Chapter 3

I shot a glance over my shoulder, and I was scared stiff, frozen right where I stood.

Out in the middle of nowhere, there was a guy drenched in blood, clutching a saw, standing on a heap of bloody meat not far from me, just staring. I had no clue how long he'd been watching me.

My heart shot into my throat.

I grabbed my phone in a panic and dialed Andrew.

The moment it started ringing, I felt a wave of regret.

I shouldn't have troubled him again.

I hesitated for a moment. In the end, I called Frankie instead.

It rang for a few seconds before he picked up.

I rushed through my words, barely pausing for breath. "Frankie, Ayleen said you promised Andrew you'd look out for me, right? Come get me at the outskirts of town in two hours, but make sure Andrew doesn't spot you."

As soon as I finished, I hung up in a hurry. I didn't dare look back, just stumbled away, dragging my busted left leg behind me.

I had to leave here, in case Andrew doubled back and caught sight of my broken body.

He wouldn't be able to handle it.

I had no idea how long I'd been walking, or how far I'd gone.

I felt feverish all over, and my mind was getting fuzzy.

A deep, raspy voice, devilish and close to my ear, growled, "The cat-and-mouse game is almost over, little cripple."

The saw scraped across the grass with a loud rumble, sending dust flying everywhere.

He grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me backward.

I was so close to the road, almost there, and I fought like hell to reach it.

But it was no use.

He finally snapped, kicked me hard, and stuffed a rag into my mouth.

He raised the saw high above his head.

Comments showed. [Little cripple.]

Right then, the sharp blare of the screech of brakes cut through the air.

Andrew leapt out of the car, clutching an iron bar, and with a swift swing, smashed it against the saw that was about to come down on my head.

Then he charged in bare-handed, trading blows up close with the guy.

The sound of fists hitting flesh exploded in my ears as Andrew, his face covered in blood, forced himself up from the ground.

One of his arms was dislocated. He bit down on his sleeve, tilted his head, and tried to snap it back into place himself.

With a loud crack, he popped his arm back in place, stood up, and looked at me, totally worn out and exasperated. "Nina, when are you finally going to give me a break?

"How do you always end up in a mess the second I turn my back? Why didn't you run when things got dangerous?"

The comments exploded. [Seriously? She was about to die, and he's still yelling at her? If he hadn't left her on the road, she wouldn't be in danger in the first place.]

[And she's got a bum leg. How's she supposed to run? No way she can outrun a normal person. Does Andrew even have a brain?]

"Why are you crying?" Andrew said. He looked visibly annoyed, raking his fingers through his hair.

He grabbed the iron bar, crouched down next to me, and tried to comfort me, but his words came out clumsy and awkward. "Come on, Nina, stop crying.

"You almost gave me a heart attack, and now you're crying on top of it? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? That guy was a killer. If I'd shown up even a minute later, you'd be dead.

"Can't you, for once, take care of yourself? I can't hover around you for the rest of my life. Sooner or later, you'll have to live on your own.

"Once you graduate high school and head off to college, how are you ever going to manage by yourself if you keep this up?"

Those comments said, [Is he saying this? Wasn't he the one who swore he'd look after Nina forever? Now she's suddenly a burden. Funny how he didn't mind depending on her before.]

Whenever Andrew got really worked up, he'd start tugging at his hair. Seeing him do that now, I realized that I really had given him so much trouble and stress.

I hated being this way, so I cut Andrew off, forcing a smile that looked way more cheerful than I felt, and tried to sound breezy, "You don't have to take care of me anymore.

"Didn't you ask Frankie to look after me? I already called him, so from now on, Frankie's got me covered."

For a split second, I actually felt at ease.

Once I was gone, the story could finally get back on track.

Andrew and Ayleen wouldn't have to be torn apart because of me anymore.

I already knew how the story would end. Andrew would become so rich that his fortune could rival entire countries, and he'd have a pair of adorable twins with Ayleen.

I didn't want to drag him down anymore.