Chapter 31: Hiding
Martina didn’t know where she should go. She felt like she truly had no place to call
home.
The driver looked at Martina wearing a mask, her eyes red, and asked her
enthusiastically where she came from and where she was going.
He was probably worried that Martina might do something reckless due to her state of
mind, so he deliberately asked.
Martina forced herself to remain composed and lied, “I’m sorry. I’m a bit tired and would like to rest for a while. I originally came here for sightseeing but found out that the
hotel I booked was a scam. Now I have nowhere to go.”
“So, she continued, “could you please help me find a hotel? Money is not a problem, I
can pay you. Just as long as it’s safe.”
The driver was truly a compassionate individual, and his inherent kindness made it
impossible for him to turn down Martina’s modest plea.
“No problem. Coincidentally, there’s a homestay near my house. It’s not expensive, and
it’s very safe. The owner has three sons who are responsible for the security of the
homestay!” the driver said. “If you trust me, I’ll take you there!”
Martina agreed, but she asked in advance, “But I forgot to bring my ID. Can I still stay
without it?”
The driver was really compassionate, saying, “Well, it’s no problem. We can just use
mine for now.”
The driver explained, “You look miserable, and you appear to be around the same age
as my daughter. That’s why I want to help you.’
Finally, a somewhat sincere smile appeared on Martina’s face. “I appreciate your
kindness, sir.”
With the guidance of the driver, Martina stayed at a homestay called “Tranquil Haven.”
She carried a handbag in her hand, containing only a set of clean clothes and various
miscellaneous documents, and… her last memento.
Since the room was booked under the driver’s ID, Martina didn’t plan to change places
for now. The homestay was USD20 per night only.
She had already withdrawn some of her secret savings as cash and kept it in her bag.
She took out her phone and hesitated for a moment before turning it on. It was 1 am.
Before Martina could catch her breath, she saw a series of messages from Elena, one
after another, and even several missed calls!
She checked and thankfully, there were no phone calls from Benjamin.
–
Otherwise, she might have still trembled in her heart. Even though she knew she was temporarily safe, sometimes reflexive thoughts couldn’t be avoided.
Martina lay on the bed in the homestay. Although the homestay wasn’t very large, it
was clean.
At this moment, she couldn’t afford to be picky. As long as she could keep her whereabouts hidden as much as possible, it was enough.
Martina looked at the messages from Elena.
“Martina! What are you planning? Are you really planning to run away?!”
“But you know very well that no one can escape from Benjamin’s grasp. Come back, or if it’s really impossible, hide in my house!”
“Martina, I’m really worried about you. Can you please turn on your phone?”
These messages came in an hour later.
“Forget it, as long as my best friend can be happy, nothing else matters!”
“I’ll stay in Carlsbad these two days, distracting Benjamin’s attention for you. You have to take care of yourself, but at least send me a message to let me know you’re safe!”
Martina’s eyes instantly turned red, and her nose felt sour.
What truly made one feel sad wasn’t the mistreatment from others or the fatal grievances. Instead, it was a caring word from someone they valued the most that could
make their emotions crumble.
Martina didn’t know how much time had passed before she finally managed to
compose herself.
Then she replied to Elena’s message, “I’m fine, you don’t have to worry about me.”
“But for these few days, I can’t contact you anymore. Otherwise, it will surely bring you
trouble. If we push Benjamin too far, he’s capable of doing anything.”
“For safety, I have to temporarily disappear completely. But don’t worry, even during these days without contact, I will take good care of myself. I hope that the next time we
meet, I will appear in the appearance you like the most.”
Elena’s message came almost instantly.
“You really scared me. Fortunately, you’re fine. But I understand your thoughts!”
“Don’t worry, my best friend. I will make sure to handle him transparently and delay as much time as possible for you!”
The smile on Martina’s lips deepened.
“Elena, thank you.”
During these two days, Martina spent most of her time in the homestay, occasion!
going out to familiarize herself with the nearby routes.
If it really came to the point where Benjamin found her, not to mention how he found
out, at least she could still escape.
What made Martina feel happy the most was that from the window of her homestay on this floor, she could see the distant sea. It seemed to be constantly reminding her that she longed for freedom.
From this angle, she could have a panoramic view of the sea’s scenery. With the
continuous crashing of the waves, it resembled Martina’s current state of mind, unable to
calm down for a long time.
For safety reasons, Martina had already blocked all of Benjamin’s contact information,
but she didn’t deliberately change her phone number. Instead, she kept her phone in airplane
mode. Fortunately, her current phone still met the basic requirements for public use.
Even with airplane mode on, she could still connect to wireless networks and have
some basic internet access. However, Martina didn’t contact anyone. Instead, she searched
for information on the internet, such as places that were better for hiding and what her
future plans should be.
Hiding was inevitable for now, but she couldn’t possibly hide forever.
Certainly, there must be a way to improve the situation, otherwise, Martina’s life would
be aimless, no different from being trapped in that cage.
At this moment, Benjamin also suppressed his inner dissatisfaction and gave Martina
her final freedom.
In his view, regardless of whether Martina was willing or not, he would bring her back
after two days.
Perhaps this would require a firmer stance from him. But there was no other way. Martina no longer listened to any of his explanations and had instead immersed herself in
her own world.
Without some special means, he would never be able to bring her back.
The two days had passed, and Martina had no intention of coming back, nor did she
actively contact Benjamin.
Benjamin had also prepared himself to bring Martina back.
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