“Don’t worry too much, Grandma will be fine.”
We had barely gotten onto the highway when the torrential rain began to pour.
THE F
Then Marcus’s phone rang. The Bluetooth automatically connected, filling the car with Lila Monroe’s desperate sobs.
“Mr. Thorne, save me! Your grandmother.., she’s trying to force me to lose our baby…”
A cacophony of voices erupted from the phone, then the call was abruptly cut off.
Marcus dialed back repeatedly, but no one answered.
He kept redialing, becoming increasingly agitated.
<
୮
이
I looked at the heavy rain outside, worried about driving safety, and gently warned him,
“Everything will be fine. Just focus on driving for now.”
As I spoke, Marcus seemed to remember something suddenly. He turned to me, his eyes like shards of ice.
“It was you!”
“You and Grandma conspired, didn’t you?”
“You lured me out, so Grandma could go after Lila.”
He slammed on the brakes, stopping the car abruptly in the middle of the highway, speaking through clenched teeth.
“What a cunning move you cooked up.”
“Elara, how could you be so heartless? And you claim to be some kind of saint, a benevolent soul? How can you not tolerate a
small innocent life?”
As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed my throat, his eyes bloodshot, demanding answers HE
He squeezed harder and harder. I couldn’t make a sound, only frantically tried to pull his hand away.
D
Just as I felt I was about to black out, the crimson in his eyes gradually faded. He scoffed and got out of the car.
He dragged me, coughing violently, from the passenger seat and threw me onto the highway.
“Remember this! I can’t stand being deceived!”
With that, he turned, got back into the car, and was about to drive away.
I struggled to my feet, desperately hitting the car window, trying to explain.
“Marcus, it wasn’t me! I really don’t know anything!”
Marcus rolled down the window, his eyes filled with disgust.
“You’d better pray Lila is alright, or I swear, I won’t let you off the hook.”
He rolled up the window, hit the gas, and did a U–turn right on the highway.
I was flung several feet, tumbling along the asphalt, but he didn’t even look back, driving out of my sight.
My phone was still in his car. Standing on the highway without a penny to my name, I was filled with despair.
I tried to flag down passing cars, but no one dared to stop for a disheveled woman on a stormy highway at night.
Helpless, I limped for five hours, dragging my bruised body, until I finally reached the nearest service area.
With the help of the police, I finally made it back to my grandmother’s place.
But in the end, I never saw Grandma one last time.
Louietly handled Grandma’s funeral arrangements alone. To everyone’s questions about “why the grandson–in–law didn’t return”
I simply smiled.
I bought a new phone in town. The moment I inserted the SIM card, messages started pouring in.
Two unread messages from Marcus’s profile picture. Every single word pierced my heart.
“Good thing Lila is okay. You should learn your lesson, and stop complaining to Grandma.”
“Lila is young, and she’s been through a lot of fright this time. I’ll come back to see Grandma after I’ve calmed her down.””
I blinked hard, trying to keep the tears from falling.
I glanced at Grandma’s portrait in the living room, then replied directly with, “No need.”
My phone rang. “Eleanor Thorne” flashed across the screen.
“Elara, I just heard about your grandmother…”
“I’m so sorry, Elara, and I’m so sorry for your grandma too!”
Eleanor Thorne’s voice, fuli of remorse, came through the
Tears fell like broken pearls, impossible to wipe away. I choked out,
“Eleanor, please, just let me go. Grant me this freedom.”
“Elara, you can’t give up on Marcus! He truly won’t survive without you.”
“I know he acted like a jerk and hurt you. But don’t worry, I’ll fix this mistake quickly.”
I let out a soft laugh.
