Crossroads

Chapter 31

As dusk fell, Stephanie continued running relentlessly. Her face was pale as if she had been frightened.

The mountain road was rugged and uneven. Stephanie tripped and lost a shoe, but she couldn’t care less about that. She gasped for breath as she hurried westward, as if someone was chasing her relentlessly.

Stephanie remembered that there was a village nearby. She needed to find someone and to call for help.

Just then, the atmosphere around her shifted, and the thick clouds rolled violently in the sky. Soon after, it began to drizzle, soaking her thoroughly.

Suddenly, Stephanie’s eyes lit up when she saw a shabby tile house ahead. She then ran toward it excitedly.

“Is anyone there?” she shouted while cautiously looking back over her shoulder.

As Stephanie reached out to knock on the door, she realized it wasn’t closed. She pushed the door open and looked inside. Because it was already dark and the sky was filled with dark clouds, Stephanie couldn’t see clearly inside the house.

“Hello, I’ve been abducted here. Please help me…” She said in a panic as she stepped inside carefully.

Stephanie had been forcefully abducted by several men from the hospital to this secluded rural area.

Just moments ago, she seized the opportunity to grind the rusty hoe against the rough rope binding her hands to the wall. Immediately, she untied the rope from her feet and fled in a panic.

Now, Stephanie’s wrists bore numerous bloody gashes from the hoe, and blood was trickling down her wound. Yet, she ignored her injuries and just kept running, fearing they would capture her again.

The rain fell and stung her wounds, causing her face to scrunch up in agony.

However, the moment Stephanie stepped into the silent tile house, her body froze.

She found that there was no one there, not a trace of life, just utter silence.

Stephanie looked around, her face pale as she stared blankly at the shabby, dirty tile house and the item’s scattered all around.

Just then, a terrifying lightning bolt slashed across the sky, followed immediately by a thunderclap that made her tremble in fear. The rain outside poured down furiously as if the sky were collapsing, accompanied by thunder and lightning.

Stephanie kept shrinking back as she looked around fearfully.

She then felt discomfort in her abdomen and instinctively rested her right hand on it as she lowered her head, her complexion instantly turning pale.

At that moment, Stephanie recalled the harsh words Dominick had previously hurled at her, his voice cold and ruthless.

“There are plenty of women who could bear my children. And you, Stephanie, don’t have the right. Remove the child from her

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Chapter 31

womb…”

to be removed. You’d better

mess, filled with a constant interplay of

eyes reddened, her right hand still tightly clutching her still–flat abdomen. Meanwhile, her heart was heavy with a sense of

I was threatened and intimidated by those ruthless thugs, and now have to flee in panic. I’m all alone and helpless in this dark, stormy night.

then watched as the rain poured down fiercely outside. The rolling torrents were so heavy it washed down

the mountains.

ran toward the house and shouted in alarm, “Come out! Hurry up and get out! The house is

standing in the middle of the house

boulders crashing down outside the door due to the mountain torrent, causing the house to start

her feet, but her body wouldn’t obey. She felt as if her legs

roar suddenly filled the air, the deafening sound echoing across the

tracks and looked around

22 22 SE

drowned out many

He turned anxious as he watched the weather worsen. “We mustn’t go near the houses at the foot of the mountain. Stay safe, or

him and said respectfully, “Mr. Wellington, we’ve already sent people to look around. This place is dangerous, you

big, we don’t even know where to start looking. It’s really dangerous to stay

rolling and the downpour, the rain had destroyed Stephanie’s tracks, making

nerves seemed to be holding something back, his gaze

11:22 Fri, 21 Jun

Chapter 31

ran toward the

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anxious and caught up. Dominick was already soaked through as he was crouched on the ground amidst the dirty mud where

at the shoe buried in the mud

in the

he hadn’t run far when he suddenly

stunned when he saw the house before him, which was now buried under mud and reduced

must be what we just heard collapsing. I wonder if

“Regardless, we should leave this

towards the ruins, forcefully lifting the broken door plank, and

frantic voice mingled with the thunder made

Dominick immediately jumped into action and hurriedly joined in to dig

shoe just now. He wondered, “Is Stephanie in this house? If she really came here, with the heavy rain just now, she must have run inside to take

and immediately joined in to help move some large objects, an anxious look on his face. At that moment, everyone was braving the heavy rain while calling out Stephanie’s

crouched down. He was overwhelmed with too many

ruins.

filled with unbearable anxiety. They all knew that under such conditions, rescuers wouldn’t be able to arrive in time, and those buried beneath were

himself for being unable to do something, which rarely happened.

was shocked to see

indifferent Dominick to care so much

rain continued to pour, and the thunder didn’t cease. But Vincent

servants who followed them were frightened,

Chapter 31

Fri,