Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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As she looked around this dim, gloomy, and run–down neighborhood, Kayla’s mind flashed back to the terrifying memory of being dragged into an alley by gangsters. Her body began to tremble instinctively.
She thought of the rough feel of their dirty hands, the stench of their breath, the sickly yellow of their teeth. Memories of their groping fingers felt so vivid, sending a cold shiver through her.
Doubt crept into her heart. She hesitated, too afraid to move forward, and petrified of being trapped in that helpless. situation once more.
But after a moment of hesitation, Kayla pushed through her fear.
Since being reborn, she’d hired a professional boxing coach to teach her self–defense. Though it hadn’t been much time, she’d already made progress. She was no longer the helpless girl she used to be, and she had nothing to fear.
Kayla cheered herself on silently, as if that small act could make her bolder.
That day, she’d said harsh words to push Payton away, determined to keep him out of her life. She acted this way not just to avoid repeating her past errors, but also to stop Marianna from framing him once more.
But ever since the day in the infirmary, Payton had vanished. He hadn’t come to class once.
Kayla couldn’t help but wonder if her words had been too cruel, which dealt a heavy blow to his pride and hurt his self- esteem deeply. And this guilt had weighed on her heart ever since.
After all, hurting Payton had never been her intention. She’d only wanted to keep him from being dragged into her troubles, to stop him from ending up in the same miserable predicament as before. She’d only wanted to protect him.
But her extreme words seemed to have backfired.
After her boxing practice today, Kayla followed the clues she’d found and came to the South Side to check on Payton.
Before she could even locate his home, the conversation between two nearby women drifted to her ears. One said, “I feel so sorry for Payton’s family. Life has been hard enough for them, and now his mom has been in a car accident.
“Over the past few days, he’s been heading to the construction site with my husband to carry bricks, and it’s all just to cobble together 65,000 dollars for her hospital bills.
“Alas, when will that suffering end? Life is just too tough for him. 65,000 dollars… One only earns 50 to 60 dollars a day there. How long is it going to take him to save up that amount? Poor kid, he’s really suffering.”
Kayla frowned at their words and thought to herself, ‘Payton’s mom had a car accident? No wonder he hasn’t been to school these days.
A faint sense of relief washed over her. Thank goodness he’d skipped class, not because her harsh words had hurt him.
But that relief was quickly replaced by worry for Payton’s situation.
She mused, ‘A car accident? 65,000 dollars in medical bills? Moving bricks at a construction site? How long will it take him to earn that much? Even if he somehow manages to cobble the money together, will his mom have the time to hold on?”
Lost in her thoughts, Kayla had unknowingly walked to the door of Payton’s house, just as the address indicated.
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7:39 pm
Chapter 34
The door was shut tight. Peering through the window, she found the inside was pitch–black, as if no one was home. A tattered fan hung from the ceiling, swaying slightly, as if it might crash down at any moment.
Suddenly, a rush of messy, hurried footsteps came from behind.
Kayla reacted instinctively, ducking behind a nearby pillar. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a familiar figure walking toward her.
It was Payton!
His clothes were soaked through with sweat, droplets dripping down his cheeks and chin, leaving dark streaks on his dusty skin. His face was gaunt with exhaustion.
They had only gone a few days without seeing each other, yet Payton had lost a noticeable amount of weight, and there was an unnatural dark greenish–black hue around his eyes.
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