, my voice echoing in the marble hall.

She turned around, her eyes widening at the sight of my security detail.

"Lauren, what is the meaning of these hired thugs?" she demanded.

"They are keeping you away from my children," I replied.

Patricia scoffed and crossed her arms, trying to regain her arrogant composure.

"You cannot keep them from me, Andrew filed for full emergency custody this morning," she sneered.

I frowned, confused by the impossibility of her statement.

"Andrew was kidnapped last night, he did not file anything," I stated flatly.

Patricia laughed a cold, wicked laugh.

"Kidnapped?" she mocked.

"Andrew is currently on a flight to Aspen with his new fiancée."

I stared at her, realizing the entire kidnapping had been a staged diversion.

When my newborn 'passed away,' my mother-in-law leaned in and said

My Husband Left Me Alone in My Car While I Was in Labor

“You’re Dead When We Get Home,” He Snapped

"And the best part," Patricia added with a venomous smile.

"His new fiancée is already pregnant with a boy."

Chapter 4 - The Mother-in-Law's Trap