“Quick! Help me!” I shouted to Anya.
She immediately knelt on the other side and put Japen’s arm around her shoulder. Together, we lifted him up. His head drooped forward-he was completely unconscious.
I gripped his arm tightly around my shoulder as Anya and I moved towards the gate. I had already instructed Robert to wait outside the gate, and I hoped he was there. It was past ten in the evening, and we had planned for Japen to be there by nine-thirty.
“Still holding on?” I asked Anya, gasping for air. My heart was pounding in my ears, but I kept moving forward with Japen.
“I-I’m okay, Miss.”
“Good.” I panted, looking ahead. “I need you two to get inside the taxi before Dad comes for us. Robert knows how to drive fast, so he’ll get you away from here.”
“M-Miss…” I heard her voice break with tears.
I smiled bitterly. “Don’t cry. You need to take Japen to the hospital as soon as possible. You must accompany him and take care of him like you did for me. Okay?”
I heard her sob, and my gaze dropped. I didn’t want to hear her cries because I was barely holding back my own tears. I couldn’t let her see me cry; she needed to see me strong so she could stay strong and not lose hope.
“Anya, promise me you’ll take care of him.”
There was a long silence before she spoke. “Who will take care of you, Miss?”
“I can manage.”
“B-But I don’t want to leave you. Let’s escape together.”
I laughed at her words. “You really have the guts to joke with me.”
“Miss…”
“If I ran away with you two, Dad would definitely come after us. I won’t let you both suffer because of my impulsive decisions. Just the two of you. I’ll try to bargain with Dad-your freedom and Japen’s in exchange for mine.”
Silence. Then I heard Anya crying again.
My vision blurred, but I blinked it away. Tears streaked my cheeks as the cold evening breeze blew past us. The night was silent, except for Anya’s frequent sobs… and mine. But I did my best to stop crying until we reached the enormous gate.
Suddenly, a guard appeared in front of us. His face was familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I had seen him before.
“Miss Azora?” he said.
Then I remembered-he was the one who introduced me to Robert. I cleared my throat. “Open the gate.” My heart pounded. I was afraid he wouldn’t follow my orders.
To my surprise, he took Japen’s arm off my shoulder and put it on his. He carried Japen for me.
I stood still for a few seconds until Anya said, “Let’s go, Miss. We might not get another chance to leave.” She was still carrying Japen’s other arm.
Right. I ran after them.
We passed through the smaller gate for people. The cold air hit my face again, but it was the silence of the night that sent chills down my spine.
I didn’t know why I was shivering-not from the cold, but from terror. Something was wrong with the silence.
We just passed through the enormous gate without anyone stopping us. I knew there were many of Dad’s men hidden in the darkness, but I couldn’t understand why they hadn’t made a move.
Then something clicked inside me. I immediately looked back and saw the huge mansion illuminated in the dark. Silence. There was an eerie silence inside the mansion too.
I wondered what was happening and why Simmy hadn’t followed us.
“Miss.” It was Anya’s voice. “There’s a taxi at the corner.”
I turned around and saw Anya pointing at a taxi waiting in the dark ahead. I immediately recognized it as Robert’s, so I urged them to walk towards it.
As we approached the taxi, a cold wind passed by me again. I stopped in my tracks and watched Anya and the guard carrying Japen. Their footsteps were quick, and they didn’t look back at me as they hurried ahead.
Something was wrong. I could feel hundreds of eyes watching us from the darkness on all sides.
The streetlight behind me was the only source of light around. I stepped forward.
“Miss,” Anya called again.
I swallowed my suspicions and ran after them.
I had told Robert to park his taxi a little way from the gate but still nearby. He must have chosen that dark corner a few meters away.
I gasped for air when I reached the taxi. Robert appeared, nodded at me, and I did the same. He opened the taxi’s back door.
Both Anya and the guard placed Japen inside.
“D-Drive,” I said to Robert, panting hard. “Drive him fast to the nearest hospital.”
He stared at me for a few seconds, so I looked at him, squinting. I quickly pulled out my wallet and searched for cash. I found a few bills and handed them to him. “Here. Take this. It’s enough to cover his hospital bill. I can’t give you my credit card; Dad would find out where you are,” I joked.
But he didn’t smile or laugh. My smile faded, and my expression soured. “Come on, take this.” I grabbed his hand, put the bills in his palm, and closed it with mine. “Take them away for me and please take care of Japen and Anya.”
I withdrew my hand. I looked past him and saw Japen inside the taxi, with Anya standing beside it, waiting for instructions. She was still trembling.
The guard walked closer to me. “Ma’am, you need to go back.”
I blinked and turned around, walking back to the mansion. The taxi’s engine started, and before I knew it, it had driven away.
I stopped and turned around. I watched the speeding car until the red taillights disappeared. I gasped for air as tears welled up in my eyes.
Please be safe, love…