Avery rushed out of Grandma Martha's house, her heart racing with confusion and fear.
The call urging her to run echoed in her mind. She took out her phone, tapped to dial her mother's phone number before stopping, she couldn't give her mother more worries and mental pressure after everything she had to go through in her life.
Her eyes fell on Ethan's number on the top of her contract list, a bad habit of making him priority she got since she first became his secretary.
Should she call Ethan? But why? It's not like he cared. How could she reach out to him when he is the cause of her misery? He hadn't once spoken to her since she started to live together with him in his penthouse, not that she cares!
She threw her phone back in her purse. A weary smile hung on her face as a realization sank in her heart—she was utterly alone in this world.
With a heavy sigh, she walked towards her car. Avery's fingers fumbled slightly with the keys before she finally unlocked the door and slipped into the driver's seat.
Just as she was about to insert the key into the ignition,"Thud" a hard object crushed on the back of her head.
Avery couldn't even let out a sound as her head snapped forward, her temple colliding with the steering wheel, sending a jolt of pain through her skull.
Somebody was hiding inside the car, waiting for her arrival. She touched her bleeding head before dizziness swirled within her vision.
She tried to turn her head to see who or what had struck her, but the world spun, and the car's interior seemed to twist and contort around her.
"Did you bring the girl?" inquired one of the voices, his tone tense.
"Without a single problem. Where is my money?" replied the other, his voice laced with impatience.
"Here you go," came the response, the sound of a transaction taking place.
Avery stirred, her consciousness returning at the murmur of the two unfamiliar men. Blinking awake, she found herself tied to the passenger seat of her own car. With a desperate tug, she attempted to free herself from the ropes that bound her, only to meet with frustration as her efforts proved fruitless. Her eyes clenched shut as the shuffle of footsteps drew near.
The footsteps halted just outside her window. A voice pierced through the tension, cutting through the darkness.
"I know you are awake, so stop pretending."
Avery's eyes fluttered open, meeting the gaze of the man outside.
"Why are you doing this to me? Release me!" she pleaded, desperation in her voice.
"Shut up, stupid bitch! Stop screaming!" the man snapped, his patience worn thin.
"I didn't go through the pain of kidnapping you just for you to be released." The man snorted before turning around and making a call.
Amidst the tense silence, Avery's heart raced as she urgently twisted and tugged at the ropes binding her hands. With a surge of adrenaline, she felt the ropes give way, her palms now free! Thank goodness! She held her breath as tears swam down from her pale cheeks, she quickly untied the ropes on her feet and darted toward the car door ignoring the distant thud of footsteps grew louder, accompanied by the harsh voices of the men who had taken her.
She opened the car door and ran as the cool night air brushed against her But soon two strong arms closed around her, yanking her back into the car. Avery fought with every ounce of strength but her strength wasn incomparable to those two full grown men.
In that car, Avery sat huddled in a corner, bruised and battered. Her eyes were swollen, and her body ached from the relentless beating she had endured for trying to escape. The harsh laughter of her captors echoed around her as they reveled in their cruel dominance.
One of the men sneered and approached her, a sinister grin on his face. "Aw, did we hurt your delicate feelings, sweetheart?" he jeered, his tone dripping with mock sympathy. "Just doing what your dear husband paid us handsomely for."
Avery's breath hitched at his words, a mix of disbelief and betrayal tightening her chest. She knew he didn't love, he was just using her for his gain but still she never thought of him as a murderer. She had once loved him, and now these words shattered her world. Her spirit, already fragile from the abuse, faltered.
"Let's finish the job, boys." Said the leader among those Goons.
They surrendered the car she was in and started drenching it with oil. The thick smell of oil sent shivers down to her spine. She banged the car windows to get out, begged them but those demons didn't listen.
"Sorry, Ma'am. You would have been if only you didn't marry Ethan Knight." Said the leader before throwing the lit lighter along with finishing Avery's hope for survival.
"Ethan" Avery weakly mumbled while the overwhelming heat quickly consumed her thoughts.
The crackling fire painted grotesque shadows on the walls, mirroring the chaos within Avery's heart.
Tears welled up in her battered eyes as the flames roared higher, the car becoming a blazing pyre. But at that moment she saw a distant figure of a familiar man, the man she once loved.
As the fire's crackling grew louder, Avery's battered body trembled, but a flicker of something ignited deep within her. Amidst the ruins of her life, a newfound resolve began to take shape.
With a determined glint in her eye, Avery pushed herself, wincing at the pain shooting through her body. The flames outside continued to rage, but they were no longer a symbol of destruction; they were a symbol of her rebirth, her defiance against the darkness that had engulfed her.
"I'll never forgive you Ethan. Never! I'll come to hunt, drag you down to this very hell you made for me! So God don't take me today. Today is not the day I die."