Chapter 1

My husband is the city's ace crisis negotiator, having rescued countless hostages from criminals.

But when our daughter was kidnapped, his negotiation failed and the kidnappers killed her.

I collapsed on the floor clutching my daughter's blood-stained toy, while he calmly organized his negotiation materials, preparing to leave.

"Rachel, the kidnappers weren't following any logical pattern. Their demands kept changing. Anyone would have struggled with this negotiation. I really did my best."

But late that night, his assistant Bailey posted on Snapchat.

[First time assisting with a negotiation and I said the wrong thing, making the kidnapper angry. Almost got the hostage hurt. So scared. Thank goodness my mentor helped me and told me not to worry~]

[He said he'll teach me all his techniques from now on. Is this a special privilege just for me? Getting kind of excited about it~]

The bracelet on his wrist was identical to the birthday gift our daughter had woven for him with her own hands.

With trembling fingers, I commented:

[No need to guess. I'll answer for him as his wife---yes, it's your special privilege.]

The next second, my phone rang. Adrian's usually calm voice was laced with fury.

"It was just a joke from my assistant. Do you have to blow it out of proportion? This will ruin her career!"

"You're emotionally unstable right now. Don't say things you'll regret. Delete that comment immediately, or we're..."

I hung up immediately.

Why should the person who killed my daughter get to enjoy life with a smile?

...