Chapter 2
Ethan couldn't say no to her, so he gave Zoe a quick, indifferent look.
But as soon as he saw her, he was stunned.
"Zoe, you look awful. What happened?" Ethan said.
Zoe looked at them coldly and replied, "I had a heart attack. If I'd counted on you two, I'd be dead by now."
Ethan's face stiffened. Maybe he realized he'd messed up, because after a moment, his cold face softened with a trace of guilt. "Are you still feeling unwell?" he asked.
Julian, after his initial worry, shrugged it off. "If she were in trouble, she would've passed out already. Isn't that obvious?" he sneered.
Zoe felt as though someone had plunged a knife into her chest, dragging her into a cold, suffocating darkness.
She'd always known she didn't matter to them anymore, but hearing them say it so casually still made it hard to breathe.
"My head hurts so much," Emily cried out, clutching her head in agony before collapsing to the floor with a heavy thud.
"Emmy!" Ethan and Julian shouted at the same time, panic flashing in their eyes.
"Ethan, Julian, am I dying? I don't want to leave you. It hurts so much. What should I do?" Emily whimpered, tears streaming down her face.
Julian's eyes were bloodshot with worry. "Ethan, didn't you say Emmy had a minor injury? Why is her head hurting so badly? Hurry up and get her to the hospital," Julian urged.
Ethan didn't hesitate. He scooped Emily up and rushed her to the car.
Zoe stood there, frozen in place.
"Zoe, I don't feel good. Can you please get in the car?" Emily whimpered, her voice shaky.
Julian snapped, "Zoe, why are you standing there?"
Ethan's jaw clenched. Seeing Zoe still unmoved, he steeled himself, slammed on the gas, and sped away.
Zoe's heart turned to ice.
She stood there, steadying her nerves, and it took a while before she felt normal again.
She pulled out her phone and booked a ride.
After half an hour, a lone car appeared on the deserted road.
"Sweetheart, how old are you?" the driver asked, his tone oily and casual.
He kept eyeing Zoe's thighs every chance he got as he drove.
Zoe was so weak that she whispered, "Sir, maybe you should keep your eyes on the road."
The driver gave her a creepy grin, showing off his yellow teeth. "Relax, I know these night roads like the back of my hand," he said.
He kept sneaking glances at her in the rearview mirror, his grin turning nastier. "Sweetheart, you're out here alone at night. Are you looking to make some cash? With a body like yours, bet you fetch a good price for a night, huh?" he said.
Zoe felt a chill running down her spine.
She realized what he was implying, her guard shooting up as she glared warily at the driver.
Out of nowhere, the driver slammed on the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road.
"So, how do you like what you see?" he leered, his voice dripping with sleaze.
He unbuckled his seatbelt, his fat hand landing on Zoe's thigh. "Let me tell you, I'm a real pro in the sack," he said.
"Back off!" Zoe yelled.
She slapped his hand away and tried to yank the car door open.
But the door was locked. As the man leaned in again, she quickly pressed the side button on her phone a few times, and as soon as the call went through, she thrust the phone into his face.
"I've already called the police, and I told my family where I am. If they don't find me within an hour, they'll be searching for both of us," Zoe snapped.
The driver was a sleazy creep who thought he could take advantage of Zoe because she was pretty and alone out here. He was all talk and no action, a pervert rather than a real criminal.
Seeing the 911 number on her phone, he instantly panicked and forced a nervous laugh. "No, I was messing with you. This is a law-abiding society. There's no way I'd do something like that. It's all a misunderstanding," he explained.
"Unlock the door! I'm getting out," Zoe snapped.
"Okay, I'm unlocking it right now," the driver stammered.
Zoe threw the door open and dashed out, not knowing where she was. She kept running, afraid that the creep might still be chasing her.
She only stopped when her body was too weak to run any further.
Zoe was gasping for breath, and when she glanced down, she saw her clothes were filthy from top to bottom. Her pants were ripped in several places from scraping along the ground, and she looked wrecked.
The faint chirping of insects echoed from the trees. It was dark all around, the road stretching endlessly in both directions, vanishing into the night. There was not a soul around.
Suddenly, something shot across the ground, making Zoe let out a scream. She stumbled back and tumbled into the grass.
Ignoring the stabbing pain in her ankle, she instinctively grabbed her phone and tried to call someone.
No matter how much she pressed, the phone wouldn't turn on.
Zoe had always been protected and cared for, never having gone through anything like this in all her years.
Helplessness, confusion, fear, and a deep sense of injustice washed over her all at once. She bit her lip until it almost hurt, but the tears kept streaming down, no matter how hard she tried to hold them back.
She hugged her knees to her chest, curling up as small as she could, her eyes shimmering with tears that sparkled in the moonlight.
Ethan and Julian must already be at the hospital.
They ditched me here, all by myself.
The more she dwelled on it, the harder she cried, until she buried her face in her arms, hugging her knees tight and crying her heart out.
She had no idea how long she'd been sitting there when the distant rumble of an engine reached her ears. Startled, Zoe lifted her head and saw, not far away, a car with its high beams blazing, heading straight toward her through the darkness.