142. BUSHES

KATERINA

One minute, I was walking and the next minute, I was swept off my feet in bridal style and rushed towards Vincent's car.

Vincent shoved me into the backseat of the car with an urgency I had never seen in him before. He barely managed to close the door before snapping at his driver, “Go. Now!” The car jolted forward, and I grabbed the seat, my pulse pounding as the city lights blurred past.

I could feel Vincent’s tension radiating beside me, his hand gripping the edge of the seat. “Vincent, what’s going on?” I asked, trying to make sense of his panic, but he didn’t answer immediately. He kept glancing over his shoulder, out the rear window, and it was then that I realized with panic that there was a car coming after us.

"Vincent!" I said again, louder this time. He finally looked at me, and there was something in his expression that made my stomach drop.

“It’s her,” he said quietly, his voice tight. “My mother’s following us.”

I didn’t understand at first. Why would Da’ana b