Chapter 6

How was he still alive?

Beatrice had seen him get shot during the Peacekeepers' rescue! She had watched him lying there in a pool of blood.

She could have saved him that day, but she hadn't...

To Beatrice, Alba was the enemy. He was a member of a terrorist group, and all she wanted was to escape. So, she had left him behind.

Since that day, the look in his eyes as he begged for help had haunted her dreams.

"You can't run anymore, Beatrice." Alba's voice was low, almost threatening, as if he could swallow her whole.

Somehow, Beatrice found the courage to break away while he wasn't paying attention and bolted for her old home.

Lyra Bay was built like one of those traditional apartment buildings. There were no elevators, and her family lived on the third floor. The stairwell lights flickered on, then off, as she ran for her life.

In that desperate moment, she forgot her parents were gone...

Some part of her still believed home was safe.

She banged on the door, her mouth opening wide, but not a sound came out. She wanted to scream for her mom and dad, but no words came. Her muteness had started the day she saw her colleague killed right in front of her, shot in the head by merciless terrorists.

The sound of footsteps echoed on the stairs. Terrified, Beatrice started to sob.

No voice. Still no voice. She still couldn't make a sound.

Dad, Mom... Save me…

Beatrice pounded on the door with all her might, but no one answered from inside.

She stared at the blackened marks on the door from the fire. Nelson didn't lie to her. Her parents really were gone.

"Come on, Beatrice, scream. Scream for help. See if anyone comes to save you."

Alba had caught up and cornered her.

Panic closed in, smothering her. In that instant, all she wanted was to escape.

"Beatrice, if you're scared, then scream. Let's hear you scream..."

Alba kept pushing her, demanding that she speak.

But Beatrice made a run for the window at the end of the hallway.

She wanted to die.

Better to die than to fall into the hands of someone so dangerous.

Just as she reached the window, the man caught her, pulling and trapping her in his arms. His voice was shaky, almost anxious.

"Damn it, Beatrice! I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry, I won't scare you anymore. I just wanted to make you speak."

He pulled back his hood, clearly desperate to explain.

Still, Beatrice was shaking so hard that she couldn't hear a word he said. All she wanted was for everything to end.

"Beatrice! Lucas Santiago kidnapping your team wasn't an accident!" Alba snapped, suddenly furious at seeing that she truly meant to kill herself.

Beatrice froze, shock stopping her cold. She turned and stared at him in disbelief.

What was he saying?

"Lucas' organization had a mass viral pneumonia outbreak. You and your team were experts in the field. I found out that someone from your hospital tipped Lucas off about your team, so..." Alba began.

He was still talking when suddenly, a voice called from below.

"Beatrice? Beatrice, are you there?"

It was Nelson, calling out in panic. He must have guessed that she would come here.

"Beatrice, don't trust anyone from your hospital," Alba warned with a frown.

With that, he jumped out of the stairwell window.

It was three stories up… That madman!

"Beatrice!"

Nelson rushed up, breathless. The moment he saw her, he pulled her into his arms and held her tight.

"Beatrice, I'm so sorry. Let's go home."

Beatrice stood there, numb, shaking her head. She didn't move. That wasn't her home anymore.

Nelson looked at her tear-streaked face, then, full of regret, slapped himself hard. "I'm sorry... It's all my fault, Beatrice. You can hit me if you want."

He hit himself again and again, as if he wouldn't stop unless Beatrice told him to.

She didn't stop him, but she couldn't hold it together anymore. Suddenly, she started sobbing loudly and hysterically.

"Beatrice..." Nelson cradled her face, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. As long as she was willing to make a sound, even if it was just crying, it would help her with her aphasia.

Nelson was a neurosurgeon, and he had already consulted with his colleagues in psychiatry about her condition.

"Beatrice, I'm sorry... Your return was just so sudden. I didn't know what to do at first. Please, just give me some time. I'll take care of everything. I won't let you get hurt again." His voice broke as he held her close. "Do you have any idea how much you mean to me?"

Beatrice sobbed until she could barely breathe, until the world started going black around the edges.

Nelson said she meant a lot to him...

Why did that sound like a joke?

"Beatrice, let's go home. There's so much I need to tell you..."

Nelson's voice was thick with emotion. Maybe he was telling the truth, but Beatrice didn't want to hear it anymore.

Her mind was still spinning with Alba's words.

"Don't trust anyone from your hospital."

Her team's kidnapping, everything she had suffered over the last five years, even the loss of her parents... None of it was just an accident.

Someone had set them all up!