My Cousin Could See Through Every Lie We Told Chapter 05

My Cousin Could See Through Every Lie We Told Chapter 05

Even with my parents running a successful business, $5 million was an astronomical sum.

In my past life, the second the call dropped, I’d started frantically trying to liquidate assets and put the house up for sale.

Tessa had stopped me then. And she was doing it again now.

She gripped my wrists, her expression tight and grim.

“Emma, don’t be impulsive!”

“The second I heard those kidnappers, I knew it was a scam. Just ignore them!”

My fingernails dug into my palms until they drew blood.

Scenes from my past life and the current reality blurred together in my mind.

Why had she lied to me back then?

Why was she insisting it was a scam now?

Were my parents actually safe? Should I trust her?

My head was pounding. I finally choked out a shaky sentence.

“Regardless… we need to call the police.”

Tessa’s voice spiked, instant and sharp.

“No! Don’t involve the police!”

She caught herself, softening her tone as she grabbed my hand again.

“Emma, this is just a prank by some con artists. Why call the cops?”

“If we just ignore them, Mom and Dad will be back before you know it!”

I frowned.

Her reaction was all wrong.

The way she was fighting me on the police—was she trying to keep me from “rescuing” them so she could step in and become their darling, adopted daughter again?

My expression hardened.

“Whether it’s a real kidnapping or not, they’re shaking us down for money. I’m calling the police!”

But before I could dial, my phone buzzed with a text.

I tapped it open, and the air left my lungs.

The photo showed my parents, hands and feet bound, hanging from ropes. Their faces were deathly pale.

The text threatened to kill them the second I alerted the authorities.

My brain short-circuited. Just like before, they were really kidnapped!

I shoved the screen into Tessa’s face, my hand shaking violently.

“You said they weren’t kidnapped! Explain this!”

Tessa’s breathing hitched, her composure slipping.

“Emma, that photo is a deepfake! Don’t fall for it!”

I stared at her, my eyes cold and dead.

“I’m done believing you.”

I hung up on her and immediately called an agent to list the house.

I liquidated the business and took out high-interest payday loans just to piece together the $5 million.

The next morning, I ignored Tessa’s protests and drove the cash to Oakridge Reserve.

I dropped the bag exactly where they told me and drove home in a daze.

I spent the entire afternoon in a state of terror, waiting. Finally, at sunset, I heard their voices outside the front door.

But the tone wasn’t one of fear or trauma.

They sounded cheerful, relaxed, and bored—like they’d just gotten back from a vacation.

My heart sank. My intuition screamed that something was wrong.

They walked through the door. They looked exactly like people returning from a trip.

Just as Tessa said, they hadn’t been kidnapped at all.

I stumbled back, my mind reeling.

What was happening?

Then, my father heard I’d liquidated the company and sold the house, he snapped. Without a word, he slapped me across the face.

The sharp sting cleared the fog in my brain.

I stared at them, and suddenly, everything made sense.