The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 128: Chapter 128
You are reading The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep, Chapter 128: Chapter 128. Read more chapters of The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep.
Alyssa's situation was far too complicated, so it wasn't easy for Keith and Serena to explain it on the spot.
Judging from their expressions, the officers could tell there was more to the story, but that would have to wait until the child was found.
The police sprang into action right away. Even though Serena and Keith were anxious, they had no choice but to get into the squad car and follow slowly behind.
Keith's expression stayed grim the whole ride. He never expected that shattering Tara's fantasy would push her over the edge, leading her to go so far as to take Alyssa.
Gritting his teeth, he thought, 'If I'd known it would come to this...'
Just then, a ringtone cut through Keith's thoughts and also made everyone in the car look over. He lowered his head and saw that Tara was calling him back.
As soon as he answered, Tara said, "The child is with me, Keith. But I'm not giving her back to you that easily. You give me 3 million dollars, and I'll return her. Deal?"
When Keith picked up the call, he had already put it on speaker, so everyone in the vehicle heard her outrageous demand. The officers' expressions grew even more grim.
One of the officers grumbled inwardly, 'Unbelievable. She's this bold after kidnapping a child?'
It didn't take the police long at all to get the info on that car. Tara hadn't covered her tracks in the slightest, so finding her was just a matter of time.
Keith said, "Fine. I'll give it to you. Just don't hurt Alyssa."
He believed the most important thing now was keeping Tara calm. After all, every time he had seen her lately, he could tell something wasn't right with her mentally.
Keith feared that if Tara lost it and did something reckless, Alyssa might really be gone forever.
Tara said, "I hate you so much. Keith. If you had just given me the money from the start, I wouldn't be this desperate, doing things like this.
"Give me what I want, and I'll keep my mouth shut. I'll be out of your sight for good."
"I said I will," Keith replied.
Even so, Tara stayed wary and quickly added, "And don't you dare bring the police, or I'll kill the kid.
"I'm not right in the head anyway, so even if they arrest me, they can't put me on death row. We'll see who ends up worse off."
Tara's voice rose and fell erratically through the line, unhinged and volatile. The officers around Keith grew increasingly grim.
Keith, however, kept his tone as calm as ever. "Fine. I won't call the police." If it weren't for the fact that she had the child, he wouldn't have wasted a second talking to her.
Tara went on rambling, saying who knows what, but no one on their side was really listening anymore. Eventually, her moment of self-righteous venting came to an end, and she ended the call with a loud click.
One of the officers said, "Since she's already on guard, we can't all go in at once. You draw her out. We'll stay hidden nearby and move in the moment she steps out."
Tara appeared to be alone for now, which made the situation easier to manage. After a quick discussion, they set the plan and headed straight for her hideout.
Keith stood outside the run-down factory, squinting toward the interior to get a sense of the setup. Before long, Tara crept into view, peeking out like she was up to no good. He called out, "Tara, I have already left the check outside. Come out and get it."
Serena sat in a nearby patrol car and grew visibly emotional when she saw Tara appear.
Meanwhile, the police, well-trained as they were, had already crept up behind Tara. Before she could even react, they rushed over and pinned her down.
As soon as the cops jumped out, she shrieked at the top of her lungs, "Keith, I can't believe you lied to me!"
Keith, however, didn't have a moment to spare for her.
Serena jumped out of the car and ran into the yard after him, but the space was empty. There was no sign of Alyssa.
Panic hit her all at once as she quickly asked, "Where is Alyssa? Did you find her over there?"
Keith shook his head. "No."
Meanwhile, the officers had already pinned Tara down and slapped on the cuffs. The pressure finally got to her, and she cracked. "I was alone! The kid is not with me. She's somewhere else. Please don't arrest me. I wasn't the one who took her."
Hearing that, a heavy look settled over everyone.
Tara sobbed, "It was my husband. It was all his idea. He wanted to use the kid to extort money. Go arrest him! I was just going along with it!" Within moments, she spilled everything, including where Alyssa really was.
The police on the other side of the city were much closer to the location, so even if Serena and Keith rushed over now, they wouldn't get there any faster. All they could do was stay behind, anxiously waiting for updates.
Fortunately, it seemed the man hadn't expected Tara to crack so quickly under pressure and give up everything she knew.
Before long, one of the officers came to report, "We've found the child. Looks like she was given some kind of sedative, but she's okay. She is just asleep."
Hearing that, Serena and Keith exchanged a look, both visibly relieved. A tear slipped from her eye and hit the ground.
She had been truly terrified this time, thinking, 'If something had really happened to Alyssa...'
Serena understood, as Keith had pointed out, that she hadn't truly done anything wrong. Yet, she knew she'd spend the rest of her days feeling guilty about it. The only comfort was that Alyssa was safe now.
"It's over now," Keith said gently, patting Serena on the back before helping her into the police car. They then headed back to the station to regroup with the others.
Meanwhile, Alyssa had already woken up and was quietly sitting on a chair at the police station.
The officers had also noticed that she didn't seem able to speak and barely reacted to anything around her. That only deepened their anger toward the kidnappers.
One of them fumed inwardly, 'She's just a little girl, and on top of that, she can't even speak. What kind of monsters go after a child like this?'
Serena burst into the station. "Alyssa!"
The instant Alyssa heard that voice, she couldn't hold back her tears. She rushed over in a burst of relief, wrapping her little arms around both Serena and Keith.
Serena's heart nearly shattered at the sight, but at least Alyssa was safe now. "You scared me to death. Thank God you're okay, Alyssa..."
A few of the more sentimental officers nearby had to wipe their eyes after witnessing the scene.
An older officer stepped forward to help settle everyone's emotions. "We'll handle the interrogation of the suspects. Once we have more information, we'll update you right away."
"Alright." Keith stayed fairly composed as he brought the two tear-streaked girls home. The weight in his chest finally began to ease.
Back at the station, Tara and her husband quickly turned on each other, each scrambling to throw the other under the bus. Before long, they had spilled everything.
It turned out that Tara had overheard Nicole venting about one of her coworkers, Serena, and that was when Tara first learned about Brannon Creative Group.
It didn't take long before Tara noticed the little girl who always stuck close to Serena. A girl who looked just like her, as if they had been cut from the same mold.
Judging from their expressions, the officers could tell there was more to the story, but that would have to wait until the child was found.
The police sprang into action right away. Even though Serena and Keith were anxious, they had no choice but to get into the squad car and follow slowly behind.
Keith's expression stayed grim the whole ride. He never expected that shattering Tara's fantasy would push her over the edge, leading her to go so far as to take Alyssa.
Gritting his teeth, he thought, 'If I'd known it would come to this...'
Just then, a ringtone cut through Keith's thoughts and also made everyone in the car look over. He lowered his head and saw that Tara was calling him back.
As soon as he answered, Tara said, "The child is with me, Keith. But I'm not giving her back to you that easily. You give me 3 million dollars, and I'll return her. Deal?"
When Keith picked up the call, he had already put it on speaker, so everyone in the vehicle heard her outrageous demand. The officers' expressions grew even more grim.
One of the officers grumbled inwardly, 'Unbelievable. She's this bold after kidnapping a child?'
It didn't take the police long at all to get the info on that car. Tara hadn't covered her tracks in the slightest, so finding her was just a matter of time.
Keith said, "Fine. I'll give it to you. Just don't hurt Alyssa."
He believed the most important thing now was keeping Tara calm. After all, every time he had seen her lately, he could tell something wasn't right with her mentally.
Keith feared that if Tara lost it and did something reckless, Alyssa might really be gone forever.
Tara said, "I hate you so much. Keith. If you had just given me the money from the start, I wouldn't be this desperate, doing things like this.
"Give me what I want, and I'll keep my mouth shut. I'll be out of your sight for good."
"I said I will," Keith replied.
Even so, Tara stayed wary and quickly added, "And don't you dare bring the police, or I'll kill the kid.
"I'm not right in the head anyway, so even if they arrest me, they can't put me on death row. We'll see who ends up worse off."
Tara's voice rose and fell erratically through the line, unhinged and volatile. The officers around Keith grew increasingly grim.
Keith, however, kept his tone as calm as ever. "Fine. I won't call the police." If it weren't for the fact that she had the child, he wouldn't have wasted a second talking to her.
Tara went on rambling, saying who knows what, but no one on their side was really listening anymore. Eventually, her moment of self-righteous venting came to an end, and she ended the call with a loud click.
One of the officers said, "Since she's already on guard, we can't all go in at once. You draw her out. We'll stay hidden nearby and move in the moment she steps out."
Tara appeared to be alone for now, which made the situation easier to manage. After a quick discussion, they set the plan and headed straight for her hideout.
Keith stood outside the run-down factory, squinting toward the interior to get a sense of the setup. Before long, Tara crept into view, peeking out like she was up to no good. He called out, "Tara, I have already left the check outside. Come out and get it."
Serena sat in a nearby patrol car and grew visibly emotional when she saw Tara appear.
Meanwhile, the police, well-trained as they were, had already crept up behind Tara. Before she could even react, they rushed over and pinned her down.
As soon as the cops jumped out, she shrieked at the top of her lungs, "Keith, I can't believe you lied to me!"
Keith, however, didn't have a moment to spare for her.
Serena jumped out of the car and ran into the yard after him, but the space was empty. There was no sign of Alyssa.
Panic hit her all at once as she quickly asked, "Where is Alyssa? Did you find her over there?"
Keith shook his head. "No."
Meanwhile, the officers had already pinned Tara down and slapped on the cuffs. The pressure finally got to her, and she cracked. "I was alone! The kid is not with me. She's somewhere else. Please don't arrest me. I wasn't the one who took her."
Hearing that, a heavy look settled over everyone.
Tara sobbed, "It was my husband. It was all his idea. He wanted to use the kid to extort money. Go arrest him! I was just going along with it!" Within moments, she spilled everything, including where Alyssa really was.
The police on the other side of the city were much closer to the location, so even if Serena and Keith rushed over now, they wouldn't get there any faster. All they could do was stay behind, anxiously waiting for updates.
Fortunately, it seemed the man hadn't expected Tara to crack so quickly under pressure and give up everything she knew.
Before long, one of the officers came to report, "We've found the child. Looks like she was given some kind of sedative, but she's okay. She is just asleep."
Hearing that, Serena and Keith exchanged a look, both visibly relieved. A tear slipped from her eye and hit the ground.
She had been truly terrified this time, thinking, 'If something had really happened to Alyssa...'
Serena understood, as Keith had pointed out, that she hadn't truly done anything wrong. Yet, she knew she'd spend the rest of her days feeling guilty about it. The only comfort was that Alyssa was safe now.
"It's over now," Keith said gently, patting Serena on the back before helping her into the police car. They then headed back to the station to regroup with the others.
Meanwhile, Alyssa had already woken up and was quietly sitting on a chair at the police station.
The officers had also noticed that she didn't seem able to speak and barely reacted to anything around her. That only deepened their anger toward the kidnappers.
One of them fumed inwardly, 'She's just a little girl, and on top of that, she can't even speak. What kind of monsters go after a child like this?'
Serena burst into the station. "Alyssa!"
The instant Alyssa heard that voice, she couldn't hold back her tears. She rushed over in a burst of relief, wrapping her little arms around both Serena and Keith.
Serena's heart nearly shattered at the sight, but at least Alyssa was safe now. "You scared me to death. Thank God you're okay, Alyssa..."
A few of the more sentimental officers nearby had to wipe their eyes after witnessing the scene.
An older officer stepped forward to help settle everyone's emotions. "We'll handle the interrogation of the suspects. Once we have more information, we'll update you right away."
"Alright." Keith stayed fairly composed as he brought the two tear-streaked girls home. The weight in his chest finally began to ease.
Back at the station, Tara and her husband quickly turned on each other, each scrambling to throw the other under the bus. Before long, they had spilled everything.
It turned out that Tara had overheard Nicole venting about one of her coworkers, Serena, and that was when Tara first learned about Brannon Creative Group.
It didn't take long before Tara noticed the little girl who always stuck close to Serena. A girl who looked just like her, as if they had been cut from the same mold.
End of The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep Chapter 128. Continue reading Chapter 129 or return to The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep book page.