Chapter 4
Rowena looked calm on the surface but felt doubtful deep down. Would her family and Jordan pick her? In the next second, she saw the apology in their eyes.
Philip was the first to break the silence. “Jasmine is weak and cowardly, Ro. We’ll save her first. Give us some time—we’ll immediately come back for you once she’s out of here!”
No one objected to his words. In fact, they avoided making eye contact with Rowena as they helped Jasmine undo the ropes that bound her.
Rowena’s heart sank, and tears of despair filled her eyes. She couldn’t help it. Why had she held out hope for them despite knowing the outcome?
She watched as her family and Jordan freed Jasmine and ran out with her in their arms. All that was left for Rowena was their backs.
Once outside the factory, Jasmine threw herself into Jordan’s arms and burst into tears. She held onto Philip and Melinda, refusing to let them go. “I’m so scared, guys. Am I still alive? I didn’t die?”
They hurriedly comforted her and dried her tears. None of them remembered Rowena was still tied to the bomb.
The seconds ticked, counting down to Rowena’s death. She had no choice but to force herself to calm down so she could save herself.
She struggled with all her might, sustaining countless injuries as she did everything she could to finally break free of the ropes. There were only ten seconds left until the bomb detonated. She didn’t look back as she ran the fastest she ever had.
The bomb exploded, and the blast got her. It knocked her unconscious.
Rowena was in immense pain when she opened her eyes again. To her utter despair, she’d been locked up. She was locked in the room the Shore family reserved for downtime!
She’d just experienced an abduction. Why had they locked her up instead of taking her to the hospital?
Terror washed over her as the darkness of the room mingled with her memories of the detention room in prison. During her three years in prison, physical abuse and punishments weren’t all she’d experienced. She’d also been on the receiving end of endless insults and assaults.
Dirty rats and insects had climbed over every inch of her skin and nibbled at her flesh. Bucket after bucket of cold water had been poured on her, keeping her awake as she suffered. There had always been new methods to torment her.
“Don’t hit me… Don’t hit me…” Rowena pleaded. She curled into a ball, unable to tell what was reality and what was part of her memory.
The three years behind bars had made her claustrophobic. She couldn’t handle being locked in here! She pounded on the door repeatedly, screaming until her throat was hoarse, “Let me out! Why have you locked me in here?”
Just then, Jordan’s voice came from the other side of the door. “Stop shouting, Ro. You’re not coming out until it’s been three days. We thought you’d learned your lesson and become better after being in prison, but the abductor came clean and told us you orchestrated the whole thing!
“Do you know that Jasmine is still burning up with a fever from the scare you gave her? We’re going easy on you by locking you in there—your punishment won’t be this simple if you continue like this!”
Rowena felt like she’d been struck by lightning. Jasmine was the one who’d planned this—how had she ended up being at fault?
She leaned against the door and cried, “I didn’t do anything! I have claustrophobia—let me out of here!”
Jordan’s expression darkened. “You never had claustrophobia in the past. Why would you suddenly have it now? Stop making excuses!”
“When in jail, I—” She wanted to explain, but Jasmine’s voice interrupted her.
“Mom, Dad, maybe you guys should let Ro out. I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it.”
Melinda held her hand and sighed. “You’re just too kind.”
Roland said nastily, “It’s just a detention of sorts. How can you let her out after what she’s done to you? This is the punishment she deserves!”
Jordan stopped Jasmine from heading to the attic and told her to leave. “You need to rest, Jasmine. I’ll buy you an expensive necklace to make up for the fright you experienced, okay?”
The rest of the Shores agreed. “Chanel’s just launched a new bag…”
Their footsteps faded, and despair washed over Rowena. She pounded on the door again. “Let me out!”
She lost her voice from all the shouting, and her body wouldn’t stop trembling. She grabbed everything around her to try to make her way out. Her hands were bloody from trying to break the door down, but it remained firmly shut. In the end, she passed out due to fatigue.
When she woke up, the smell of disinfectant wafted into her nostrils. Her phone had been placed beside her, and it was ringing.
Rowena propped herself up with difficulty and checked it to see that Francis was calling her. She hurriedly answered it.
“I’ve bought your plane ticket, Ro. Did you receive a message confirming it?” he asked.
She checked her messages and was delighted when she saw one that had a link with her boarding pass attached. “Yes, I have. We’re leaving in seven days, right? I’ll be there. Thanks for the plane ticket.”
The door was pushed open as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Jordan ran to her and held her hand, his voice cold as he asked, “What plane ticket?”
