Escape

"Eve, what's wrong? Wake up!"

"Waah..."

Yvonne's cries and Dave's tears reached Eve's ears, but her eyelids felt heavy, taking considerable effort to open.

The two children sat on the bed, tears streaming down their faces.

"I...," she croaked, her throat dry, "I'm fine... don't cry..."

"You finally woke up."

Auntie Tess sighed with relief, helping Eve sit up and offering her some water.

"Bryan got drunk last night, lost control, and you're lucky nothing serious happened."

"Eve, did my dad hit you?"

Yvonne furrowed her little brow.

"No..."

"Then what happened?"

"I just accidentally fell asleep while taking a bath. Thankfully, your dad came in time and pulled me out of the water."

Things between the grownups should not cast shadows on a child's mind.

Yvonne believed her, "My dad is a doctor, the best person in the world."

"Yeah."

Seeing that she was okay, Auntie Tess took Yvonne to school.

Eve let Dave play with toys by her side, and her mind was determined.

She had to leave Bryan and take the two children with her.

He was too terrifying, a complete lunatic!

Over the next two days, Bryan did not come home.

Finally, Eve found an opportunity.

On the weekend, Auntie Tess had a fellow villager hospitalized, and she needed to visit her in the hospital.

As soon as Auntie Tess left, Eve took the chance to leave with the two children.

With a carrier for the little one and holding hands with the elder, she hastily hailed a taxi at the villa entrance.

"Eve, where are we going?" Yvonne asked.

Eve embraced Yvonne, saying, "We're going on a trip."

"To a faraway place?"

"Yes, very far."

"What about Dad? Is he coming with us?"

"No, he's busy."

Yvonne pouted, "He's always busy. I don't like him anymore."

The driver took them to the long-distance bus station, where Eve planned to buy tickets without the need for identification.

She intended to travel to a nearby city and then take a plane to a northern city, moving from place to place to avoid being found.

Before leaving, she visited the sanatorium where her mother remained unconscious.

She paid enough money, leaving future arrangements to be sorted out later.

In truth, she had long wanted to take the children away.

This time wasn't impulsive; it required considerable courage to take this step.

Arriving at the bus station, Eve was surprised to find it crowded and chaotic.

She held Yvonne's hand tightly, went to the ticket counter, and successfully purchased tickets.

However, just as she sighed in relief, Dave started crying.

Eve took out a bottle and asked a staff member for hot water, which turned out to be scalding.

Dave, hungry and agitated, demanded immediate attention.

Meanwhile, Yvonne needed to use the restroom.

Carrying her bag, Eve first took Yvonne to the restroom.

But Yvonne complained about the uncleanliness of the restroom and threw a tantrum outside.

"I want to go home! I don't want to travel; it's not fun at all!"

Despite Eve's attempts to console her, Yvonne's tantrum escalated.

Ignoring her for a moment, Eve sat on the side to prepare milk for Dave.

The little one finally stopped crying after getting her fill.

By this time, Yvonne had angrily run outside, causing Eve to hastily follow.

The bus station was packed, and in the blink of an eye, Yvonne was nowhere to be seen.

Fear gripped Eve's heart as she ran, desperately shouting Yvonne's name.

After running only a few steps, she felt intense chest pain, and her vision started to blur.

Stumbling, she sat down on the ground, clutching Dave.

Quickly retrieving some fast-acting heart pills from her bag, she swallowed a few without pausing to catch her breath.

In a panic, she dialed Bryan's number.

"Bryan... I can't find Yvonne... come quickly..."