Faded love 22

Chapter 22 

I ran barefoot into the backyard, splashing across wet grass. 

Rain stung my face like needles. 

By the back gate, a silver-gray sedan waited in the dark. 

Yuanzi rolled the window down, eyes wide with fear and tears. 

“Get in!” 

I dove into the car. The door shut; my whole body shook. 

“Is he asleep?” I asked. 

She shook her head. “I don’t know.” 

“We have to go,” I said, teeth clenched. “If we don’t leave tonight, we won’t get another chance.” 

She nodded. 

The engine turned over. 

Wipers carved white arcs through the rain. 

A chill spread through me. 

Too smooth. 

We had barely cleared the villa district when a pair of headlights flared in the rearview 

mirror- 

two wolf eyes closing in. 

“Go!” I shouted. 

Yuanzi slammed the accelerator. 

The tires hit a puddle and threw up a sheet of water. 

“Is it him?” I asked. 

“Yes.” 

I bit down hard enough to taste blood. 

The rain thickened; the road narrowed. 

The car behind us drew closer and closer. 

Its lights flashed-wild, blinding. 

My heart pounded hard enough to split. 

“He’s insane!” Yuanzi cried. “He’s going to ram us!” 

“Don’t stop!” I yelled. 

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She wrenched the wheel; the car skidded, grazing the guardrail along the mountain 

road. 

Through the fog and rain, a scream of brakes- 

he was still with us. 

I looked back. 

The black car’s window slid halfway down, 

and the lights threw his face into a cold white mask. 

One hand on the wheel; something glinted in the other- 

the silver pendant. 

His lips moved. 

I couldn’t hear the words, 

but I knew them: Come back. 

“We can’t shake him!” Yuanzi cried. 

Ahead lay the end of the mountain road. 

Beyond that-cliff. 

“Stop!” I shouted. 

“What?” 

“Stop-now!” 

The car lurched to a halt. 

I flung the door open and stumbled into the rain. 

The mud almost sent me sprawling. 

The black car stopped too. 

He stepped out. 

Wind tore at his coat; his hair was soaked. 

“Enough!” I shouted, “What do you want?” 

He came toward me, step by steady step. 

“You think I want this?” 

“Then why won’t you let me go?” I cried. 

“Because I can’t let myself go!” 

The rain roared so loudly I could barely hear my own sobs. 

He reached out his hand. 

“Wendy. Come back.” 

Chapter 22 

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I shook my head. 

“I’d rather jump than go back to you.” 

He paused. 

Rain blew between us like ten thousand needles. 

“Then jump,” he said softly, eyes terrifyingly calm. 

I stared at him. 

He was truly mad- 

mad enough to make love a prison. 

I backed up to the edge; emptiness yawned behind me. 

Below, only black. 

“Wendy!” Yuanzi ran toward me. “Don’t!” 

“Go back, Yuanzi,” I said, my voice shaking. 

“He’s already ruined me once. I won’t let him do it again.” 

Rory’s voice came ragged through the storm. 

“I never meant to ruin you. 

I only wanted you to see me falling, too.” 

He lunged forward, reaching for me. 

I took one step back. My foot slipped. 

The world tilted. 

Wind roared in my ears; rain shattered into needles- 

and I heard him yell: “Wendy!” 

Then-black. 

When I woke, it was to blinding white. 

The smell of antiseptic. 

Outside, the rain had stopped. 

I blinked hard and saw Yuanzi at my bedside, her eyes swollen. 

“You’re awake.” 

I laughed as I cried. 

“Where is he?” 

She hesitated, then choked out, “He saved you. 

When the car went over, he caught you. But he-” 

Chapter 22 

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My throat closed. 

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