"Ouch!" Amara cried out, stumbling against him, her face contorted in what looked like real pain.


    The man frowned, wondering if he should just carry her back.


    Suddenly, Amara raised the arm that had been clutching her stomach. In her hand was a fistful of dirt, which she flung directly into the man''s face.


    He roared in pain, his eyes instantly blinded. As he reflexively let go of her to w at his face, Amara seized her chance.


    She grabbed the thick branch from the ground and jabbed it at his face with all her might.


    She was aiming for his eyes, but in the growing darkness, she couldn''t be sure if she''d hit her mark. A bloodcurdling scream tore from the man''s throat as he doubled over in agony. In that instant, Amara bolted.


    She sprinted out of the alley and found herself at a crossroads. One path led back to the factory-a dead end, a trap.


    The second option was the road, which stretched out in both directions. But that seemed just as risky. She was on foot, and he likely had a car.


    The road was wide open, with nowhere to hide. Even if she managed to run for miles, once he recovered and got in his car, he would catch her in minutes.


    That left only one choice: the forest directly in front of her.


    It was a dark, foreboding expanse of towering trees and muddy paths. She had no idea what kind of animals-or people might be lurking inside, or if she would even make it out alive.


    But she was out of options. Gritting her teeth, Amara plunged into the woods.


    She didn''t dare look back, terrified that even a second''s hesitation would give him the time he needed to catch up.


    She ran like her life depended on it, taking every right turn she came across, choosing winding, overgrown paths over clear ones, seeking the cover of the dense foliage.


    She ran until her lungs burned and her legs felt like lead, until the sky was so dark that the only light came from the slivers of moon filtering through the canopy above. Finally, she copsed against a massive tree, gasping for air.


    Leaning against the trunk, she strained her ears, listening.


    Apart from the sound of her own ragged breathing, the forest was deathly silent.


    There were no footsteps, which meant the man hadn''t followed her. A small


    measure of relief washed over her.


    But that relief was short-lived. She was alone in the middle of a dark forest, with no idea what dangers –wild animals, escaped convicts might be hidden in the shadows, waiting to strike. Amew


    wave of fear gripped her.


    Amara closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. She pulled out her phone to call Elysia.


    But when she looked at the screen, her heart sank. It was ck. The battery was dead.


    In that moment, a massive of despair and hopelessness fell over her, trapping herpletely.


    She sank to the ground, hugging her knees, as an endless, suffocating darkness closed in from all sides, threatening to swallow her whole.


    Back at the Everly estate, thevish birthday party was finally winding down. Emma, wrapped in a fur coat, stood at the entrance, bidding


    farewell to her guests with


    perfectlyposed smile.


    As she was chatting with one of the society wives, a security guard in a ck suit approached her and whispered in her ear, "Ma''am, we have a problem. She escaped."