A jolt of disbelief and hope surged through me as the nurse's words sliced through the tension in the waiting room. "Sir, she is awake." Her voice, tinged with a hint of joy, reached my ears, sending my heart into a frenzied dance of relief and urgency."What?" The word escaped my lips in a breathless mix of shock and elation, my entire being focused on this moment of reckoning. "Please, show me the way," I implored the nurse, a surge of energy propelling me forward as she led the way through the corridors of the hospital. My legs became so long as I walked several distances in seconds.Arriving at the designated room, anticipation coiled tightly within me as the nurse swung open the door, granting me entrance to a scene I had longed for with every fiber of my being. Charlotte lay there, her eyes open and aware, a beacon of consciousness in the sea of uncertainty that had engulfed us."Charlotte, Charlotte!" I called out her name, a fervent prayer, and a declaration of love intertwine
Peering through the airplane window, I observed the two women seated ahead of me engaged in idle chatter, oblivious to my growing anxiety. Their conversation seemed so serious, a stark contrast to the turmoil churning within me. As my gaze drifted beyond the cabin, the sight of police officers swarming the airport with serious looks sent a shiver down my spine. They moved with all seriousness, their eyes scanning the crowd, searching for someone they believed to be a fugitive in hiding."It looks like they're at it again," one of the women remarked, her voice tinged with curiosity and concern. "I heard they caught someone earlier, but maybe it was the wrong person?"Her companion leaned closer to the window, squinting at the scene unfolding outside. "It must be serious for them to double-check like this. I just hope it doesn't delay our flight."I pressed my forehead against the cool glass, feeling a bead of sweat trail down my temple. "Let this plane move," I whispered under my breat
I awoke with a start, feeling groggy and disoriented. The room was dimly lit, the only light coming from the soft glow of the monitors by my bedside. I blinked a few times, trying to shake off the heaviness that clung to my eyelids. A gnawing suspicion began to form in my mind as I remembered the insistent thrum of anxiety from the day before. "I think they slipped sleeping drugs into my IV or wqs I injected I can't really remember," I muttered to myself, rubbing at the spot where the needle had been inserted. It would explain the lost hours and the profound depth of my sleep. I had been so adamant about staying awake, fearing what might happen if I closed my eyes even for a moment.Memories of the preceding events came crashing back to me, and with them, a spike of worry for Alex. Had he managed to elude the police? There had been no word from him, and the silence was deafening.Gingerly, I reached out with a trembling hand and retrieved my phone from the small cabinet next to the h
Fear was etched into my every word as I confided in them, my voice quivering with the strain of the unknown. "I'm scared, Sonia. I can't get a hold of Alex; his phone just keeps ringing without an answer. It's like he's vanished."Sonia, her own concern mirrored in her furrowed brow, sought to understand the root of my fear. "Are you scared because of Charlotte? If Alex gets caught," she inquired, probing gently.My response was immediate, laced with defiance. "Scared of Charlotte? Never. It's the thought of prison that terrifies me, not her," I declared, the name 'Charlotte' coming out like venom.The room fell into a heavy silence until my mom, her voice tinged with the fear only a parent can know, voiced the question that loomed over us. "But what if Alex couldn't find a way to escape? And he gets caught or can't seem to leave the country?" she asked, her hands wringing together in her lap."That's exactly the problem, Mom. That's what's gnawing at me; I can't reach him," I replied
I was resting on the hospital bed when the TV continued droning on with the evening news and my phone buzzed. A text message glowed on the screen: "Hi Allison, it's me, Alex." My heart skipped a beat. Alex. The name alone was enough to trigger a cascade of thoughts. If he was reaching out, it meant he had either managed to flee the country or, worse, he was still here. The latter thought sent a shiver down my spine. If Alex hadn't escaped after his risky endeavor with Rob Glow and the police were to catch him, I would be in deep trouble too. The idea of being behind bars for being the mastermind of his plans was unbearable. I could be forced into doing something desperate to escape that fate.I quickly typed a response, my fingers trembling slightly as I held onto hope that he was messaging me from a safe distance, far from the long arm of the law."Hello Alex, Is that you? Where are you right now?" I paused, my mind racing, before continuing, "I have been looking for you for ages. Wh
The taxi's headlights sliced through the night, casting long shadows on the streets as we made our way to the Park Hyatt Sydney Hotel. I was lost in thought, contemplating the fresh start awaiting me in this new city, when the impulse to reach out to Allison struck me. Maybe it was the need for a familiar voice or maybe just the nerves of a new beginning, but I found my fingers tapping out a message on my phone's glowing screen."How are you doing now?" I typed, hoping for a light conversation to ease my thoughts.I watched the city lights blur past as the taxi driver drove along the streets, the hum of the engine a steady background to my anxious wait for a reply. Moments ticked by, each one stretching longer than the last, until my phone finally buzzed with a response.I opened the message, and Allison's words sent a jolt through me: "I haven't been feeling well; even when I gave you that job to do, I was in the hospital. I got into a domestic accident."My heart sank. The message c
A voice from the TV was in the midst of delivering the grave news, detailing allegations against me that were as shocking as they were untrue. "Authorities are currently in search of this individual," the news anchor's voice boomed, "believed to be involved in recent terrorist activities."Panic seized me, and in the midst of the chaos of my racing thoughts, I caught the receptionist's eye. She had made the connection, her gaze darting between the image on the screen and my face, now stripped of its disguise. There was a flicker of recognition, then a dawning horror look that mirrored my own shock.I could feel the blood drain from my face as I instinctively reached up to shield my face. It was too late, though; the receptionist's eyes had already widened in recognition, her gaze locking onto mine with paralyzing intensity. As I stumbled forward, hoping to somehow diffuse the situation, her reaction was instantaneous and immediate."Help! Help me!" She cried out, her voice piercing th
"I swear, I'll do it!" I roared once more, my eyes ablaze with fear and determination as I tightened my grip on the receptionist's neck as if my life depended on it, and indeed, my life depends on it. She writhed and shrieked in my grasp, her struggles futile against my iron hold. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to maintain control, to keep her as my shield in this dangerous game of survival.As we inched closer to the entrance of the Park Hyatt Sydney hotel, my mind raced with the urgency of the situation. Releasing the receptionist was not an option; it would spell certain doom at the hands of the waiting security guards, who I could see in their eyes couldn't wait to catch me and end my life. The thought of being captured sent a chill down my spine—a fate I could not afford to entertain."I can't let her go," I muttered under my breath,the moment pressing down on me as I forcefully guided her along, her cries a haunting soundtrack to my desperate flight and escape from the h