Chapter 32
Giselle let out a heart–wrenching scream, but the car had already plunged. Even the best driving skills were useless now. With a loud splash, the heavy vehicle crashed into the water, sending waves into the air.
The violent impact made Giselle’s vision spin uncontrollably, her heart felt like it was about to explode, and her mind went blank.
As the water started to fill the car and it began to sink, she quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and attempted to open the door. However, the water rushed in too quickly, and the immense pressure from outside made it impossible to move the door.
She swiftly understood the sheer horror of her predicament. This was a body of water akin to a reservoir, with depths that seemed unfathomable. At night, it was completely dark, with no signs of people, vehicles, or even shadows on the road.
The hit–and–run car that had forced her into the water had vanished. This was undoubtedly an intentional act of murder.
In this dire situation, calling for help was pointless. If she didn’t act quickly to save herself, time would run out, and both she and the car would sink to the bottom of the lake at an alarming rate.
When the car was eventually recovered a few days later, her body inside would be bloated, foul–smelling, and beyond recognition. The authorities would likely need to use her DNA to conduct a paternity test with Tony to confirm her identity.
This thought sent a shiver from her scalp to her feet, causing her to tremble uncontrollably. However, she couldn’t afford to linger on it. She had to begin her self- rescue efforts immediately, racing against time.
Thankfully, her passion for extreme sports had sharpened her mental toughness. She quickly composed herself.
Unable to find a safety hammer in the car, she crawled to the back seat and began searching through the trunk. There, she spotted the mountain bike Zachary had given her last time, which was disassembled and stored inside. Among the parts, she found a wrench.
Grabbing the wrench, she started striking the four comers of the rear window. Water kept rushing in, already flooding the back seat, and the car was more than halfway submerged.
Panic was inevitable in such a scenario. Her body trembled like a sieve, yet her hands relentlessly pounded the window.
As she shattered the window with the wrench, she repeated silently to herself, “I must survive! I absolutely must live! Don’t die! I can’t die!”
There was still so much left to accomplish in her life. She hadn’t yet taken back what was hers from Renee, hadn’t experienced true love, and hadn’t made arrangements for her family’s dog.
Thinking of her grandparents and mother, she prayed quietly for their spirits in heaven to shield her. The heavens couldn’t be so cruel. It couldn’t have taken her three dearest family members and now attempt to end her life too.
Finally, summoning every bit of her strength, she broke through the window just before the car was completely submerged. The lake water rushed in like a breached dam.
Holding her breath and driven by a strong instinct to survive, she deftly slipped through the broken window.
Despite the glass cutting her hands, she ignored the pain and swam desperately toward the surface. When her lungs felt like they were about to explode, she finally broke through the water, gasping for air. Inhaling deeply, she started making her way to the shore.
Luckily, it was sumuner, so the night water was cool but not
capable of swimming hundreds of miles on a single breath.
freezing. Her extensive experience swimming in rivers, lakes, and seas gave her an advantage. She was
In just five minutes, she made it to the shore, using the branches hanging over the slope to hoist herself up. Exhausted and drenched, she finally collapsed onto the road, breathing heavily. Her heart pounded in her chest, and the immense rellef of being alive brought tears to her eyes.
The fear she had just faced seemed like an unreal nightmare. She remained there for quite some time, yet no cars appeared. The remote highway was evidently
abandoned.
With her phone lost in the submerged car, she had no means to reach out to anyone.
