Chapter 4

My eyes lit up, feeling hopeful as I struggled to lift my hand toward her.

"G-Give it to me."

Just as my fingertips were about to touch the pen, Olivia flicked her wrist and nimbly pulled it away from my reach. She curled her lips into a cruel smirk and shot a knowing look at the bleach-blonde guy standing nearby, Ethan Biles.

Ethan immediately caught on and took the pen from her hand, eyeing me with a sleazy, predatory gaze.

"I don't buy that she's some innocent little girl," he said.

Then, like he was teasing a dog, he dangled the pen in front of me and waved it around.

"You want it? Crawl over here and beg me for it."

My mind was already starting to fog over, and my legs were too weak to stand. Out of pure instinct, I crawled forward.

"Oh my gosh! She's actually crawling!"

"Quick, quick, get this on video! This is wild!"

As the sounds of their excited jeering and phone cameras clicking filled my ears, humiliation washed over me completely. I could even sense Dallas' expression darkening further.

He probably thought I was making him look like a complete fool right now. Yet, I could not care less. My body was at its absolute limit, and if I did not get insulin soon, I would go into shock or even die.

I crawled to Ethan's feet and looked up at him, begging pathetically. "Please! Give it to me. I'm begging you!"

Ethan's smile grew even more disgusting as he continued waving the pen around, refusing to hand it over. Instead, Olivia gasped dramatically and covered her mouth in mock shock.

"Oh my, Sabrina! You look like you've done this before."

She turned to Dallas, whose face went completely dark, and asked with feigned innocence, "Dallas, you don't think she's the type to sneak around behind your back playing kinky dominance games with other guys, do you?"

That single comment ignited all the rage Dallas was bottling up. "You slt!"

With a furious roar, he kicked me viciously in the side. The brutal force sent my entire body flying through the air before I slammed hard into a nearby tree trunk. The excruciating pain made my vision go black, and I nearly passed out completely.

Dallas's face twisted with rage as he approached me step by step. He stopped right in front of my face, and he growled, "Tell me! Who the hell is he?!"

I was barely conscious from the pain, and even breathing became difficult. All I could do was weakly shake my head.

However, he interpreted this as defiance.

"Still won't talk?!" he roared, then kicked me square in the chest.

I heard the distinct sound of my own rib snapping, and a metallic taste surged up from my throat as blood mixed with saliva spilled from the corner of my mouth. The combination of searing pain and lack of oxygen sent my body into violent spasms, and I felt myself slipping away.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness completely, a furious shout rang out from behind the crowd.

"Stop! Lay one more hand on my daughter, and you'll never walk out of these woods again!"