Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed novel Chapter 834

Kathleen froze, every muscle locking up as if she’d seen a ghost. Her lips trembled. “You… you…”

Did she remember?

Did she remember the kidnapping?

No—

Kathleen couldn’t let herself think about what came after that.

But Madge saw right through the fear and panic in her eyes, letting out a bitter laugh. “So it’s true. You made that noise on purpose. You wanted the kidnappers to come after me. You— you wanted them to catch me instead!”

Years ago, the two of them had gone out shopping and ended up being kidnapped.

Their wrists and ankles had been bound, and they were taken to the outskirts of the city, dumped in an abandoned factory. It must have been a spur-of-the-moment crime. The men wanted something more than money.

When they went after Kathleen first, Madge had stepped up, desperately revealing her family background to protect her.

She’d pulled out the platinum credit card and a wad of cash from her purse, along with her ID—anything to convince the kidnappers that she was the one worth a fortune.

As for Kathleen…

“Don’t let her clothes fool you—she’s just the help. Everything she’s wearing, everything she carries, it’s all hand-me-downs from me. She’s only here today to carry my bags. What’s the point in bothering with her? If you want ransom, call my family. Five hundred thousand? A million? Name your price!”

Madge had lifted her chin as she spoke, her eyes cold, every inch the entitled heiress she’d been raised to be.

The kidnappers bought it.

Relief washed over Madge. She didn’t notice the shame and fury flickering in Kathleen’s eyes from her place in the corner, clothes torn, pride shredded.

The help?

To Madge, she was just a servant?

How laughable.

While the men argued over ransom demands, Madge had already started working at the knots with a shard of glass she’d hidden in her hand.

When night fell and the kidnappers finally nodded off, she quietly freed herself, then shook Kathleen awake and untied her as well.

Everything went according to Madge’s plan.

Just before dawn, she found a hollow at the base of a thicket, probably an old animal burrow—just big enough for someone to curl inside, head poking out.

Kathleen, panicked, whispered, “What about you, Madge? Where will you go?”

Madge pointed to a pair of boulders nearby. There was a crack between them, just wide enough for her slender frame.

From that distance, the sisters would be able to see each other, close enough to keep watch.

Soon, the kidnappers arrived, searching the area. Finding nothing, they cursed and prepared to leave.

Madge could almost taste victory, about to breathe a sigh of relief—when a faint noise caught the kidnappers’ attention.

They doubled back. Just like that, Madge was discovered.

Panic hit her like a tidal wave. She bolted, running blind through the brush, but one of the men caught her and slapped her twice across the face.