Chapter 10

Joseph felt suffocated; his lungs felt like balloons on the verge of bursting.

Suddenly, the elevator doors opened a crack. Light from outside seeped in.

The elevator had stopped in between the seventh and eighth floor, and the concrete floor was blocking their way out. The only way to leave the elevator was to have someone from the outside pull them out.

“Chloe, save me!”

Tears burst forth when Stephen saw Chloe standing outside.

“Just now, the elevator on the east side fell when they were pulling out the last person…”

There were a bunch of people outside headed toward the emergency exit.

“Did the elevator fall because only one person was left inside and there was an uneven distribution of stress points? If the elevator were to drop from this height, death is certain…”

Stephen’s face paled as he stretched his arm out toward Chloe. “Chloe! Chloe…!”

As he yelled her name, he jumped twice in the elevator.

The elevator swayed.

Stephen screamed, his voice piercing. “Quick, pull me up! It’s going to drop!”

“Stephen, hold my hand tight.”

Chloe seemed to not have noticed Joseph at the side and held Stephen tightly by his wrist.

Stephen looked as though he was grasping on his only lifeline and crawled upward with all his might. He kicked the elevator hard as he hauled his body out of the elevator.

Just then, the elevator started to drop.

Joseph shut his eyes and heard Chloe’s panicked voice.

“Joseph!”

An intense feeling of weightlessness made Joseph feel like someone was clenching his heart tightly. He almost forgot how to breathe.

He swiftly pressed the buttons for the sixth, fifth, and fourth floor. The elevator stopped once more. Joseph’s anxiety lifted for a moment. He felt like he had a close brush with death.

Ten minutes later, the firefighting team rushed over and brought him out safely.

Chloe rushed over and hugged him tightly in her arms. “Thank goodness you’re fine, Joseph. Thank goodness…”

She kept repeating her words, her heart pounding hard as though she was truly frightened.

On their way back home, Joseph sat in the back passenger seat and shut his eyes as the lingering fear finally set in.

Chloe and Joseph walked into their bedroom.

She pondered for a moment before saying, “Stephen was too agitated just now and kept jumping in the elevator. If I didn’t save him first, both of you would be in danger.”

Joseph hummed.

When Chloe saw him yawning, she looked at him with heartache in her eyes. “Go to sleep. We’ll go visit your mother’s grave tomorrow.”

“Goodnight,” Joseph said.

The minutes passed.

At four in the morning, the house was silent.

Joseph threw back the covers and got out of bed. Chloe was still fast asleep.

He quietly shut the door.

The night wind felt chilly on his skin.

Joseph dragged his luggage case. He turned back to look at this place he had lived in for six years and smiled in relief.

Leaving this place meant a fresh start to his new life.

“I’m finally back to being myself.”

It was silent all around, and the road ahead was long. Joseph’s silhouette gradually disappeared into the night…