Billionaire's Regret: Losing Me And Our Son - Chapter 111: Chapter 111

"Is here okay?" The guy had me cornered, his rough hands brushing against my face.
Then, with a smug grin, he tugged at my clothes. "What's the rush?" I forced a sly smile, even though my stomach churned. "I'll do it myself."
I slipped off my jacket, moving slow, like I was savoring every second. Folding it neatly, I crouched to set it on the ground, buying time.
"What the hell? Hurry up! I don't have all night!" he snapped, lunging at me again.
That was my chance. My hand shot out, grabbing a brick off the ground. Without hesitating, I smashed it into the back of his head.
"You perverted piece of trash!" I hissed, putting every ounce of strength into it. He screamed, blood spilling instantly.
"How dare ... you ..." he stammered, shaking like a leaf, before collapsing face-first in front of me.
In the faint moonlight, I watched him collapse in front of me. My hands were shaking, but I forced myself to check if he was out cold. He was.
Swallowing the bile rising in my throat, I rifled through his pockets until I found a phone.
Just as I was about to call for help, distant voices broke the silence. "Damn it, she's not in the room. Where did that bitch go?"
"Find her, quick! If Forrest sobers up and we're empty-handed, we're screwed!"
"I think I heard something over there. Let's check it out!"
Before he even finished, someone started running straight toward me. The beam of a flashlight sliced through the dark, the footsteps getting louder. Crap. If I stayed here, I was toast.
I glanced around desperately, but the courtyard was unfamiliar—a maze of shadows and dead ends.
The voices grew louder. They were close. Too close. I didn't have time to think. I bolted, sticking to the shadows and hoping I'd stumble across a way out before they caught me.
I kept an eye on the figure in the distance, slowly backing away so they wouldn't spot me.
After a few nerve-wracking seconds, I slipped out of the thicket and onto the other side of the corridor.
"Shit! Jim is down, she knocked him out! She can't have gone far. Wake everyone up and start searching!" someone shouted. It seemed like they had found that man.
Another voice chimed in with a laugh. "Chill, Brock. Even if she gets out of the courtyard, what's she gonna do? Grow wings?"
"Shut your mouth and check the corridor!" Brock snapped.
Footsteps thundered toward me. The corridor was wide open. No cover, nowhere to hide. My eyes locked on the high wall ahead. No way out but up.
Lucky for me, the corridor roof had vines draped all over it. I grabbed hold of the sturdiest one I could find and started hauling myself up.
Just as I reached the top, a flashlight beam swept past. "Where the hell did she go?" a voice grumbled right below.
I pressed myself flat against the vine, barely daring to breathe. Once the man passed, I exhaled slowly, wiped the sweat from my face, and climbed over the wall.
The second my feet hit the ground, I took off running. The sound of waves crashing grew louder with every step.
After about twenty minutes, I broke through the trees and found myself staring at the ocean. So, I was right, this really is an island.
Their words came back to me. I couldn't help but grin. They were half right, I couldn't fly. But they forgot one little detail. I had Jim's phone.
I figured it was safe now, and the first thing I thought was to call for help.
The idea filled me with relief. I quickly pulled out the phone and dialed 911. But as soon as I hit the button, my heart sank. No signal.
I stared at the screen, completely thrown. How could there be no service? Why would those guys even bother carrying phones if they didn't work here?
I also remembered, when I was in the secret room, I had used Forrest's phone to call Ben. That had worked fine.
I thought it over and pieced it together. There had to be a signal booster in the small courtyard. The coverage must've been limited to that area. Now that I had fled so far, I was out of range.
The realization hit like a punch to the gut. My brief flicker of hope was snuffed out.
The night breeze cut through me like a knife. I had left my coat behind in my rush to escape, and now all I had was a thin undershirt. My teeth were chattering so hard I thought they might crack.
I found a big rock, crouched behind it, and wrapped my arms around myself, trying to block the wind. It didn't do much. The sea breeze kept coming, cold and unrelenting.
The sky kept getting darker, and I couldn't stop my thoughts from spiraling. Were there wild animals on this island?
What about Forrest's men? They would give up on the courtyard eventually and start expanding their search.
Everywhere felt dangerous, but I had no other choice. I had to stick it out here for the night. At some point, whether from exhaustion or the cold, I drifted off.
In my dreams, I was back in another time, another life. I was still young, standing there on the day I met Quinn.
He had saved me that day. I could still see it clearly—the way I stepped forward, trembling but determined, to call out his name.
Quinn looked so shocked. I couldn't help but smile and say, "Mr. Madden, don't forget my name, Natalia Hinton. In ten years, I'll marry you. You might not believe me now, but I'll make you fall in love with me. I already love you."
Then, everything shifted, like a dream changing scenes. Suddenly, we were grown up.
I woke up in his villa and wandered downstairs. There was Quinn, holding Benedict and feeding him with so much care.
"Why don't you sleep a little longer, honey?" he asked, turning to me with the softest smile. I had never seen him look so gentle.
I froze, staring. "Quinn... is it really you?" I asked, unsure if I was dreaming.
Then, something brushed against my face, snapping me back to reality. I opened my eyes. Morning light streamed down, and the wind carried grains of sand that tickled my skin.
I was still on the beach. It had all been just a dream, a beautiful, fleeting dream.
Sitting up, I felt like I had been hit by a truck. My head throbbed, my throat was dry as a bone, and my forehead burned when I touched it.
The cold night air had gotten to me, I had a fever now. I felt weak, like my body didn't even belong to me.
Out of desperation, I checked the phone again. Still no signal.
Hopelessness settled deep in my chest. Maybe it was the fever messing with me, but all I could think about was Quinn. His face, his voice, the way he looked at me in that dream.