The Comments Said My Bestie and Daughter Want to Kidnap Me

As I was trying on wedding dresses, my best friend, Jennie, told me she had a huge surprise for me.
I asked if she'd won the lottery. She said it was even more exciting than winning five million.
Curious, I went to find her. I had just pulled up to her apartment building and was about to get out of the car when a barrage of text scrolled across my vision, flickering wildly:
Don't get out of the car! Her "surprise" is that she found the daughter you were forced to have when you were kidnapped.
If you get tangled up with that little monster, you'll be dragged back to the mountains! They'll beat you to death in a cellar!

1
The message left me stunned for a full minute, until Jennie started spamming me with voice messages.
Hailey, are you not upstairs yet?
Seriously, I've run myself ragged these past few days getting this wedding gift ready for you, and you're dragging your feet. Are you trying to insult all my hard work?
Jennie whined dramatically. The familiar, affectionate tone was enough to convince me that I must have been seeing things. It was just me scaring myself. Jennie would never be that kind of person.
The text on my internal screen flared up again, frantic this time:
You poor, naive girl, get a clue! She's a manipulative witch. She's been green with envy ever since she found out you were marrying a rich heir.
She found this little girl to mess with you!
The worst part is, the girl is bait! Her human trafficker father is hiding nearby, waiting for you to fall into the trap so he can drag you back to the mountains to bear him a son!
My face went pale, and I sank back into the driver's seat. If what the text said was true, this wasn't about whether I trusted Jennie anymore. It was about the possibility of being kidnapped again.
I couldn't afford to take any chances. The stakes were too high.
Jennie called, and I ruthlessly declined it, sending a quick text back: Something came up. I'm not there yet.
I needed to buy some time. I could go to the security booth at the gate and ask if Jennie had really brought a little girl home.
But the text stopped me again:
Don't get out! Your backstabbing friend is downstairs waiting to ambush you! If you get out now, she'll catch you red-handed.
Jennie was downstairs?! I peered through the car's tinted windows and, sure enough, I saw her weaving between the parked cars, searching. After checking a license plate, she would press her face against the glass, trying to see inside.
A sense of unease washed over me. I had clearly told her I wasn't there yet. Why was she being so pushy? It wasn't like she was hunting a criminal.
The text chimed in: Because she knows you're already here.
You forgot, didn't you? Before you left, she specifically asked you to share your location.
I slapped my forehead and quickly found the location-sharing app to turn it off. The text then advised me to put my phone on silent, which I did. But a deep sense of dread remained. All signs pointed to something being very wrong with Jennie. The truth didn't even matter anymore; I just had to get out of there.
Fortunately, I had been out with a coworker and was driving her car. Jennie didn't know I was in this vehicle. I was about to quietly start the engine and leave when the text flashed a red exclamation point:
Too late! The area is swarming with tabloid reporters and bloggers, all here for the big scoop: 'Mountain Girl's Tearful Reunion with Long-Lost Mother.'
Your "friend" planned this all along. No matter what, she's going to force you to acknowledge this daughter today!
Only by forcing a reunion can she nail you to the pillar of shame for being kidnapped and defiled.
It was true. I could never acknowledge a child forced upon me by a human trafficker. Jennie must have known that. That's why she'd tipped off the media, to use public pressure to force my hand.
The text, seeing that I finally understood, started offering advice.
For now, just stay hidden. Without you, the show can't go on.
"Jennie, what is this big surprise you have for me?" I typed, my hands trembling as I huddled under the dashboard.
Seeing my response, Jennie immediately tried to video call. I declined and told her to text me.
If I tell you, it won't be a surprise anymore. I can only promise that you'll love it. Where are you? I'm coming down to get you.
"Just tell me, is it something to eat, wear, or use?"
Eat, she replied instantly, then immediately retracted the message and sent a new one: Oh, just stop asking! I told you, it's a surprise. Don't spoil the fun.
I closed my eyes. The text was right. I'd been on a strict diet for the wedding. I had zero interest in food. Jennie was lying.

2
There was a reason I didn't want to doubt Jennie.
In my junior year of high school, I was kidnapped. And I gave birth to a daughter. Because I was a minor, the only people who knew besides the police and my family were Jennie, my neighbor and best friend. During the year I took off from school, she was by my side. She even held herself back a year so we could graduate together. She knew better than anyone how much I loathed human traffickers, how desperately I wanted to forget that horrific experience.
So how could she, without a word, bring that child here and expect me to acknowledge her? For me, this wasn't a surprise; it was a nightmare. To pull this stunt the day before my wedding, to lure me here and arrange for the media to be present she was leaving me no way out.
The text chimed in again:
Your best friend has been trying to steal your fianc for ages. After he rejected her, she never gave up. She's been looking for a way to ruin things for you.
Then she stumbled upon the little girl's 'looking for mom' post online and knew she had the perfect way to torment you.
That kid has been raised to be a monster. If you soften up and take her in, you're finished.
Hang in there, Hailey. When the traffickers can't find you, your "friend" will have to deal with the consequences of her actions. See if she's so quick to play 'find my mommy' for someone else again.
Exactly! Don't you dare give in. In the other version, after you die, your parents adopt Jennie. Then she seduces your brother and lives a cushy life in your family's home.
So, the text had already seen another version of this story. One where Jennie's plan succeeded, and my compassion led me to acknowledge the child. She got me killed, then took my place, winning my parents' affection, marrying my brother, and living happily ever after?
As much as I didn't want to believe I could be so foolish, so weak without the text, I never would have suspected Jennie. And then all of this
I shook my head, trying to banish the terrifying thoughts. I knew what would happen. I would not let myself be chained to the floor naked again, eating spoiled food, stripped of all dignity day after day.
Jennie finally found my car. After checking the license plate, she pressed her face against the window like a pancake, trying to see inside.

3
By now, I had quietly crawled into the trunk space of the six-seater electric car. Thank God for my coworker's vehicle and its privacy curtains on the third-row windows. Jennie could stare until her eyes popped out, and she wouldn't see me.
She seemed tired of searching. Leaning against the car to catch her breath, she sent me a voice message: "Hailey, what are you doing? Come on out. I know you're here."
I carefully shielded the light from my phone with my clothes and texted back, "The wedding planner had an emergency. I've already left your complex."
That seemed to do the trick. Jennie kicked the car door in frustration, her anger palpable. My heart jumped with the impact.
"What rotten luck! Well, how soon can you get back? I'll wait for you. I'm not leaving until I see you," she cooed, her voice laced with a pouty disappointment, as if she were still my sweet, considerate friend who would never get angry with me.
If only she hadn't followed it up with another hard punch to the car window.
So many years of blindness. Only now did I see her for the two-faced person she truly was.
"Ruby, you can stop hiding! Come on out!"
"Aunt Jennie, didn't you say you had a way to make her acknowledge me today? Does she hate me?" A girl's voice, unfamiliar and sharp with a thick, rural accent, approached the car. The kind of voice that belonged to a defiant, difficult child.
Then, several other sets of footsteps closed in. "What the hell? This was supposed to be a mother-daughter reunion. Where is she? I can't interview a ghost."
"I'm not waiting anymore. Just give me the woman's info. I'll expose her. A lovesick fool who abandons her own child. We'll ruin her reputation."
"Then she'll have to acknowledge the kid. The public outrage will bury her."
Jennie's voice cut in, impatient. "Quiet down! We can't let this get too big. Her parents and future in-laws are not people you want to mess with. We just need to handle her. She's timid and soft-hearted. When she sees how pathetic Ruby is, she'll definitely take her in."
It seemed Jennie had painted me as a selfish, heartless mother to get these people on board. Of course. If she'd told them the truth, who would help the child of a human trafficker stage a grand, public reunion?
Another male blogger, hot-tempered and self-righteous, spoke up. "I can't stand irresponsible women like her. You may be scared of her family, but I'm not. Let's see them try to shut me up for telling the truth."
"Yeah, let's just expose her! See if she dares to not acknowledge the kid then!"
"A woman like that doesn't deserve any respect!"
With one person leading the charge, the others chimed in.
Ruby's tearful voice joined the chorus. "Thank you, uncles and aunts. I know you're just trying to help, but I don't want to make my mommy angry. Please, just leave her alone."
"Exactly," Jennie said, taking the moral high ground. "You all get your moment of glory by exposing her, but what happens if she's pushed too far? What if she acknowledges Ruby and then abuses her? Can you take responsibility for that?"
Ruby sobbed, "Please, I'm begging you, just wait for my mommy. I know she's not the person you think she is."
Their little performance quickly quelled the brewing storm.
"Now, all of you, go hide," Jennie commanded. "Don't scare her off again."
The text on my screen was practically vibrating with rage:
Here we go again. I hate it when this little monster fakes crying and plays the victim. She's just like her grandmothera master of manipulation and deceit.
Did you see that? While she was hiding behind that tree, she was pinching herself, leaving bruises all over, just so you'd feel sorry for her.
You, in your kindness, acknowledged her, wanting to give her a better life. And in return, she conspired with her trafficker father to kidnap you from your own home.
She has no empathy. She used to clap and cheer when she saw the other kidnapped women in her village being beaten. I think she's a sociopath.
What really gets me is that she told the police, with a straight face, that the disobedient women deserved to be beaten to death.
But I think the "friend" is even worse. To get involved with a human trafficker over a bit of jealousy as a woman, how could she be so cruel?
The horrifying words on the screen made me tremble with fury. This Ruby had inherited her father's cruel, cold-blooded nature, and perhaps even surpassed him. I had already experienced the darkness of humanity once, but today I learned that evil had no bottom.
Watching them act out their little play in front of me was sickening. I sent Jennie another message: "I can't make it today. My mom wants me to stay with her tonight. She's sad about me getting married."

4
Outside the car, Jennie stomped her feet in frustration. But she didn't give up. She said she would wait for me, no matter how late.
"Just bring the gift with you tomorrow. That's it. I'm busy," I replied firmly.
Realizing I truly wasn't coming, Ruby's face twisted into a snarl. "That bitch is so much trouble. When my dad gets her, he'll break her legs first, then chain her up. Let's see her run then."
Jennie quickly shushed her. "Are you trying to ruin everything? Do you want a mother or not? Remember, in front of her, you have to pretend to hate your dad. Tell her he beats you, that you had no choice but to run away and find her."
A chill ran down my spine. Jennie knew exactly how to manipulate me, how to play on my sympathy. At the same time, I wanted to slap myself. Until a moment ago, I had been making excuses for her, telling myself she was just naive and wanted to help a poor child, that she didn't understand the true horror of kidnapping.
But the truth was, this was a premeditated plot to throw me back into the fire.
The realization was a cold blow to the heart. From this moment on, she was no longer my best friend. She was my enemy.
The failed plan left Ruby agitated. She kept complaining about Jennie and cursing me.
"Ruby, be patient." Jennie's fingers drummed on the car door, her mind clearly working. "I've been thinking, and Hailey's reaction today is very strange. I checked her shared location when I came downstairs. It showed she was here. Then, suddenly, she turned it off and said she'd already left the complex. The location sharing is real-time, and this is a one-way street. To leave, she would have had to drive right past me, but no cars have left."
Jennie's voice dropped. "Keep searching. Go see which cars have a warm hood."
"What about this one? The hood is warm." Ruby had, at some point, made her way to the front of my car.
My heart leaped into my throat.

5
Jennie reached out and felt the hood. "It's a little warm, but not hot. It's probably just from the sun."
I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God she didn't know much about electric cars and was expecting the heat of a gasoline engine.
But then, she let out a slow, calculating smile. "It doesn't matter. We'll find her eventually. And on a 100-degree day like this, without the A/C on, I'd like to see how long she can last in there."
Damn it! I suddenly realized my back was soaked with sweat. My attention had been so focused elsewhere, and I'd been so nervous, that I hadn't noticed the car's A/C was running out of power. The air was already starting to feel thick and stuffy.
A wave of regret washed over me. I wanted to slap myself. I had been too careless, too complacent. I thought that because I was in a new car, Jennie would give up when she couldn't find me.
What if she found me? Facing a well-prepared Jennie who knew all my weaknesses, and a manipulative Ruby playing the victim, I didn't stand a chance. And with the media here, they would upload the videos immediately, and it would be too late.
No, I absolutely could not get out of the car.
Just then, the self-righteous male blogger came over to ask for an update. When Jennie told him she was certain I was in one of the cars, he grinned maliciously. "Simple. Electric cars have voice activation. Let me give it a try."
I was filled with a mixture of anger and panic. I curled up tighter, praying that my coworker had changed the wake-up command. The blogger squinted at the car's logo. "So many new electric brands these days. I don't even recognize this one." But then he added, "I'll just take a picture and search it online."
With the click of his phone's camera, a bead of sweat rolled down my forehead. My nerves were stretched to their breaking point.
"Found it! Let's give it a try."
I was about to faint from fear. The text on my screen was a chaotic mess of panicked messages. I scanned through them and found a useful one:
Contact your brother, quick! Last time, he was working nearby. When he heard about you acknowledging the daughter, he rushed right over.
My hands fumbled as I tried to find my brother's contact.
"Hey, S" The blogger had started to call out the car's voice command.
My vision went dark. Even if I messaged my brother now, it would be too late.
"Hey, what are you doing? Are you the owner of this car?" Suddenly, a security patrol car pulled up, and a guard leaned out, yelling.
A savior! I was on the verge of tears.
Jennie smiled and walked over. "Oh, Officer Davis, it's you! Working in this heat? Aren't your bosses worried about you getting heatstroke?"
The guard clearly knew Jennie and they exchanged a few pleasantries. Then he asked again if she was the car's owner.
Jennie put on a worried expression. "Officer, I can't get a hold of my friend. I'm worried something might have happened to her in the car. I was just trying to see if I could get the window open to help her."
The guard asked, "Are you sure she's in this car?"
"Well, she switched cars today, so I'm not sure which one is hers. Hey, Officer Davis, were you on duty at the main gate about half an hour ago? Did you see this car come in?"
It was over. The guard got out of his patrol car, walked over, and took a look. He scratched his head. "Oh, this car. Yeah, I remember it. It's one of those new luxury electrics. It came in about 30 minutes ago. The driver was a woman."

6
After the security guard left, Jennie stood by the car, her face grim, not moving.
The male blogger was gleeful. "Well, what do you know? After all that searching, she was right under your nose the whole time. Isn't that a coincidence?"
Jennie's face darkened further. He asked if he should try the voice command now.
I clutched my phone, my knuckles white.
Jennie didn't answer him. Instead, she walked to the third-row window and tapped on it. "Hailey, you're in there, aren't you? Why did you lie to me? You know how worried I am." Her voice was flat, but it held a barely suppressed rage.
"That b" Ruby kicked the car door hard.
Jennie cut her off. "Mr. Chen, I'd like to talk to her for a minute."
The blogger looked confused, but he moved away.
Ruby couldn't hold it in any longer. "So she was hiding in the car all along, watching us run around like idiots! That bitch did it on purpose! Why are you still being so nice to her, Aunt Jennie?"
My disgust for the child grew.
Jennie kept tapping on the window and calling me. I stuffed my phone under the seat cushion and let it ring. I didn't even dare to decline the call.
"Hailey, you must have fainted, right? After all, it's so hot today," Jennie murmured to herself, staring at the window. Watching her expressionless face, a strange sense of dread washed over me.
BANG! The car suddenly lurched. Then came Jennie's enraged screams. "Hailey, why are you making me do this? If you have a problem, just say it! What's the point of hiding? Do you enjoy seeing me make a fool of myself? I was trying to do something nice for you, and this is how you treat me?"
I almost screamed. My heart was pounding like a drum. For a few seconds, I couldn't breathe, and my vision went black. When I came to, the car felt like a sealed steam box. I had to tilt my head back and gasp for air, praying that my brother would see my message soon.
"Hey, Siri!" she yelled, her voice filled with a desperate, crazed anger. She was done playing games. This was it.
My breath caught in my throat as I watched the center console light up, the car's ambient lighting turning onbut there was no voice response.
Seeing a reaction, Jennie stood on her tiptoes, peering through the gap in the window, and yelled louder. After a few more tries, she had Ruby try. "You yell. A child's voice carries better."
I finally got a clear look at Ruby's face in the window. It was a chilling echo of that monster from my past. The sight made my stomach turn, and I quickly looked away.
"Hey, Siri!" she shrieked, her face contorted, her eyes filled with malice. "Hey, Siri!"
Her voice was raw by the time the car finally responded. "Vehicle is locked. This function is unavailable." "Vehicle is locked. This function is unavailable."
I wanted to laugh, but I couldn't. I was starting to feel weak, on the verge of fainting. My brain was being starved of oxygen.
"Aunt Jennie, it's not working! Let's just smash the window and drag her out!" Ruby started pounding on the car, yelling and screaming. The car's lights flashed and the alarm blared.
Finally, the noise woke up the residents in the building. Windows opened, and people started shouting. "What's all that noise? Are you trying to wake the dead?"
"If you keep hitting that car, I'm calling the police! Who are you people?"
Jennie tried her usual excuse, but the angry neighbors weren't buying it. Some even started throwing water down. "I don't care! If you're worried about your friend, call an ambulance! What's the point of bothering us?"
"I've had enough of you! I bet you were trying to steal the car, and now you're just mad you failed."
"You idiots think you can just shout at a car and it will open for you? Get off the internet."
"So brazen, in broad daylight! Thieves these days have no shame!"
Jennie and Ruby, already frustrated with me, started yelling back at the neighbors. I was grateful for the distraction, but I was running out of air. My mind was getting fuzzy.
Through the haze, I heard a man's voice, running and shouting. "Jennie! Where's Hailey? What have you done to her?"

7
The text on my screen was a blur of frantic messages: Hang in there, Hailey! Your brother is here! It's our turn to fight back!
Don't fall asleep! Your brother doesn't know the real Jennie yet!
Wake up and expose her!
I pinched my thigh, hard. Ouch!
Jennie's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly recovered and rushed to take my brother's arm. "Alex! What could I possibly do to Hailey? I was just worried she might have gotten heatstroke in the car. Why are you"
My brother was about to speak when the trunk of the car popped open, and I tumbled out, my face pale.
"Alex"
"Hailey!" He lunged forward and caught me.
"It's the child from the village. Jennie called the media to force me to acknowledge her," I managed to say before closing my eyes.
My brother's face hardened. Just then, the reporters and bloggers, smelling a story, swarmed toward us. My brother instinctively shielded my face with his hand. "It's you people! You cornered her car and did this to my sister! If anything happens to her, you'll all be held responsible!"
He wanted to rush me to the hospital. "No, Alex, I can handle it," I said, forcing my eyes open and grabbing his shirt. We had to clear this up now, before Jennie had a chance to twist the story.
"But Hailey" My brother looked at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of pity and conflict. I knew what he was worried about, but I nodded firmly. "I'm not afraid, Alex."
Just then, Ruby, trembling, tugged on my brother's sleeve. "Uncle, my name is Ruby. I'm Mommy's daughter. I've finally found you. I've missed you all so much. Mommy, I can do chores, and I don't eat much. Please don't send me away."
The media, who had been looking a bit guilty, were now filled with righteous indignation. "We were just trying to help a child find her mother, with the best of intentions. We didn't know you would be so cruel as to hide from her."
"If you're going to abandon your child, we'll get a lawyer for Ruby and sue you for desertion."
The neighbors who had gathered around chimed in. "That's right! You gave birth to her, you have to acknowledge her!"
"Oh, look at that poor child. She's obviously suffered so much, while they're all dressed up so nicely."
"They probably just don't want to be burdened by a child. Young people these days are so selfish. No sense of family, tsk tsk."
At that moment, Jennie, who had been silent, suddenly shouted, "Hailey, I'm sorry!"
All eyes turned to her. With tears in her eyes, she looked at me sincerely. "It's my fault today. I didn't tell you beforehand, and I almost got you into trouble. But you told me you hated Ruby, that you would never acknowledge her, that sometimes you even wished you could kill her. You said she was your shame, that she ruined your life, that she should never have been born!"
As soon as she said that, a chorus of curses erupted from the crowd. Jennie slowly moved closer to us, while my brother, his face a mask of fury, held me and backed away.

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