Chapter 9
1095words
I scanned my surroundings and only went to the third floor when I confirmed that it was safe.
When I ascended the stairs, I spotted something hanging in a distant corner.
The moonlight was dim, and I could not turn on the torch on my phone without giving my position away. After some contemplation, I took baby steps toward it.
When I was only nine feet away, I finally realized that it was a human being. To be more specific, it was a dead body. His body was full of blood, but his arms dangled on either side of him in such a way they seemed boneless.
I tilted his head and tried to see his face clearly. At that time, the clouds finally faded. The moonlight shone on the shop.
It was the spy that I had put in John’s company.
“Oh, shoot!” Worry finally overcame me. I hurriedly turned and ran downstairs. But I heard a malicious chuckle before I could escape.
“Let’s have a reunion since you’re here, Grace.”
Before I could speak, he gripped my right shoulder and firmly pressed a handkerchief to my nose and mouth. It was stained with a chemical scent.
I tried my best to hold my breath and waved frantically toward the stairs. In the end, I weakened and drifted off to darkness.
In a trance, I saw him hold my face and kiss me endlessly. But I had long lost consciousness under the effect of the drug. I could not feel his animalistic rage.
When I woke up again, my whole body ached vigorously. The sunlight outside was dazzling. When I opened my eyes, it pained my eyes and made me cry. My aching eyes made me raise my aching arms to cover my eyes.
Then, I heard something crash and noticed that I had iron chains around my limbs.
The iron chains were connected to the head of the bed, which heavily restricted my movements. I could only remain in bed, and I could not even touch the doorknob.
When I got puzzled about my situation, someone opened the door.
John sized me up with bright eyes and closed the door behind him. Then, he walked to the bed and easily pulled me into his arms.
I subconsciously tried to push him away and found myself too weak to do so. I doubted if I could even hold a glass of water.
“Grace, you’ve been asleep for a long time.” He rubbed his cheek against my head and spoke huskily.
He was not drunk, but he still acted like a crazy drunkard.
“You’re holding me here illegally. John, you’re going to jail for this.”
But he did not even frown when he heard that. He simply caressed my waist.
“It doesn’t matter. I took advantage of your body when you were unconscious. As long as you manage to get away, go ahead and sue me. I’ll take it.”
His words struck me dumb. I moved my weak legs and felt the deep discomfort around my lower body.
“Let’s have a baby, Grace. Will you stay for the kid, then?”
His words made me laugh. I tried my best to ignore my discomfort and spoke with indifference.
“Did you forget, John? You forced me to drink the soup Lana made me, for fear that I might stop you from being with her. The soup made me infertile. I’ll never bear your kid, no matter what you do.”
His gentle facade vanished. He failed to remain calm as he scrutinized me and tried to find any signs of me lying. But I was telling the truth.
My body had been permanently damaged, and I could never have kids.
But still, John locked me up there and hired someone to take care of me.
He spent the night with me. But he did nothing except for hugging me while sleeping. He claimed that he had difficulty breathing when my scent was gone.
Sometimes he acted like a child and nestled in my arms. He begged me to kiss his forehead. But I hated the idea of him touching me.
When he spent the night with me, I had difficulty sleeping. I could neither feel the sun nor sleep for several nights in a row. In only a month, my weak body got worse.
I heard someone talking when I was asleep.
“Her body is very weak, and she is depressed. Plus, she’s not living in a good environment. She was poisoned, and it made her weak. If this continues, she might die early. John, let her go. And set yourself free…”
I dozed off into a deeper sleep before I could hear more. I had no idea if John listened to that guy or not. But he only came and spent one night with me during the next week. He always hugged me firmly whenever he came, as if I might die easily.
Three months passed by. I thought my days would never change. When I was watching TV to kill time, I saw a familiar face on TV.
John had his head low, and his long hair was covering his blurry face. He was handcuffed as the cops pushed him into the police car.
Lana was teary as she recounted John’s crimes in front of the camera. There were many crimes that John had committed.
His property was turned over and snatched away. His company went bankrupt, and the cops started investigating those old cases.
In a trance, I suddenly recalled the question he asked me when he hugged me last night.
“Grace, I’m tired. What can I do to make you forgive me…”
The long imprisonment made the data analysis in my brain messy. I also got depressed. Hence, I said cruelly, “Go to hell.”
I covered my lips and chuckled. There was finally some rosiness in my pale face.
I did not flatter myself that he would turn himself in just because I wanted him dead.
The cops rescued me that day, and I spent half a year resting in the hospital.
I anticipated starting all over again. But they told me something on the day that I was rescued.
Three months ago, John transferred all of my shares and assets to me, including the core technology that I had mentioned when I tried to leave.
It was a bright day. I sat in the lawn chair of the hospital and slowly closed my eyes under the gentle sunlight. Tenseness finally left me, along with the pain of imprisonment.
