Chapter 4

Jason was taking my pill bottle and slamming it against the car window.

"Bang! Bang!"

"Watch my meteor hammer! Gonna kill the big monster!"

Each impact felt like it was striking my heart.

"Stop... please... stop..."

I begged weakly, my legs already unable to support my weight. I collapsed into the snow.

Ethan glanced at my pitiful state on the screen and laughed again.

"Hope, you look so ugly right now."

"Want your medication? Fine."

"Kneel down on video and apologize to Lauren and Jason. Say 'I was wrong, I shouldn't have been so petty,' and I'll consider stopping the car to wait for you."

I looked at that face that once captivated me, now only feeling utterly disgusted.

"Ethan... you'll regret this..."

"If I die... you won't survive either..."

If I died here, the Walker family would never let him off.

But Ethan burst out laughing, as if he'd heard the funniest joke.

"Die? You, Hope, with your tough life—you left home for three years and didn't starve to death. You think walking a few steps will kill you?"

"Stop playing pitiful. I'll count to three. If you don't kneel, Jason's throwing away these pills."

"Three."

"Two."

Jason grinned as he started to reach his hand out the window.

At that very moment.

"Crack!"

The fragile pill bottle shattered under Jason's forceful grip.

White pills scattered all over the car, then Jason swept them disgustedly onto the floor mat.

"Eww, gross!"

Jason shrieked, stomping on the floor mat several times.

The originally white pills instantly turned to powder, mixing into the dirty water.

Lauren let out a cry.

"Oh my, this child's so strong. Ethan, look, your car's getting dirty."

Ethan frowned, glanced at the powder on the floor, and said dismissively:

"It's fine. Just some cheap vitamins. We'll buy more later. The car can be washed."

In the video, he turned to look at me and shrugged.

"Hope, see that? That's what you get for dragging your feet."

"The pills are gone, so stop acting. If we don't see you at the service station up ahead, we're leaving."

My heart convulsed violently.

That was the feeling of life draining away.

The phone slipped from my frozen hands and fell into a snowdrift.

The world began to spin. Darkness consumed me from all sides.

I collapsed onto the frozen snow.

My cheek pressed against the ice, but I felt no cold because my body was colder than the snow itself.

On this New Year's Eve, like an abandoned dog, I was about to die on this deserted highway.

I suddenly thought of my family. Scenes flashed through my mind like a film reel.

In the last moment before losing consciousness, I saw several blinding headlights appear on the horizon in the distance.

Those were... luxury cars Ethan could never afford in his lifetime.