Jacqueline was lifted by someone. After walking for a while, they threw her down hard.

She hit the metal floor with a force that sent pain shooting through her body. She broke into a cold sweat, feeling as if her bones were about to shatter.

Her mouth was gagged, so she couldn’t make a sound. Fear took over, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

Then, she heard someone walking toward her.

A zipper slid open, and the bag covering her head was yanked off.

Her hair was a mess, and her eyes filled with terror. She tried to speak, but all that came out were muffled sounds. She looked completely terrified.

The man said, “Our leader told me to yank that bag off your head. If you suffocate, we’ll have a hard time explaining it to Mr. Jacobson.”

Then, he flashed her a disgusting smirk and ran his eyes over her. “You’re quite pretty, but I can’t touch you right now. Otherwise, I’d definitely have some fun with you.”

Jacqueline’s face went pale, and her body trembled even harder.

The man walked away soon after.

She heard the sound of waves and turned toward a small window. Through it, she saw the endless stretch of ocean. That was when it hit her-she was on a ship.

The ship rocked violently, making her dizzy and nauseous. She had never been on a ship like this before, and the motion sickness was unbearable. Before she knew it, she was throwing up.

But no one came to clean it up. The putrid smell of vomit lingered in the cramped space, making her reek.

She couldn’t believe Stephen hated her this much. Even if he intended to bring her back, how could he throw her onto a ship like this? Did he really feel nothing for her anymore?

Jacqueline curled up in the corner, hugging her knees. The thoughts swirling in her mind only deepened her sorrow, and tears rolled down her face.

That night, the man opened the door and tossed something onto the floor. “Cover yourself. Don’t freeze to death.”

Then, he shut the door again.

Jacqueline crawled toward it. Under the

faint moonlight streaming in

Pne

through the tiny window, she finally that it was a blanket.

A thick layer of grime masked

wor it once was, and the hadn’t been washed in youve

stench was unbearable. It felt like it

Jacqueline gagged immediately.

She had already thrown up multiple times from motion sickness earlier that day.

She hadn’t eaten anything, and her stomach was filled only with acidic bile. Even as she gagged, there was nothing left to bring up.

The blanket was disgusting. Without a second thought, she shoved it away with her foot.

Back when she was still with the Jacobson family, life had been good. She had never suffered like this before.

Her biological mother had been a housemaid. Even when she was alive, Jacqueline had never endured such hardships.

She buried her face in her knees and sobbed, but the crashing waves drowned out the sound.

Winter was already bitterly cold. Now that she was out in the middle of the ocean, the nighttime cold was unbearable.

Her body shook violently, her lips turning purple as if her blood had frozen in her veins.

She wanted to survive. So in the end, she could only pick up the filthy blanket and wrap it around herself.

…

Anne’s bone marrow transplant was a success, and there were no signs of rejection. Now that her life was no longer in danger, Tessa could finally focus on other things without worry.

IMS

For the past few days, she had been tied up with case files and court hearings. After hearing that Zachary had gone so far as to attempt suicide, she no longer felt safe staying at Marina Apartment.

Stephen had bought her a new villa just four or five miles from the firm. It wasn’t far, and the commute would be easy for her.

On Saturday, she hired a housekeeper to help her pack and called a moving company.