Chapter 2

I was stunned when I heard that.

Not only would turning back cost us hours, but going all the way back to the hospital meant we'd wasted the entire day's drive.

I quickly tried to stop them. "No! We have to keep going. My parents' bodies can't stay there much longer..."

Charlie frowned. "Her leg needs medical attention right away."

"My parents need to be brought home, too!" I'd cried so much over the past few days that my eyes were now too dry to shed another tear.

I turned to look at Alya, who was leaning against Charlie with a pained expression. "Can't you just hang on a little longer?"

Alya flinched at my words. Then she shrank into Charlie's arms, looking pitiful. "Then... Then let's keep going. My leg is fine. We shouldn't delay something so important to Ms. Souza."

"Don't say that. How could I ever leave you in pain?" Charlie wrapped his arms around her before turning to me. "Josie, if you don't want to come to the hospital with us, you can wait here."

I stared at him in disbelief, my voice trembling. "You're asking me to wait here alone?"

Charlie hesitated for a moment. "I'll be back soon."

He stopped trying to convince me and carried Alya straight to the car.

After telling the driver to get moving, the car made a smooth U-turn and headed down another road.

I stood there all alone, feeling cold from head to toe.

I looked around. Although this was a rest stop, there were only a few workers and some old sheds. There wasn't even a decent restaurant nearby.

I crouched on the ground and waited from daylight until nightfall. Not a single car horn broke the silence of the deserted road. I sent Charlie message after message, but he never replied.

I was both angry and scared. When I saw that my phone battery was almost dead, I had no choice but to turn off the screen.

Cold night winds swept across the vast grasslands. I was wearing nothing but a thin jacket, and I couldn't stop shivering.

Just as I was feeling completely lost and helpless, I heard bells ringing in the distance, mixed with the sound of horses' hooves. A fairly large procession seemed to be passing by.

They were all riding horses, surrounding a man at the front who wore a traditional highland robe.

He moved at a slow, steady pace and looked kind and gentle. In his hands, he held a small string of prayer beads, which he fingered with deep devotion.

The man leading the procession was tall and slender, with an air of natural elegance.

He must have had Everpeak ancestry. His eyes were deep-set, his nose was high and straight, and his thin lips gave him a sharp, striking look.

Our eyes met by chance. His gaze was cold and indifferent. A moment later, he looked away.

I had no idea what the procession was doing, so I could only curl up in a corner and keep out of their way.

The procession slowly moved on and disappeared into the distance.

Not long after that, my phone battery finally died. I spent the entire night without sleep. It wasn't until the sun rose the next morning that I saw Charlie's car appear on the road again.

The moment Charlie got out, his eyes turned red as he pulled me into his arms. "How did you get so cold? I'm sorry, Josie. The car stalled on the way back. Have you been waiting here all night?"

I was about to yell at him, but the warmth of his embrace made me hold back my anger. Instead, I complained in a hurt voice, "How could you leave me alone at a rest stop? What if some dangerous person had shown up? I could have died last night!"

Charlie placed his large palm over my lips and spoke softly. "Don't say that. What would I do if something happened to you?"