Chapter 181
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Quinton wasn’t cursing at Irvin or his crew for failing to stop him from jumping off that cliff. Instead , he cursed ine out , blaming me for everything.
According to him, I was nothing but trouble. If I wanted to die , fine–but how dare I drag Irvin down with me?
Hearing his rage made me shrink deeper into my hiding place, holding my breath. If Quinton blamed me that much , thinking I was already dead, he’d lose it completely he found out I was alive while Irvin had jumped. He’d probably kill me himself.
Luckily, Quinton was more worried about Irvin right now. Without another word, he rushed back to the helicopter to look for him.
Only after the mountaintop fell silent did I finally dare to move, slowly stretching my stiff , curled–up body.
Then , carefully, I started making my way down the mountain.
As the sun sank below the horizon, the temperature plummeted. The icy wind whipped against my face , sharp as a blade.
The down jacket I had slashed earlier to fake my fall was now shedding feathers with every gust of wind, drifting through the air with a soft, eerie rustling.
Before long, the thin layer of warmth on my back was completely gone. The surrounding conditions were brutal, but all I felt was relief because I survived.
From the mountaintop, I had spotted the outline of high–rise buildings in the distance. If there were buildings, there had to be a city with people, warmth, and safety.
So the moment I made it down the mountain, I headed in that direction. But the saying was true. What had seemed close had turned out to be impossibly far.
I walked for what felt like forever. And yet, the world around me remained pitch–black. No city lights, no signs of life, and no hope.
At some point, snowflakes began drifting down from the sky. Before I knew it, the snowfall had gotten heavier, covering everything around me.
The already difficult mountain path became even more treacherous. The wet, slippery ground nearly sent me tumbling more than once.
I kept walking. I had no idea how long I had been at it. Until finally, my body gave out.
I collapsed onto the ground, completely drained, unable to take another step.
I desperately wanted to make it out of this mountain. But I just couldn’t move anymore.
I knew I couldn’t stop. It was in the freezing depths of winter, and I was in the middle of this remote, desolate mountain, with nothing but darkness around me. If I collapsed now, it would be impossible for me to get back up.
I had fought so hard to survive and endured so much just to make it this far. Yet, no matter how much I willed myself to stand, my body refused to move.
My body was frozen stiff, yet somehow, I felt warm. The cold barely touched me anymore.
I lifted my head, staring at the snow drifting from the sky.
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I couldn’t move , and I couldn’t feel pain . I couldn’t feel anything at all .
Oddly enough, it didn’t even feel that bad. If anything, there was something almost peaceful about it. Maybe even a little beautiful.
A faint smirk tugged at my lips. Drifting off like this, never waking up, had to be better than slitting my own throat. At least, I hadn’t run for nothing.
Just as my vision blurred and the darkness started pulling me under, a light appeared in the distance.
It was moving fast toward me.
Somewhere in the haze, I could barely make out voices. Someone was calling my name.
I wasn’t sure if I was hallucinating, like some tragic storybook character seeing visions before the end, or maybe it was real.
Either way, the next second, everything went black. If I had a chance to do life over, I’d make sure I never met Irvin And if I survived this, no matter what it took, I was getting out of this marriage for good.
Meeting Irvin was the worst thing that ever happened to me.
The snow kept falling, heavier and heavier, until it buried me completely.
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