Chapter 7

It was nighttime when Eve woke up in the hospital. She tried to move her fingers and suddenly felt a sharp pain in her back that made her groan. "Eve!" Michael called out worriedly from beside her. He clutched her hand tightly. "How are you feeling? Does it still hurt?" Eve pulled her hand away in silence. Michael then sighed and said helplessly, "Why do you have to be so stubborn? What's wrong with just coming clean about your actions?" "I didn't frame her," Eve said. Michael's expression froze. He then looked disappointed. "I won't blame you for what you did, Eve. But you can't keep on being so unremorseful." Eve closed her eyes, saying nothing. She knew he wouldn't believe anything she said now. He stayed by her bedside for some time before sighing. He never came to visit Eve for the next couple of days. Eve was cared for in the hospital and would often gaze quietly at the clouds outside the window. The nurse who came to give her medication would sometimes look like she wanted to say something, but she'd always end up leaving silently. When Eve finally recovered, the doctors agreed to discharge her. Eve settled her discharge by herself and stepped out of the hospital entrance with her belongings. As the wind blew past, she tightened her coat around her and called for a cab. All of a sudden, someone pressed a cloth against her nose. The sharp scent of chloroform filled Eve's lungs, and she struggled against the person's grip. But her body quickly grew limp, her vision fading into darkness. When Eve woke up again, she found herself suspended in mid-air. Her arms were chafed from the rope she was bound with. She lifted her head with all her strength and saw Trisha across from her with Jules crying in her arms. Trisha was bound with a rope as well. "Finally awake?" A masked man walked over. "Remember to pay me the rest of what you owe me after doing this." The door to the warehouse they were in was suddenly kicked open. Michael ran inside, his face turning pale when he saw the sight before him. "Let them go!" His voice was trembling. "I'll pay you however much you want!" The masked man shook his head. "That won't do. My boss doesn't want your money. All you need to do is choose." Trisha sobbed furiously. "Why did you do this, Evie? I don't care that you want to hurt me, but why bring the baby into it?" Trisha then turned to Michael, tears flowing uncontrollably from her eyes. "Mike will surely choose you. He's always loved you…" Eve slowly understood what was happening. "I didn't do this!" Michael then saw the mattress that the masked man had set up underneath Eve, as well as how the masked man seemed to be guarding her. His gaze grew cold. "Stop this nonsense and make him stop, Eve." The masked man swung the blade in his hand, impatient. "Hurry up and choose, or don't blame me for cutting any rope I please." "No!" Trisha shook her head in fear. Her gaze was pleading. "Please, Eve. Please just let the baby go! I don't have long to live anyway, so I'll be fine…" Michael closed his eyes, feeling agonized. "Why did you have to get Jules involved, Eve? He's still so young… You don't need to keep on doing these things to get me to prove to you that I love you, Eve. I really, really do love you. Please, tell them to stop this…" Eve was about to respond when the masked man snapped, "Choose!" The man was already pressing his blade against the ropes binding Trisha. "I choose Trisha and my baby!" Michael yelled out. "Let them go!" The masked man shrugged and shot Eve a helpless look. "See? He tried his best." Trisha and Jules were released to safety. Trisha immediately dove into Michael's arms, her body wracked with sobs. Michael saw that the masked man seemed ready to let Eve go and sighed. "I'll pretend this never happened, Eve. But I hope something like this never happens again." Michael then left with Trisha in his arms, not noticing the way the masked man had stopped letting Eve down. "Ms. Coleman is so generous. We're really earning big tonight." The masked man chuckled. He then gestured for his men to take the mattress away and sliced the rope holding Eve up. Eve screamed and fell heavily onto the ground, pain filling her entire being. She watched through hazy vision as the masked men left the scene. She heard a car engine start before she finally passed out. An unknown amount of time later, Eve woke up from the biting cold. She tried to move her fingers, but unbearable pain filled her body. Luckily, the men hadn't seemed intent on killing her and hadn't strung her too high up off the ground. Eve slowly pushed herself up, gritting her teeth in pain. Her phone was still in her pocket. She shakily unlocked her phone and saw a text message from Michael, which he had sent several hours ago. "Let's both take a break for some time, Eve." Underneath it was a text message from the immigration department. "Your migration application has been approved." Eve smiled briefly and bought the earliest flight ticket overseas. She went home and took her pre-packed luggage. This home, which had once housed her hopes and dreams, was now devoid of any other living soul. Meanwhile, Michael had just uploaded a photo of his and Trisha's families having dinner online. Eve smiled bitterly when she saw the photo. She then sent Michael a text message. "You can open that surprise I left you once you're back home." Eve then pulled out her SIM card and snapped it in two before tossing it in the trash. She then glanced at the gift box she'd left on the table before leaving the house. Eve was finally leaving all this deceit behind and stepping into the beginning of her new life.