The Queen's Back

As the man met Mona's sparkling gaze, he felt his cheeks heat up involuntarily and replied, "Of course."

Mona smiled at him, patting her chest as if calming herself after a scare. "That's good. You four are decent people. Well...

Before she could finish, Mona suddenly clutched her stomach, her brows knitting together, and her complexion turning even paler. Not knowing what was wrong, the man realized she must be feeling unwell,

The person who hired them had specifically instructed that they must not harm Mona in any way. Even the slightest bump or bruise would be considered their fault. If anything were to happen to Mona's health, he would have no way to defend himself. "What's with you?"

Mona squeezed her legs together and said, "My stomach really hurts. Can you take me somewhere to relieve myself?" He looked around, but the place was empty, and there was nowhere nearby for her to go. It felt awkward. Suddenly, he remembered the grove outside the warehouse. It could serve as a place for Mona to relieve herself.

Perhaps Mona's harmless appearance gave the man the impression that she wouldn't try to escape, which made him feel more at ease.

He led her to the small grove outside the warehouse, allowing her to go on her own.

Since it was still raining outside, he took off his jacket for her to use as a shield against the rain.

"Go ahead, I'll keep an eye on you. Don't think about running away," he said, handing her his coat.

Before entering. Mor

Maybe it

"Yeah, I'll wait right here to protect the vulnerable, combined with the fact that he was being pulled along by such a beautiful woman, the man felt proud.

Mona anxiously tugged at his sleeve and said. It's really dark. I'm a little scared. Just stand close by. Okay?" it was instinct for him

Hurry up: king fearful, stepped into the grove.

he

Mona, clutching her stomach and looking

She turned back to look at the man several times, nodding at him.

As she walked forward, the rain soaked her, and she felt incredibly cold, but Mona was eager to escape. She found a large tree to crouch behind. Crouching down, Mona wasn't relieving herself. She was watching to see if the man was looking at her.

When

she noticed him lighting a cigarette, she quickly stood up and ran off into the distance.

Outside the warehouse, the trees were dense, the rain was pouring, and thunder rumbled. Cold raindrops struck Mona.

Her heart raced with fear as she ran with all her might.

The rain and thunder masked her footsteps, allowing her to escape unnoticed.

She quickened lier pace, running in the darkness, following the dashes of lightning. 95%%

About five minutes later as the rain intensified, the man called out to the grove, "Are you done? It's raining harder."

He was genuinely worried about Mona, who had been feeling unwell before. If she caught a cold from the rain, it would be disastrous.

When no one answered, the man shouted again but still got no response, Realizing something was off, he rushed in to check. The heavy rain poured down. There was no sign of Mona in the grove.

Not a single creature stirred. It was eerily quiet.

The man realized he had been tricked by Mona and angrily kicked a nearby tree, muttering a curse under his breath.

He quickly pulled out his

pulled out his phone to contact his accomplices, telling them she had escaped and to hurry back to look for her.

Not sure if it was just a bad day for the weather, but after Mona had run out for a while, the rain began to pour even harder. It felt like a summer downpour, even though winter was approaching. She was already struggling to run through the woods, dodging lightning. Now, she was soaked to the skin, and each step felt increasingly heavy as if her feet were weighed down.

At one point, she she stumbled over a rock, scraping her knees against the ground, causing her to wince in pain.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

But Mona couldn't t focus on

her own pain. Each time she fell, she quickly got back up and continued her flight through the night. Though the grove wasn't large, reaching the path seemed extraordinarily challenging.

Mona hoped for for a stroke of luck, wishing for a a kind

The moment

she

t she burst out of the grove, it felt like stranger to help her or that Maxwell had sent someone to find her. The rain streamed down her hair, and her eyelids felt ad exhausted all her strength, collapsing onto the ground,

impossibly heavy.

In the distance, she saw lights approaching, fearing it might be the two men who had gone to buy food. She didn't dare take the chance and hid behind a large tree.

As the vehicle drew closer, she peered forward. The windshield wipers flicked across, obscured by the downpour.

In that fleeting glance, she thought she recognized a familiar face. It was Maxwell!

Her eyelids grew heavier, and her body began to betray her. Realizing she couldn't hold on much longer, Mona shouted at the approaching vehicle, "Maxwell...

ΠΕΙ

Her voice was swallowed by the rain. She didn't know if the person in the car was really Maxwell or if she was hallucinating, but she truly hoped it was him. Then she slumped to the ground.

In her daze, she seemed to see a pair of black shoes rushing toward her, along with a voice calling, "Mona!"

Mona's world faded into darkness. In her confusion, she relived the moment Barbara pushed her off the rooftop in her past.

mile.

life.

Her body plummeted from the heights, the speed increasing, until she lost control, trembling violently as she approached the ground.

In her daze, she saw Maxwell standing on the rooftop of the hotel she had just been in, looking down at the bustling traffic

below. Then he jumped off the building without hesitation.

Mona screamed, "Don't!"

At the same time, she shouted, "Maxwell, don't!"

Maxwell, who was sitting beside her wiping her sweat, was startled by her cry. When he saw her open her eyes, he finally relaxed.

He placed the towel into a nearby basin and looked at Mona with concern. Gently stroking her hair, he said, "Mona, you're finally awake. I was