Chapter 4

My foot landed on the platform, the metal creaking under my weight. I didn't dare look down; I pressed myself against the icy wall, searching desperately for the next foothold.

Inside the exam room, I heard the crash of furniture being knocked over and a man's voice barking out questions.

"Carter, where is she?"

"Who are you talking about? I have no idea!"

Then came the heavy thud of a fist hitting flesh, followed by Dr. Carter's muffled grunt of pain.

My heart clenched tight.

He was putting his life on the line for me, buying me precious seconds.

Gritting my teeth, I slid down the pipe clinging to the wall. The rough metal tore at my palms, my hands stinging like hell.

Finally, my feet hit the ground.

Not caring about the pain, I scrambled into the patch of woods behind the hospital.

I didn't dare look back, just kept running for my life, my lungs burning like they were about to explode.

I couldn't let Dr. Carter's sacrifice go to waste.

I had to stay alive, clutch this drive, and reveal the truth—no matter what.

I bolted out of the hospital and onto unfamiliar streets.

I had no idea where to go.

Seaview was no longer safe. Mary's people had already found this place, and soon they'd seal off the train station and airport.

I ducked into a public restroom, bolted the door behind me, and sucked in huge gulps of air.

I looked down at the drive in my hand—this was the only thing I had left to fight back with.

I had to find out everything on it, immediately.

I forced myself to stay sharp. Public Library was crowded and loaded with surveillance—no way I could risk it. Hotels needed ID, which was basically handing myself over.

I checked my pocket; there were still a few thousand bucks in cash, backup money I'd withdrawn on the road.

I stepped out onto the street and flagged down a taxi.

"Take me to a used electronics store," I said to the driver.

Half an hour later, I carried the cheapest secondhand laptop I could find into a tiny, cash-only motel.

The room stank of mildew.

I bolted the door shut, pulled the curtains tight, perched on the edge of the bed, and fired up the laptop.

The computer crawled through its startup, every second dragging on like torture—I could barely stand the wait.

Finally, I plugged in the drive.

I double-clicked to open it.

There was only one encrypted folder inside.

I tried every password I could think of—my own birthday, David's birthday, Mary's birthday—but every single one was wrong.

I forced myself to calm down, trying to recall exactly how Dr. Carter had opened it.

He didn't seem to enter any password at all.

Could the password be linked to the computer itself? Or maybe it was some kind of file that only opens on a certain device?

No, that couldn't be it. David had told me to hand the drive to Lucy, which meant it should work on any computer—as long as I knew the password.

So what the heck was the password?

I stared at the folder, my mind a total blank.

Another dead end.

I flopped onto the bed, drained and hopeless.

From the night before until then, my whole world had been flipped upside down. I felt like a marionette, someone else pulling the strings, forcing me to keep running—never knowing where I'd end up.

I was so tired.

Just when I was on the verge of despair, I remembered the text David had sent me.

"Once you get to Seaview, go to Seaview General Hospital and find a doctor named Lucy Quinn."

Lucy Quinn.

I sat bolt upright in bed.

I opened my browser and searched for "Lucy Quinn, Seaview General Hospital."

Almost instantly, a headline appeared about her dying in a car accident three years ago. The article was short—just a few lines. The authorities chalked it up as a routine hit-and-run.

But in the comments section, I spotted a comment from three years ago.

"Such a pity. Dr. Quinn was truly a wonderful person. She once said her greatest wish was to see that underprivileged kid she sponsored leave that place and get into college. I think the kid's name was... Nina Young?"

Nina Young.

My name.

My heart felt like an invisible hand was crushing it.

Lucy Quinn had supported me?

I had zero memory of her. Mary has always been the one covering my school fees and everything I needed.

Could it be...

I immediately entered the password.

"NINAYOUNG"

The folder opened instantly.

Inside were dozens of files—videos, audio recordings, and encrypted documents.

I opened up the first video.

It was the same warehouse, the same David and Mary.

But this time, it was the uncut version.

"Where is Susan?" David's voice was cold enough to freeze the air, every word sharp as a blade.

Mary was tied to a chair, blood at the corner of her mouth, but she was grinning anyway.

"David, stop pretending to be some lovesick hero. You think I don't know? You're crazy about her, losing your damn mind. But her? She never even looked at you. To her, you're just a loyal mutt!"

David kicked the chair hard, and Mary went down with it, still tied up.

"I'll ask you one more time. Where is Susan?"

"I don't know," Mary said, coughing up blood, her laughter going full psycho. "But I do know her daughter is in your hands. What do you think? If I chop off that brat's head and mail it to Susan, do you think she'll come running to me?"

My blood ran cold in that instant.

That brat.

That was Mary's favorite nickname for me at home.

I had always thought she called me that just because she hated me.

Then I finally saw how much malice was hidden behind it.

From the very beginning, I was nothing more than a hostage she used to threaten my mom, Susan.

And David, the man who'd been beating me for five years—every bit of his cruelty and indifference was just a performance for Mary.

He wanted Mary to believe he didn't care if I lived or died, that I was just dead weight to him.

Only in that way, he could keep me safe.

Only then, Mary wouldn't actually kill me, because a hostage with no value isn't a threat at all.

This was a five-year-long scam.

Tears fell from my eyes before I could even stop them.