Chapter 96

Could that person be Luke? No, it couldn't be. Even if he realized Vespera had run away and guessed the general direction, how could he have possibly known she was hiding on an unremarkable hillside along the way? It didn't make any sense. Or perhaps it could be the man who had shouted outside the window earlier. Had he been lurking nearby the whole time, watching her get out of the trunk and following her up the hill? The thought alone sent a chill down her spine. She immediately crouched lower and crept deeper into the hillside. It was too dark to see the path, and she didn't dare to turn on her phone's flashlight. She could only fumble forward blindly, crashing through the undergrowth aimlessly. The footsteps behind her came nearer with every step. Countless terrifying scenarios flashed through her mind—being dragged deeper into the mountains, assaulted, murdered, or worse—trafficked to some lawless hellhole where her organs would be harvested. She regretted not staying in t