My Darling Ex-Wife Is Unaware I’m Rich

Chapter 24: Stolen Hope

Emma woke to a peculiar sensation in her leg, an itch that shouldn’t have been possible. Still sleepy, she reached down to scratch her leg, more out of instinct than conscious effort. Her hand froze when she felt the unfamiliar warmth of movement in her left foot, the same one paralyzed in the accident. Two of her toes were moving.

She held her breath out of excitement as she flexed her toes experimentally. First the big one, then the second one, a wave of relief and happiness flooding through her emotions. "Oh my God, "I can move them," she said to herself.

The joy of this development , encouraged her to sit upright and swing her legs over the edge of the bed. Fueled by excitement, Emma tried to stand, but her legs betrayed her, she lost her balance and she hit the floor hard, pain shooting up her hip as she cried out. “Nurse! Someone, help!” she yelled.

She waited, as her heart pounding. Footsteps hurried down the hallway, but it wasn’t Abigail, her usual nurse, who appeared. Instead, a young man in crisp scrubs stepped into the room. His features were boyish, with an eager and almost nervous energy.

“Are you okay?” he asked, hurrying to help her back into bed. “Who are you?” Emma demanded, her voice sharper than intended.

“I’m Kenneth, I just started here. Abigail is off duty today. Let’s get you back in bed,” he said with a calm and reassuring voice.

Emma allowed herself to be guided, her mind was still racing. Once she was settled, she grabbed Kenneth’s arm, her excitement spilling over. “You don’t understand! Look!” she said. She threw back the blanket and wriggled her toes for emphasis.

“I can move them! My foot, it’s coming back!” she continued excitedly.

Kenneth’s eyebrows shot up, but he quickly masked his surprise with a professional nod. “That’s incredible, Emma. Have you had any tingling or sensation before today?” he asked her as he pulled out a notepad and pretended to be writing something.

“No, nothing!” she said breathlessly. “Please, get a doctor. I need someone to see this,” she replied.

Kenneth hesitated. “I’ll let them know, but first, we should stick to your routine. It’s time for your physiotherapy session, and progress like this needs proper documentation. We’ll report everything afterward,” he said confidently.

Emma frowned, reluctant. She wanted answers now. But Kenneth was already moving to retrieve her wheelchair, and her newfound excitement turned to a faint form of disappointment. She thought to herself, maybe he was right, if this was real, therapy would only help.

Kenneth approached her with the wheelchair, his movements brisk but professional. “Let’s get you outside,” he said with a practiced smile.

Emma slid into the chair, Kenneth adjusted the footrests. Something about his manner felt off, too practiced, too smooth, but she dismissed the thought. She was too overwhelmed with the miracle of her moving toes to dwell on it.

As they exited her room, Emma glanced down the hallway, expecting to see the familiar route to the therapy room. Instead, Kenneth wheeled her toward the courtyard’s exit, heading in the opposite direction.

“Where are we going?” she asked, twisting to look at him over her shoulder.

“Change of scenery,” Kenneth said lightly. “Sometimes, fresh air works wonders.” Emma frowned. This wasn’t protocol. “We’re supposed to go to the therapy room,” she said.

“It’ll just be a moment,” Kenneth reassured her. As they passed the courtyard and neared the parking lot, Emma’s unease grew. She turned to protest again, but the words never left her lips. Kenneth reached into his pocket, and before she could react, she felt the sharp prick of a needle in her arm.

Her vision began to blur, and the world tilted sideways. Her limbs went heavy, and her head lolled against the wheelchair’s backrest.

Kenneth’s calm demeanor vanished as he picked out his phone and said “She’s down. Bring the van around.”

Two men in dark clothing emerged from the shadows of the parking lot. They lifted Emma’s limp body from the wheelchair and carried her toward a black van parked nearby.

“Be careful! Remember he wants her alive,” Kenneth snapped at the men.

The men nodded silently. One opened the van’s rear doors while the other secured Emma onto a stretcher.

“Let’s move,” Kenneth said, looking around to make sure no one has seen them. The van pulled away smoothly, disappearing into the morning traffic. Inside, Emma lay unconscious, oblivious to the danger she was now in.

The plan had gone off without a hitch, but Kenneth’s nerves were on edge. This wasn’t what he signed up for when Lenox recruited him. He had been promised a chance to make a difference, to be part of something revolutionary. Kidnapping a patient wasn’t part of the deal.

Kenneth was focusing on checking Emma’s vitals. She looked peaceful, almost serene, but he couldn’t shake the guilt gnawing at his conscience.

“Relax,She’s just cargo. The boss will take good care of her,” the second man who was in the passenger seat turned around to say.

Kenneth clenched his jaw, refusing to engage further. He had a job to do, and questioning it now would only make things worse.

The van sped through the city, weaving through traffic with calculated precision. Kenneth glanced out the window, his heart pounding.

When they finally reached their destination, a secluded warehouse on the outskirts of town. Kenneth’s unease deepened. The building loomed ahead, its windows dark and foreboding.

The men unloaded Emma quickly, carrying her inside with little regard for her unconscious state. Kenneth followed reluctantly, his stomach churning.

Lenox, the mastermind behind the operation, stood at the center of it all. His sharp suit and cold demeanor exuded authority, and his piercing gaze swept over Kenneth as they entered.

“Is she stable?” Lenox asked, his voice cracked. “Yes,” Kenneth replied, his voice steady despite the fear curling in his gut. Lenox nodded as he was satisfied to see her.

Kenneth hesitated. “What exactly are you planning to do with her?” he asked. Lenox’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not your concern. Just follow orders,” he replied in a sharp tone.

Kenneth bit back a scared knowing it would be futile. Instead, he focused on setting up the equipment, his mind racing. Whatever Lenox had planned for Emma, it couldn’t be good.

As he worked, a thought took root in his mind, growing stronger with each passing moment. He had to find a way to get Emma out of here. But for now, he played his part, masking his intentions beneath a facade of compliance.

Unconscious and unaware of her surroundings, Emma remained at the mercy of her captors. But even as the darkness enveloped her, the faint spark of movement in her foot seemed to whisper a promise of hope,a sign that she wasn’t done fighting yet.

But as Kenneth was done strapping her to the bed, he felt the sharpness of pain as a blade pierced through his back and came out of his chest. Lenox had stabbed him and with the amount of blood he was loosing, he knew this was the end for him.