The Other Man
SUMMERINE WAITED UNTIL she heard her husband driving away before jumping out of bed. This act alone had her swaying and feeling woozy, but Summerine forced herself to push through with her plans.
Leaving one's husband while still recovering from the flu was obviously not the wisest thing to do, but neither could she imagine herself staying a second longer. She just couldn't bear the idea of having to share him. And so the sooner she was out of his life, the better.
(You can get yourself killed for this, you know.)
I know.
But you also know if I don't leave, this marriage will kill me—-
(Aren't you being dramatic?)
—-one betrayal at a time.
So either help me or go away.
Summerine no longer heard back from her Inner Troll after that, and she supposed that was her answer right there.
She switched her phone off before using one of the secret doors to get all the way to the back of the house, and...
Oh.
Okay.
Wow.
Escaping her gilded prison of mirrors turned out to be a lot easier than she imagined. All fourteen of her bodyguards were nowhere to be found as Summerine made her escape. The perimeter walls were a good ten feet in height, but thankfully, she knew how her husband's mind worked by now, and so she slowly ran her hands over the rough surface, one concrete block at a time until... aha!
Something vibrated under her hand as a hidden panel revealed itself. A scan of her fingerprints was all it took to unlock yet another secret door, and just like that, she was out of her husband's home...and on her way to freedom.
(So why have you started to cry?)
Something got in my eye, okay.
It's not too late to turn back.
It was too late the moment he called another woman his darling.
Summerine was too busy crying and mentally arguing with Inner Troll that she had already walked over a mile by the time she realized someone was following her.
Oh God.
Prayers had always been more of an idea she was only familiar with, having grown up with a set of parents who believed in playing it "safe" by offering to every god in every religion.
But even as a child, Summerine had always thought there was something wrong with her parents' examples. And in her heart of hearts, she always had this secret conviction that there was only one God—-
And You're there.
Right?
Because I have no one else to turn to.
So, please.
Please be there.
Summerine could barely hear her thoughts over the pounding of her heart. The best and worst thing about Evergreen, Texas was how spaced apart all of the ranches were. It was a place where one could enjoy privacy in ample ways...or feel helpless because of its isolated location.
Like now.
Their closest neighbor was miles away, and the farther she got away from Kagami , the darker and scarier everything seemed to be. The only shortcut she knew was through the cornfields, but since she had also watched her fair share of horror movies—-
Oh God, please help me.
Summerine heard something - someone? - scurry , but because she also seemed to have the worst night to make her escape, there wasn't even the thinnest sliver of moonlight to help her see. Even with her eyes having adjusted to the near-complete darkness, it was still impossible to make out anything.
Sticking to the highway was the quickest way to find someone to hitch a ride with. But it also left her exposed if someone was following her.
And meant her harm.
I know you're there, God.
But I also know it's not just you.
Summerine had always had this suspicion that Ryu's "darling" also operated on the wrong side of the law.
For all she knew, that woman might even be why Ryu had started a life of crime in the first place...and the reason Summerine couldn't shake off the feeling she was being stalked right this very moment.
Please, God.
Help me.
Please.
She broke into a run as soon as she finished praying.
Losing herself in the cornfields was her only chance of surviving.
And so she ran and ran and ran.
Save me, God.
Please.
Save me.
Because she could hear it now.
Footsteps running alongside her.
And the taunting sound made her bite back a sob.
Because didn't that mean the stalker could've attacked her long ago?
God, please.
The stalker was obviously having fun playing with her.
But she also knew that could only last for so long, and—- NO!
Summerine felt herself start to fall as something furry but unseen darted through her legs, and her stomach turned in fear at the sound of someone laughing in the dark.
A man.
Her stalker was a man.
And she could feel him coming closer and closer.
THUD!
Summerine let out a scream as a black SUV came out of nowhere, and the next thing she knew, a pair of powerful headlights showed a man's body literally flying in the air before landing on the ground in a bone-snapping sound.
Oh God.
She only managed to turn away before strong hands were already gripping her shoulders and forcibly turning her around.
NO, NO, NO!
Summerine struggled wildly, thrashing, kicking, and screaming—-
"It's me," a familiar voice gritted out. "You're safe now, it's me."
Her head jerked up, and a sob crawled out of her throat as her eyes collided with her husband's taut dark gaze.
"R-Ryu?"
He cupped her face, and his hands were icy cold against her skin.
"Are you alright?" Ryu demanded.
"I...I...How—-"
It was the last thing she managed to mumble before everything went black.