The nurses behind me whispered about my desolation, their voices dripping with judgment.
“I heard she was a mistress who got pregnant by someone else’s child and was cruelly abandoned.”
“How pitiful. First, she had a miscarriage, then she nearly died from heavy bleeding. When they brought her in, she was completely soaked and vulnerable.”
“That’s right. Even the card from her lover was suspended. She has no money for her hospital bills. She deserves it.”
I tuned out their harsh words, my heart heavy, and quickened my pace to catch a taxi to the airport. Just as I reached the intersection, a van screeched to a halt in front of me.
A man covered in tattoos climbed out, his demeanor menacing. “Is this Miss Ingrid?”
I instinctively shook my head, alert and frightened. But before I could back away, he grabbed me roughly, pulling me into the van.
Panic surged as I felt ropes tighten around my wrists and ankles, and a mask obscured my vision. Terror washed over me, but amidst the fear, a single thought persisted: Asher would come to save me.