My son is being held hostage by drug dealers, while my wife is busy at the amusement park with her first love.

My stepson was about to die, held hostage by a drug dealer, who specifically demanded to negotiate only with my wife.

And she was at a children's amusement park with her celebrity crush and his daughter, telling me I was just trying to make her look bad.

"Mark, I just cracked a major case, and I'm finally having a day off. Can't you just leave me alone while I’m with Father David and his daughter, Lily? Stop trying to guilt me with the son act. Are you even a man?"

Before I could even explain, she hung up.

I called back, but her phone was off.

That was the day my stepson was thrown off a building by a drugged-out maniac, dying on the spot.

...

“Mark, this is an emergency! Get ahold of Lieutenant Thompson now! The perp's on edge and could hurt the hostage any second!"

Officer Davis shouted, his gun aimed at the door, his voice raw with stress.

"Ask if the Lieutenant is here! We don’t have time if she doesn’t come to negotiate!”

I was frantic and immediately called my wife, Lucy Thompson.

This time she finally answered.

"Mark, what the hell do you want? I’m trying to have a day off, can’t you just leave me be?”

I blurted out, "Mikey's been taken hostage! The guy says he’ll only talk if he sees you..."

She hung up before I could finish.

I tried again. And again. The phone just went straight to voicemail.

Mikey was my wife’s son, my stepson.

We’d been married for years, and I loved Mikey like he was my own, I couldn’t just stand by and watch him get hurt.

My fists clenched so hard my fingernails cut into my palms. The sharp pain forced me to focus.

Lucy once mentioned that Father David lived in the Maplewood Apartments and there was a children's amusement park right next door.

When I arrived, there they were. Lucy and Father David were sitting side-by-side, and his daughter, Lily, was on both of their laps, looking like they were a family straight out of a magazine.

I was running out of time and pushed aside my feelings, I rushed over to them.

Lucy’s face hardened as soon as she saw me.

“Mark, are you following me?”

"Do you even know how irritating you can be?" Her voice was cold and full of disgust.

It was like I was invading some sacred moment, ruining their family time.

“Mikey's been kidnapped by a drug dealer! You need to come with me. The guy wants to negotiate with you, or Mikey might not make it!”

She held out her hand to stop me, her eyes full of contempt and irritation.

“I dropped my son off at school myself, thirty minutes ago. Can you at least make up a plausible lie before you start this ridiculous performance?”

She clearly didn’t believe me, thought I was just being a clown.

Father David stepped in front of Lucy, a gentle smile playing on his lips.

"Lucy, It's ok. If Mark doesn’t want you spending time with my daughter, that's totally fine. We are strangers.”

“You should probably just go. I can calm Lily down."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, looking at me with irritation.

“No need for that, David. I’m here for Li...