03. The Nightmare That Came Again

Despite it not being her fault, Evelyn somehow felt guilty. Was it because she had taken him to the hospital too late? If Evelyn had sought help sooner, perhaps the man named Benedict wouldn't be so ill now.

"We may need to examine him further, so Mr. Benedict needs to receive treatment here," the doctor said again.

"Fine, but I hope the news of Mr. Benedict's accident doesn't get out. If it gets out, I'm going to sue the hospital. Do you know what will happen if you try to deal with the Easton family?" Adam replied as the doctor nodded firmly. The doctor wouldn't do anything rash like that, he knew who Benedict Easton was. And this family was no match for him.

"I understand, you don't have to worry. I and the hospital will keep it a secret," the doctor said. 

Adam turned his body to leave the doctor's room, and that made Evelyn panic. Unintentionally, Evelyn, who was about to run away, bumped into someone.

"Can you walk carefully? This is a hospital!" protested the person Evelyn accidentally bumped into. 

"I'm so sorry, I apologize," Evelyn replied. 

But then she became aware that her voice might have carried into the doctor's room. Sure enough, when she turned, Benedict's secretary was looking in her direction and seemed about to approach her.

Evelyn quickly ran away. She was afraid Adam would be angry because she had eavesdropped on their conversation. Judging from Adam's facial expression, the man indeed seemed displeased.

Evelyn swiftly left the hospital before Adam could chase her. Her appearance was so disheveled that everyone there was staring at her, making her the center of attention.

Not wanting to be caught by Adam, Evelyn immediately hailed a taxi. She didn't know where she would go, but at least she could leave the hospital.

"Where would you like to go?" asked the taxi driver. Evelyn, seeing Adam at the front of the hospital, became even more panicked.

"Please, just drive! I have to get out of here," Evelyn exclaimed, and with confusion, the taxi finally drove away.

Evelyn could finally breathe a sigh of relief, her body relaxing into the passenger seat.

"At last, I'm free from them. Why has so much happened to me today?" Evelyn complained. She lowered her gaze and suddenly realized that the money Adam had given her was still in her hand.

It was quite a lot of money, for her. She had initially intended to return it, but Evelyn thought this money might be useful for her now.

"I'll consider this my reward for saving him," Evelyn muttered, albeit with hesitation. However, she could manage a small smile; at least now she had a little hope to live on.

After 30 minutes of driving, Evelyn asked to be dropped off in a relatively quiet area. She didn't want to go to a crowded place; her appearance would stand out too much, and there was a chance her stepmother might find her.

No, Grace must not find her. Her nightmare would return, even though Evelyn had gone through such trouble to escape.

So, Evelyn looked for a somewhat hidden place to stay. She raised her head, looking at all the buildings in an alley. This seemed like a safe enough and hidden place for her to live.

With the money Adam had given her earlier, Evelyn managed to rent a small room. It would be enough for her alone.

And to continue her life, this place seemed more than sufficient.

Besides living there, Evelyn also managed to get a part-time job. A small job as a waitress at a restaurant near her new home.

Almost a week had passed, and Evelyn was quite content living like this.

At 11 PM, Evelyn returned from the restaurant. She was the last one to close up, then walked through the quiet streets. There was absolutely no one on the streets, perhaps because the area Evelyn lived in was indeed quite deserted.

Because her living place was in an alley, Evelyn had no choice but to pass through a very dark alley. For the past week, she had gotten used to it. However, for some reason today, she felt something was wrong.

Evelyn walked a bit faster, glancing back when she noticed a man walking behind her.

"Who is that man? Why is he following me? No, this might just be my imagination..." Evelyn muttered. She tried to think a little positively, although her fear was now growing.

The man was really following her! He even started to run a little, and without thinking, Evelyn also began running away from him.

"Miss, stop. You can't go anywhere," the man said, and that scared Evelyn even more. 

"Help! Help!" Evelyn shouted when she realized she was now in danger. But unfortunately, there was no one to hear her because she was surrounded by closed restaurants and shops, and of course, no one was inside.

"Who are you? Stop following me!" Evelyn shouted again at the man chasing her.

This was just like a week ago, the day she ran away from her wedding. Remembering that, Evelyn suddenly thought of her stepmother, Grace!

As she was about to reach her living place, she saw the silhouette of a woman standing by the road in front of her residence.

The woman, with a wide smile, waved her hand as if greeting her. That smile was so frightening it made Evelyn's body tremble. How could Grace have found her? Evelyn felt her escape had been in vain.

Everything she had done was futile. Evelyn just wanted to live. She just wanted to start a new, normal life. She didn't want to live overshadowed by her stepmother and the old man she was supposed to marry.

"Hello, Eve! Long time no see, but it was quite easy to find you, wasn't it?" Grace said with a mocking smile that made Evelyn clench her fists tightly.

Should Evelyn just die now? Would that be better for her to be free from Grace?