Chapter 428

Dahlia gagged, expelling the filthy rag from her mouth along with whatever she’d just thrown up, splattering herself in the process.
“Aaah!”
Her scream was full of pure desperation. But just as her mouth opened, the woman shoved the soiled rag back in, muffling her cries and stopping her from calling for help.
The revulsion was too much for Dahlia to bear. Her face turned a sickly shade of green, then pale. She gagged again, shaking her head frantically, trying to spit the disgusting rag out. This time, the woman shoved it further down. The vomit stayed put, forcing Dahlia to swallow it back. Her body convulsed with revulsion, almost passing out from the overwhelming nausea, feeling trapped in a nightmare.
By now, her earlier bravado had vanished. Her tearful eyes begged the woman, her muffled apologies barely audible.
But it was too late. That pitiful, manipulative gaze might work on men, but to the woman, it was simply irritating. She glared at Dahlia with pure disdain, kicked her to the ground, and spat, “Who do you think you’re disgusting? Look at me like that again, and I’ll gouge your eyes out.”
Terrified, Dahlia clamped her eyes shut. The woman sneered at Dahlia’s cowardice and spat at her. “Pathetic!”
She stepped back, signaling two others to trap Dahlia with a toilet. Her hands were tied, her legs useless. Trapped in a cramped, filthy corner, she couldn’t move the toilet aside. She could only huddle there miserably, engulfed by the stench. Every breath was filled with the scent of despair.
That night, Dahlia had no clue how she endured. Whenever they woke up, they carelessly spilled on her. The stench of old urine grew stronger. In this torturous environment, every second felt like an eternity.
—
At the hospital, Evelyn returned from the police station, holding her mother Josephine’s hand, keeping vigil by her bed. Dahlia hadn’t been convicted yet, and Evelyn was worried she might come after her mom again.
Utterly exhausted, she finally fell asleep, resting her head on Josephine’s bed. She’d barely dozed off when the door creaked open. The sound was soft, but Evelyn woke
instantly, like a startled bird,
darting to the door, full ofyes
apprehension.
up
On the other side of the room, Adam stirred awake too, grabbing a baseball bat
that was within reach.
“Evelyn, it’s me.”
Brooks quickly announced himself.
“Brooks? Why are you back?”
Hearing Brooks’ voice, Evelyn and Adam both relaxed. Adam put down the bat and turned on the lamp.
Brooks’ tired yet handsome face came into view. He looked at Evelyn’s worn-out appearance and couldn’t help but move forward, pulling her into a gentle hug. I’m sorry I got back so late.”
He’d been working hard to return quickly, which was why he missed the news about Josephine’s accident initially. As soon as he found out, he had his assistant book the earliest flight back to the capital.
After a long flight of over ten hours, Brooks didn’t waste a moment when he landed, rushing straight to the hospital.
Brooks’ hug was comforting. After a moment, he let her go, urging her to rest on the small bed beside them. “I’m here now, don’t worry. Get some rest.”
Evelyn’s anxious heart finally found peace with Brooks’ return.