While Sophia Carter was being held for ransom on her fifth wedding anniversary, her husband ignored her calls to celebrate another woman’s birthday.

“Sweetheart, you’re finally back! What took you so long? Everyone’s been waiting for that cake.”

Sophia Carter stopped at the villa gate, holding a melting cake in her hand.

Her hair was a mess, her clothes wrinkled and stained, shallow cuts burning along her arms.

Ethan Bennett stood just inside the open gate in snow-white dress pants and a smart gray plaid vest.

His eyes swept briefly over her before dropping to the cake box.

“Did something happen on the road?” he asked, frowning slightly. “The cake looks… Babe, you know everyone’s been waiting, right?”

“Babe, I just—”

Sophia opened her mouth, ready to explain.

An hour earlier, she had been on her way home after picking up the cake when four men grabbed her and bundled her into a van.

They dragged her to some dingy underground cellar out in the suburbs and shoved her inside.

One of them shoved a phone into her hands.

“Call someone who’ll pay.”

Sophia dialed Ethan without a second thought. He was her husband.

The call rang out.

“Again.”

She called a second time. Still nothing.

She tried again. And again.

By the fifth call, the man beside her was already losing patience.

“Your husband always this hard to reach?”

“He’ll pick up. He’s busy. Today’s our fifth anniversary. He must be preparing something…”

Sophia’s lips trembled.

She kept trying.

By the time she had called more than ten times, Ethan still hadn’t answered.

The kidnapper finally ripped the phone from her hand.

“We’ve heard that one before, lady. Wives always make excuses for husbands who don’t show up. He’s in a meeting. He’s out of town. Meanwhile, he’s probably with another woman.”

He laughed.

Sophia’s fingers curled into her palm.

That wasn’t Ethan.

Ethan had never ignored her calls like this before.

There had to be a reason.

“Sophia?”

Ethan’s voice pulled her back.

She looked at him.

Even after all that, she had still believed Ethan had a reason.

Now, standing in front of him, she tried to say, “Babe, I just—”

The sound of music floated out from the yard.

Sophia paused.

Beyond Ethan, the courtyard was filled with flowers, balloons, and warm golden lights. Laughter and clapping echoed from inside. From the sound of it, the place was packed.

Her tense shoulders loosened for one short second.

Two weeks ago, she had found out Ethan was secretly working on a surprise for their anniversary.

Just a week back, someone told her he’d flown in roses all the way from Provence.

Three days ago, she heard he dropped a fortune at a charity auction for a top-grade jade stone.

Everything added up in her head.

Maybe this was it.

Maybe the reason he had ignored her calls was because he was busy putting all this together.

Sophia’s lips curled into a little smile. The fear from earlier faded just a little as she stared at him, heart swelling with hope all over again.

She held the cake tighter and stepped forward.

Before she could speak, an overly cheerful voice piped up from behind Ethan.

“Ethan, is that the cake? I just got back and you already pulled off such an amazing birthday surprise for me? You’re the best!”

It was Clara Fitzgerald. Ethan’s cousin, the woman he had always treated like a younger sister.

The word “birthday” hit Sophia like a slap.

Sophia stared past Ethan.

Only then did she see the massive banner hanging under the lights.

**Happy Birthday, Clara.**

The party wasn’t for their anniversary.

It was for Clara.

She froze.

Then, with a soft thud, the cake slipped from her hand and hit the ground.

The lid cracked open. Cream spilled over the stone path.

Clara walked over in a delicate white dress, her eyes bright with excitement. She glanced at the ruined cake and covered her mouth.

“Oh no, Sophia… how could you drop it? We were about to light the candles.”

Ethan’s face tightened. “Sophia, what are you doing?”

Sophia slowly looked back at him.

“What… what is this?” Her hand trembled slightly, her voice catching in her throat. “Today’s our anniversary. How did it turn into this?”