Chapter 7

In the video, Henry was wearing loose loungewear and was focused on stirring a pot of soup on the stove.

The camera shook slightly, and Ava’s sweet voice echoed from the speakers. “Henry, didn’t you say you were supposed to be with Lena today? What is she going to do now that you’re over at my place instead?”

Henry did not even look up from the stove when he replied, “If she gets tired of waiting, she’ll just head home. There’s no need to worry about her.”

After a brief pause, he casually added, “Lenny has a very strong-willed nature. No one can push her around, whether I’m there or not. You, on the other hand, have such a weak constitution, yet you’re always out and about.”

The video cut off right there, but Lena’s hands would not stop shaking. She had waited from day to night, standing alone at the cemetery gates for hours. Yet, to him, her agonizing wait amounted to nothing more than a dismissive, “If she gets tired of waiting, she’ll just head home.”

Lena suddenly felt like a fool for having harbored hope for the man. He had told her to wait, and like an idiot, she actually did. Not only did he blow her off, but he could not even be bothered to send a simple text to let her know he was not coming.

The blisters on her heels throbbed, but she did not slow down. She kept a steady pace until she finally reached her mother’s gravesite. Looking at her mother’s gentle, smiling face on the tombstone, Lena could not hold it together anymore. Her knees gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground, tears spilling from her eyes.

Memories of her past with Henry flashed through her mind like a movie reel—from the very first flutter of attraction to her deep emotional reliance on him and, finally, that last, haunting image of his cold indifference right before she died in her previous life.

She reached out, tracing her fingers along the cold stone, choking through sobs, “Mom, I’m leaving. I’m going somewhere far, far away, and I’m never coming back. Will you be mad at me for that?”

A sudden breeze swept through the cemetery, gently lifting the stray hairs on her forehead. It felt exactly like her mother’s tender hand caressing her. Lena sniffled, forcing herself to swallow the rest of her tears. Her mother was definitely telling her that it was okay.

She sat in front of the grave for a long time, and it was only when the first hint of dawn began to appear on the horizon that she dragged her stiff body down the hill. However, just as she reached the gates of the cemetery, a few thuggish-looking men suddenly blocked her path. Lena frowned and tried to step around them, but they intentionally stood in her way.

“Well, well, you gorgeous babe. What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere? Why don’t you hang out and have some fun with us?”

The leader of the group smirked, his sleazy eyes traveling up and down her body in a way that made her skin crawl.

Lena’s breath hitched, and anger flashed in her beautiful eyes. “Get out of my way!”

Instead of backing off, the men took a step forward. The leader reached out, trying to grab her arm.

“Don’t be so aggressive, babe. We know how to treat a girl right.”

Lena dodged, her face turning pale. There were too many of them, and fighting back physically was a losing battle. So, she clenched her teeth and, catching the men off guard, suddenly spun around and bolted. The sound of her own frantic footsteps and ragged breathing echoed in her ears, her heart hammering against her ribs so hard it felt like it would explode.

The heavy footsteps behind her were drawing closer by the second. In a panic, Lena fumbled through her pockets and pulled out her phone. Her hands were shaking so much that it took her several tries just to dial her emergency contact, which was Henry.

The line connected after two rings.

“Henry, help me! Men are chasing me!” she cried out frantically, not even waiting for him to speak.

However, the moment the words left her mouth, her foot caught on a jagged, protruding rock, and she fell onto the ground. The skin on her elbows and palms tore open, throbbing with a sharp, burning pain, and a sprain in her ankle made her gasp out loud.

The other end of the line remained dead silent. Growing desperate, Lena screamed into the receiver again, “Henry! Did you hear me?”

Finally, a rustling sound came through the speaker. After a few seconds, a sweet voice said, “Lena?”

It was Ava.

“Take a wild guess. Do you really think Henry is going to save you?”

In an instant, color drained from Lena’s face, and the blood in her veins froze. She snapped her head up to see that the men had caught up, and they were reaching out to grab her…