Chapter 2
652 Words
Sophie's POV:
After finding Ethan, I thought I would finally be able to get a full night's sleep.
I never expected to be awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of a door opening.
Grabbing my pepper spray, I quietly made my way into the living room.
A light was on in the study.
Peering through the c***k in the door, I saw Farrah rummaging through the room.
One by one, she pulled out everything that Ethan and I had shared and tossed it into a pile to be burned.
There were photographs of us growing up together.
There was a handmade hairpin Ethan had once given me.
Then she reached for a USB drive.
My heart skipped a beat.
That USB drive contained the project data Ethan and I had developed together before he disappeared, which would affect the future of both our companies.
After Ethan left, the drive had mysteriously vanished.
I had searched everywhere for it.
I never imagined it would be here.
I watched as Farrah struck a match and prepared to set everything ablaze.
No.
If that USB drive was destroyed, years of hard work would be lost.
I couldn't let that happen.
Without thinking, I lunged forward.
Farrah cried out as I knocked her to the ground and scrambled through the pile, desperately searching for the tiny drive.
Before I could find it, a powerful force shoved me backward.
I crashed hard onto the floor.
"Sophie, what are you doing?"
Ethan stormed into the study, his voice thunderous with anger.
Ignoring me completely, he immediately turned to help Farrah to her feet.
"Farrah, are you okay? Did she hurt you?"
Farrah looked terrified.
She buried herself against his chest as tears streamed down her face.
"Ethan, I'm fine. I was just so scared."
The sight clearly broke his heart.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and comforted her over and over again.
"Ethan," Farrah whispered pitifully, "can we go back to the repair shop? I'm scared here."
"Don't worry," Ethan said softly. "I'll make sure you get justice."
Then he turned and looked at me coldly.
I didn't care what they were saying.
My eyes were fixed on the USB drive.
At that moment, a hand suddenly snatched it from my grasp.
Ethan held it up between his fingers and let out a mocking laugh.
"It's just a pile of old junk. Was it really worth attacking Farrah over?"
Before I could react, he walked to the window.
Then he threw the USB drive out into the dense greenery below.
My mind went blank.
"Ethan!"
I screamed his name.
"Have you lost your mind? Do you have any idea how many people's hopes and efforts are tied to that drive?"
But he didn't even bother looking at me.
Without another word, I rushed downstairs and ran outside to search for it.
The shrubs were thick with thorns.
Branches scratched bloody lines across my cheeks.
Tiny insects crawled over my skin, leaving behind countless itchy red welts.
As I searched frantically through the darkness, I happened to glance toward the villa.
Through the kitchen window, I saw Ethan smiling as he watched Farrah cook.
The warm light illuminated their figures.
They looked like a perfectly happy couple.
I looked down at the dirt covering my hands, at my tangled hair, at the cuts and scratches covering my body.
Then I let out a bitter laugh.
Of course.
He wanted nothing more than to escape the life we once shared.
Why would he care about a project we had poured our hearts into before he lost his memory?
Eventually, my fingers closed around the USB drive.
Relief flooded through me.
But the moment I stood up, darkness swallowed my vision.
My legs gave way beneath me.
As consciousness faded, I thought I heard a familiar male voice calling my name again and again.
"Sophie..."
- Writer
