Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Suddenly, there was a loud bang at the door. Alex's voice yelled, "Lisa! Are you in there? Lisa, answer me!" When I heard his voice, tears poured out of my eyes. The courage I'd been forcing myself to hold onto crumbled. I tried to make noise through the cloth over my mouth—"Mmm! Mmm!"—but my voice was too quiet. Alex didn't seem to hear me.

The man looked at Jenny, then covered my mouth even tighter. Jenny put her finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. The noise outside died down a little, and panic surged through me. If Alex left, I'd be doomed.

The man had one hand over my mouth and the other pinning down my arms. He was staring intently at the door. I took the chance—when he wasn't paying attention, I bit down hard on his hand and rammed my head into his face.

"Ah! You bitch—you dare bite me!" the man yelled, turning around and slapping me hard. My cheek burned with pain, and I tasted blood in my mouth. I twisted my body, trying to make noise. Outside, they must have heard the commotion—there was more loud banging on the door.

The man grabbed my hair, trying to hold me down. Jenny came over to help him. I used every last bit of strength to fight back. I heard shouting outside, then a loud crack as the door broke open. Alex rushed in, and his assistant followed—grabbing Jenny and holding her back. Alex pulled the man off me and started fighting him.

I huddled in the corner, trembling with fear. All I could think about was the man on top of me. I couldn't imagine what would have happened if Alex hadn't shown up. And for the first time, I realized just how crazy Jenny Yuan had become.

Security guards came in right after and dragged the man and Jenny away. Alex wrapped his arms around me and rushed me to the hospital. In the car, he held me tight, whispering apologies over and over again. I could feel him trembling.

"I'm sorry—I'm so sorry," he said, burying his face in my neck. I wanted to comfort him, but I was too weak. I just leaned into him as much as I could.

At the hospital, the doctor said I was fine but suggested I stay overnight for observation. "I never thought Jenny Yuan would do something this crazy," Alex said, sitting by my bed. He sounded like he was blaming himself. "It's my fault—I should have stopped her before she had a chance to hurt you."

"Let me quit my job," he begged. "Stay home and rest. I'll hire a nanny to take care of you."

"It's okay—I was careless too," I said, trying to comfort him. "I'm almost done with that design project. Once I finish it, I'll quit."

"You have no idea how scared I was," Alex said, taking my hand. "If anything had happened to you or the baby... I don't know what I would have done." This incident was a wake-up call for both of us. The pain in my cheek reminded me that Jenny Yuan needed to stay far away from our lives.