Chapter 4 Embracing the New Life

With no one left to stop him, my attacker dragged me to the underground parking lot.

In the dim light on the staircase, a terrifying, crazed light lit his eyes as he pressed his body against me.

I lost track of time. The ceiling above me blurred in my vision, and all I could feel was pain, as though my entire body had been torn apart.

The man left me there and ran away after he noticed something.

I looked down and found a pool of blood and multiple wounds.

My mind was dazed. A resurfaced memory pulled me back to five years ago.

The first time I met Julian was at the crosswalk outside the university.

A car ran a red light and almost hit him.

Without thinking, I threw myself at him and pushed him out of the way. He was unscathed, but I scraped my elbow in the process.

When we started dating, he promised he would never let any harm come to me as long as he was around.

With my last ounce of strength, I dialed his number.

I wanted to know whether his promise still stood, even if it was a misunderstanding from the beginning.

When the call connected, I heard Bianca's voice on the other end of the phone.

"Alba, Julian and I are having a bath together. What can we do for you?"

Julian's voice sounded faintly in the background. "What's going on?"

She chuckled before adding, "Alba says her stomach hurts. She's probably upset that we've gotten married."

Any warmth in his voice instantly vanished.

"Are you done yet? It's an important day for Bianca. Do you have to ruin it?"

Then, he hung up.

The busy tone was all I could hear.

My cry for help never even made it past my throat.

Before losing consciousness, I mustered my strength to call the police.

Then, I was plunged into total darkness.

…

When I woke up again, I was staring at the white ceiling of a hospital room.

The doctor's eyes were filled with sympathy. "You're awake. You were eight weeks pregnant, but we couldn't save the baby in time. You also suffered multiple soft tissue injuries, so you'll need to stay in hospital and rest for some time."

I placed my hand on my lower abdomen.

Two months ago, a drunken Julian held me in his arms with reddened eyes.

He had imagined us getting married one day and having a daughter who looked just like me, but now, my baby was gone before I could even show her the world.

Later, the police arrived to take my statement.

"The man has a mental illness and a criminal record. He has a record of assaulting other women and is currently in custody. Thank goodness you called the police in time. Otherwise, we might've lost track of him again."

Silence enveloped the room again after the officers left.

I picked up my phone from the bedside table.

There was no notification on my phone.

I had disappeared for three days, yet neither my family, my friend, nor my boyfriend cared about my whereabouts.

Calmly, I opened my contacts and added each familiar number to my blacklist.

Ronan, Dad, Mom, Julian, Zachary, Jennie, and Samantha were now in the place they deserved.

After clearing my contacts, I let out a long breath of relief.

…

A week later, I discharged myself from the hospital.

As my identity documents were still kept in the apartment, I obtained a replacement and boarded the flight to Clayfield.

As the plane took off, I looked down at the city that had given me nothing but lies.

I had decided to leave everything behind. From now on, I would embrace my new life.

…

Meanwhile, Julian had reserved a venue to celebrate his two-thousandth day anniversary with Bianca.

He reminisced fondly.

"I still remember like yesterday. A car was speeding toward me at the university gate, and Bianca saved my life without hesitation. I was so shaken that I forgot to ask for her number. I waited at the gate for half a month before I saw a girl who looked just like her. Who would've thought it was actually Alba?"

Hearing this, Ronan grabbed his arm in shock. "Did you just say Bianca saved you outside the university? B-But she never went to university due to her poor health!"

The revelation stunned Julian into silence.

Before he could say anything, Samantha, who had been watching the television, suddenly turned pale. "Hey, guys… Isn't the mentally ill man on TV the same man who dragged Alba away the other day?"