Second Chance: Marrying into Wealth Chapter 127

I didn't have time to think. I yanked the door open, ready to bolt.

But the drugs were still in my system, slowing me down just enough for Lawrence to grab my hair and yank me back, slamming me hard onto the floor.

The impact left me in agony, unable to get up right away.

My phone flew out of my hand. I bit my tongue, trying to stay conscious, and reached for it.

The next moment, Lawrence stomped on my hand, picked up the phone, and sneered.

"You think you can escape? Lawrence, punish this bitch properly," Clara used her last bit of strength to mock me, urging Lawrence to deal with me.

Lawrence shot Clara a cold glare. "Shut up, or I'll send you straight to hell!"

Clearly, he had no patience for Clara, who was of no use to him anymore.

Clara shivered in fear.

Lawrence turned his attention back to me, swiping through my phone with a chilling look in his eyes. He grabbed my hair again, forcing me to face the phone.

"Let go of me! What are you doing?" I instinctively tried to turn my head away.

Lawrence smirked, forcing me to look at the phone. "Unlock it! Unless you want to die."

I knew this wasn't the time to be stubborn. Reluctantly, I unlocked the phone.

Lawrence quickly swiped through it, then smiled triumphantly. "God must be on my side. If you'd come a bit later, you would have seen the news of my disappearance. But now, you're still in my hands. Impressive, though. You almost fooled me, waking up so quickly from the drugs."

I felt a wave of regret. Because Clara kept calling, I had set my phone to silent and forgot to change it back, missing my chance to escape.

"Stella, what are you doing? The police will be here soon. Lawrence can't escape. Don't you see the situation? Are you still going to follow him?" I called out to Stella, who was standing there in a daze.

Stella snapped out of it and grabbed Lawrence's arm. "Mr. Phillips, we need to go now! The police will be here any minute."

Lawrence glared at me. "I didn't expect you to be so clever, Melinda. But your hope is in vain."

He shoved Stella away. "Idiot, if you want to leave, go. I haven't finished with these two bitches."

Stella's face turned pale. "You... you're not coming with me? You promised! You said if I helped you escape, you'd take me abroad. I can't escape alone. I've risked my job, my future, my brother's future. You have to come with me!"

She grew more agitated with each word.

I couldn't help but stir the pot. "Lawrence has probably sweet-talked countless girls. Clara and I were no different. What makes you think you're special?"

Stella's face twisted with disbelief, her body trembling. "No, that's not true. Mr. Phillips, tell her you're not lying to me."

"Get lost! Don't waste my time. Can't you see the reality? You're useless now. I told you to leave, but you came back. Now you've heard everything. Stop being stupid."

Lawrence clearly had no intention of escaping, seeing Stella as a waste of time.

Stella couldn't accept it. "No, it's not like this. I want to go abroad. I want a future. This is all wrong..."

I saw Stella's distress and called out, "Stella, Stella..."

But she seemed deaf to my voice, muttering to herself, "It's not like this. You lied to me. How could you lie to me? It's all wrong..."

She looked like she was losing her mind.

I hadn't expected Stella to break down so easily. But then again, she was fresh out of college, unprepared for such a harsh reality. It was like her world had crumbled.

Lawrence smirked, picking up a knife and slowly approaching me. "Crazy or not, now I can focus on torturing you."

He slashed my arm, then my leg. Each cut was shallow, avoiding vital areas, meant to cause pain without killing me.

"Melinda, you deserve this. You and your father looked down on me. Now you're nothing. Too bad your father is dead. He'd be in agony seeing you like this, maybe even beg me for mercy."

He was like a madman, driven by my father's disdain for him. Each stab seemed to be his way of proving something.

Christopher was right. I used to be very sensitive to pain, reacting more than others even to a needle prick. Now, my face was pale, my body growing colder from the blood loss.

Clara was silent. I turned to see she had fainted.

Despair filled me. Was I going to die here today? I felt so unwilling, so regretful. But there was no going back.

My breathing grew weak, my body colder.

Suddenly, a loud crash. Lawrence froze, then staggered and fell, his eyes wide open.

Stella stood there, eyes red, holding a shattered vase. "You lied to me. You promised to take me abroad. Take me abroad now!"

No one expected Stella, in her madness, to grab a vase and smash it over Lawrence's head.

I took the chance to run. Lawrence, dazed from the blow, saw me running and tried to follow.

I heard his footsteps behind me, stumbling in fear. The drugs and my injuries slowed me down. The elevator was taking forever.

"Come on, elevator, come on..." I muttered, panicking, my mind growing foggier with each step.