Chapter 102: Chapter 0102

•NATASHA•

"Kyle, where are you?" I started panicking. "Did you see where Daphne took you? Tell me anything, baby. Anything you saw and the room you're in."

"Please come and get me, Mom. She will hurt me," he cried. "Please come and get me. I'm scared."

Daphne laughed when she took the phone from Kyle. I stood near the door and huffed, feeling my stomach forming a knot.

"He's with me, Natasha, and I won't let him go until you do everything I say you must do. If you tell anyone about our call, I will kill your precious little son and feed his body to the vultures in the woods. Do you understand?"

My hand hovered over the door handle for a moment, and when I realized I might risk my son's life by telling Susan and Richard about the call, I leaned back and sighed.

"Yes."

"Good," she chuckled. "Don't worry, Nat. I won't harm him if you cooperate and do everything I tell you to do. He will be home with you if you don't let me down."

"If you wanted me, you could've come for me instead of kidnapping my son, Daphne. What kind of mother are you?" I raged.

"A mother who won't allow her daughter not to have a father. Clyde is a wonderful father to my daughter, and you ruined everything for us. What do you think I must tell her about her father?"

"How are your daughter's DNA results my problem? You're the one who cheated on Clyde and got pregnant with his friend's child. You did this to yourself! Clyde wanted to do DNA tests for his own reasons and not because of me!"

"He did them because of you!" She retaliated. "You're the one who made him do the tests. Natasha, you don't get this, do you? Clyde is mine, and I thought you'd get that when I sent Clyde and Richard those pictures. You were supposed to stay away from him, but no!"

I shook my head in disbelief and scoffed. "It was you? Those pictures were from you?" I couldn't believe it.

All this time, I thought Lorene had something to do with them, but I decided not to confront her because there was no use if the pictures weren't real, but it was Daphne all along.

"That was a friendly warning to leave Clyde alone for me, but you didn't get the message."

"What do you want?" I frowned, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"That's a smart question, Mama," she giggled. "I want you to tell Clyde that you contaminated his DNA tests with Annabelle so that he wouldn't know she's his daughter."

"No, I can't do that!" I disagreed. "Clyde deserves to know the truth, and I don't want to take that from him. This is wrong, Daphne, and you know it. Clyde will still have his suspicions, and if he finds out that Annabelle is not his child, you will be in trouble for this."

She was crazy. I felt so bad that I had to take the truth from him to keep my son safe. It wasn't fair.

I loved him, and I didn't want to do anything that would risk our relationship.

We had a good relationship, and he would never forgive me, even if he found out the truth one day — that Daphne had blackmailed me.

He would be angry that I had kept the truth from him and let him raise another man's child because I wanted to get my son back.

The thought of what Daphne was asking of me broke my heart and made me feel terrible. Kyle was his son, and he’d do anything to protect him, just not by doing what Daphne wanted.

"I'll worry about that when I get there. I don't care if Clyde hates you for lying to him, but I'll do everything to keep my family together."

"Clyde told me he won't stop being in Annabelle's life. Isn't that enough for you? He will know the truth one day, anyway."

"It's not enough when he won't be mine, Natasha. Gosh, I thought you understood this by now. Clyde and I won't be together if he thinks Annabelle is not his child. Who do you think he will run to when he finds out you lied and contaminated his DNA tests to keep him away from his daughter?"

I gulped and shook my head. Richard was innocent and didn't stage our son's kidnapping. I felt bad for accusing him of that when I knew how much he loved Kyle.

He was his pride and joy. He cared for him deeply and would never cause him pain.

Clyde was right when he said we shouldn't tell him the truth. He knew it would break him. Everything that he had ever done to achieve his goals was to give Kyle a better life than the one he once had.

"I want to know where my son is before I agree to do what you've asked me to do. I want to know that he's safe and you haven't laid your hand on him."

"Kyle is safe. I would never hurt a child."

"Yet, you kidnapped and terrified him. Do you know what Richard would do to you when he finds out what you've done?"

"What do you think Richard will do when he discovers you're sleeping with his cousin? He will blame you for Kyle's disappearance and will make your life difficult."

I laughed at her question. Susan had already told him the truth and spoiled Daphne's backup plan. She had nothing else to use against me if I failed to follow her script.

She probably thought I was dumb and had no plans if she told Richard about Clyde and me. She had nothing else besides that and hoped it would be enough to make me lie to Clyde about Annabelle's paternity.

"I will say nothing to Clyde if you don't tell me where Kyle is. If you don't tell me where my son is, I'll tell Clyde and Richard the truth. They will look for you wherever you are and make you pay for kidnapping my son. All you've done to trick Clyde will be in vain. Is that what you want?" I stood up from the bed, and Daphne was quiet for a second before she answered.

"I see what you're doing. You think you can blackmail me into doing what you want me to do. There's nothing you can do while I have Kyle in my custody, Natasha. You might never see him again if you don't do everything I told you to do."

"Do you think I would let you harm my son and not make your daughter pay for what you did?" I scoffed. "Lay your hand on his head and see what I'll do to you. If you don't want this to blow up in your face, tell me where my son is."

Daphne hung up the call, and I threw it on the bed and groaned. I was so close to getting my son back. So close.