Pearl, satisfied at last, tugged him by the arm and led him away.
During Alannah’s stay in the hospital, Quincy never came to see her.
Through Pearl’s Facebook posts, Alannah saw him smiling beside her—at an amusement park, beneath the stars, watching sunrises and sunsets. He was doing all the things Alannah once wanted to do with him, the things he had once dismissed as childish.
She looked at the pictures without a ripple in her heart.
Love or indifference—only a single word apart, yet separated by an unbridgeable gulf.
She had once believed her love could melt the ice in Quincy’s heart. But she had been wrong.
When someone didn’t love you, they simply didn’t.
A week later, Alannah signed her discharge papers alone.
She had barely walked a few blocks from the hospital when a car screeched to a stop in front of her.
Behind the wheel sat Salem. His expression was twisted, his gaze sinister as it locked onto her.
Before she could even take out her phone to call 911, he slammed down the accelerator and rammed straight into her.
When Alannah regained consciousness, his leering face hovered above her.
Before she could react, a heavy chain landed around her neck.
The other end was wrapped around Salem’s fist.
He toyed with the metal, shaking it lazily as he spoke in a sickly sweet tone. “Ah, Alannah, nice to finally meet you.”
“I’ve liked you for a long time. Today, I’ll finally get what I want!” he added, his eyes full of hunger.
A twisted smile curved his lips. “Every time I watched you reading the news, I wondered what you’d look like without your clothes on…”
He leaned closer, his voice lowering to a sneer. “Tell me—once I’ve had my fun with you, do you think Quincy will still want you?”
Alannah struggled desperately. “We’re already divorced! Let me go—”
Salem bent close to her ear, exhaling a cold breath. “You can’t escape, Alannah.”
Then, he forced her jaw open and shoved a cold pill into her mouth.
“In ten minutes, the drug will take effect,” he murmured, smiling darkly. “Then, you’ll be the one begging me.”
He pressed his lips to her neck, but Alannah forced herself to stay calm. Then, she bit down on his ear with all her strength.
“Ahhh!” Salem screamed, clutching the side of his bleeding ear.
Taking advantage of his pain, Alannah drove the sharp heel of her shoe into his groin.
He collapsed with a howl, spewing curses at her as he writhed on the floor.