Fitch''s grip tightened around her feet, his gaze sweeping past her.


    Zoey pursed her lips, her eyes reddening slightly. "Let''s cut the crap. If you really cared about me, you''d ask what I want. I''m asking for an apple, and you''re shoving a pear down my throat, then getting mad at me for not being grateful. How does that make sense?"


    Fitch lowered hisshes, his fingertips gently massaging her feet. "There''s no negotiating going back to Greenfield."


    Zoey instantly mmed up. This man was impossible to talk to.


    There was no going back to Greenfield today. After finishing a bottle of medicine, she clutched her stomach. "I''m craving oatmeal, can you go grab some for me downstairs?"


    Fitch lifted his hand, tucking her hair behind her ear, and stood up to get it.


    The moment he left, Zoey immediately opened the door and told the bodyguard outside she needed to use the restroom. The bodyguard, being a man, couldn''t follow her inside, so he waited outside. Zoey eyed therge window in the restroom, dragged a table over, climbed onto it, and then climbed out. Drenched in sweat from the effort, she avoided the elevator and took the stairs instead.


    When she reached the bottom, she ran into her colleague, Gemma. Gemma''s eyes shed with disgust upon seeing her. Zoey had snagged a position Gemma had been eyeing, causing her days of frustration Seeing Fitch always at the school with Nn, it was clear he deeply cared for his son.


    If she could be Nn''s teacher and consequently get close to Fitch, her future would be set. But Zoey had ruined everything. So, running into Zoey now, she screamed out of reflex, ready to pick a fight. But Zoey didn''t even nce at her, instead hurrying outside in a panic. Gemma stood there, trembling with anger. Was she just ignored?


    "Zoey! What''s your deal?! You skipped kindergarten today and now you show up at the hospital. Don''t tell me you''ve been entertaining clients!"


    Her voice echoed loudly, attracting the attention of everyone in the lobby. Hearing this, Zoey ran even faster.


    She made it to the hospital''s back door and hailed a taxi. "Driver, please head to Pinewood."


    Curitis March and Miranda had


    mentioned this vige, saying it was where she grew up, sent there for her protection. She couldn''t stay in Zion City any longer, unsure how long Fitch would keep pursuing her. It was time to hide out in the countryside.


    She had visited Pinewood once two years ago but barely remembered it. However, its remote location made it an ideal hiding spot. In her desperation, she couldn''t think of


    any other solution. For now, running


    was her only option.


    After the taxi, she took an unregistered car. Arriving in Pinewood by 8 p.m., she checked into an inn that didn''t require ID. Seeing the narrow streets bustling with vendors gave her a surreal feeling.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    She had turned off her phone, nning to hide out here for a couple of weeks before returning. Fitch was probably just a passing fancy, she thought. He''d forget about her the moment a new woman caught his


    eye.


    But back in Zion City, everything was


    in chaos. Fitch''s car was on its way to Pinewood, with several executives in tow. The executives had already called the local authorities and tracked Zoey to her inn using surveince.


    Unaware, Zoey slept soundly, not realizing she was like a moth caught in a web, with no escape.