"Elizabeth! Elizabeth, what's wrong?!"
William's heart practically jumped out of his throat as he shouted into the phone. But there was only silence on the other end.
"Was that Elizabeth?" Michael gave him a suspicious look. Calls never go through where Elizabeth was supposed to be. What, change of plans now?
Tossing the phone aside, William grabbed Michael's collar, panic crashing over him like a wave—overwhelming even the anger he'd felt just moments ago.
"Where is Elizabeth?! Where the hell are you hiding her?!"
"Same answer—no clue."
"You bastard!" William roared, throwing a punch. His rage twisted his face, making him look nothing short of unhinged.
Michael spat out blood, then snorted coldly. "I'm the bastard? Even if I were scum, I'd never force her into a hysterectomy right after she lost the baby! If you didn't want her to carry your child, divorce her. Or hell, just stay away f

By the time they arrived, the sun was already up. The village woman who had been looking after Elizabeth rushed over as soon as she saw Michael.
"Michael, I'm so sorry! Your wife's gone! We searched every corner of the village and can't find her anywhere!"
"Wasn't she supposed to be under your care? How did she disappear without you even noticing?!"
Michael's usual calm demeanor was gone—his eyes were bloodshot, voice sharp with anger. The woman instinctively took a step back, guilt all over her face.
Hearing her call Elizabeth his wife made William's expression shift instantly. No sooner had Michael spoken than William charged over and yanked him aside.
"Elizabeth is MY wife! If it weren't for you dragging her out here, how the hell would she have gone missing? Get the hell away from me—I'm this close to losing it."
The woman stood there, frozen.
What the hell? Was this an elopement?
A 

"Michael, can you please tell my parents… those people might go after the Smith family. And… don't let them know what's going on with me, I don't want them to worry..."
Elizabeth's eyes were a little red. Michael felt a tightness in his chest and nodded.
He pulled out a stack of cash and a bank card from his wallet and handed them to her. "Here, just in case. The card's safe, password's your birthday. If I can't make it back in time, someone else will drop off the meds. Make sure you take them."
If he showed up too openly, William's people were likely to catch wind. The Adams and Turner families didn't exactly live next door—he had to prep for anything.
But Elizabeth kept shaking her head, clearly refusing to accept it. Michael gave a helpless smile.
"Think of it as holding onto it for me, alright? It's not like you're going anywhere. Just give it back when I return."
He said it lightly, like it was no big deal, but Elizabeth's hand trembled slightly as she took the card.
Her face looked pale. "Then I'll hang onto it for now. And Michael… please be careful around William. He's dangerous when he loses it, you've got to stay safe."
Seeing how worried she looked, Michael couldn't help but chuckle a little. That uneasy weight in his chest loosened.
"Don't worry—I'll keep my distance from him."
After he left, the woman who had been helping take care of Elizabeth showed up, smiling warmly. "Sweetie, your husband treats you real nice. You're one lucky girl!"
Elizabeth opened her mouth to say something, but only managed a tiny, almost invisible, bitter smile. In the end, she didn't explain anything.
"You've just had surgery, you need rest. Let me help you back to bed, okay? If there's anything you feel like eating, just let me know. Everyone around here says I'm the best cook in town!"
The woman's bubbly attitude almost made Elizabeth smile. She nodded faintly, but then glanced toward the door, and that light in her eyes dimmed again.
"Where around here's got the best phone signal?"
"That mountain over there has a signal tower near the top, but it's quite a climb," the woman pointed outside.
Elizabeth glanced at it and said nothing.
As soon as lunch was over and the woman stepped out, Elizabeth grabbed her phone and a bit of cash, heading straight for the mountain. She left behind the bank card and other money.
She knew this place was peaceful—almost like a hidden paradise. Living here could be easy and quiet. But she couldn't keep dragging Michael down. He had already done so much for her. She just couldn't keep leaning on him like this.
Step by step, she started the climb. The ground was slippery and soft after the rain, making it hard to walk. She picked up a stick to steady herself and kept going with effort.
By the time she reached the top, it was already deep into the night. She was completely worn out, and just collapsed on the ground. After lying there for a while, she picked up her phone—finally, stronger signal.
She checked her location and found a rough route out of the area. Feeling a bit more alert, she got to her feet and slowly moved forward, pulling up Michael's number and hitting call.
Meanwhile in the downtown area, Michael was being held down by a group of men in black. William stood nearby, eyes cold. "Where is she?"
Thunder crashed outside, and the tension in the room was suffocating.
Suddenly, a sharp ringtone broke through. William snatched Michael's phone. The screen lit up with the name "Elizabeth." His eyes darkened as he swiped to answer.
Elizabeth's voice came through, faint and shaky:
"Michael, thank you—for everything. I'm leaving now, just wanted to say goodbye. There's too much pain here… people I once loved deeply, and hated just as much. I'm not coming back. Don't look for me. I can't give you the love you deserve. You're amazing—go find someone who truly deserves you. Take care of—Ah! Help!"
Her words were cut by a sudden scream. Then a loud noise exploded through the phone. And after that—silence.

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth, what's wrong?!"
William's heart practically jumped out of his throat as he shouted into the phone. But there was only silence on the other end.
"Was that Elizabeth?" Michael gave him a suspicious look. Calls never go through where Elizabeth was supposed to be. What, change of plans now?
Tossing the phone aside, William grabbed Michael's collar, panic crashing over him like a wave—overwhelming even the anger he'd felt just moments ago.
"Where is Elizabeth?! Where the hell are you hiding her?!"
"Same answer—no clue."
"You bastard!" William roared, throwing a punch. His rage twisted his face, making him look nothing short of unhinged.
Michael spat out blood, then snorted coldly. "I'm the bastard? Even if I were scum, I'd never force her into a hysterectomy right after she lost the baby! If you didn't want her to carry your child, divorce her. Or hell, just stay away from her! But no—you went ahead and ripped her damn uterus out! You think you'll ever see her again? 

Chapter 15