A Chance for Self-Rescue

"Why are you stuffing food into me like force-feeding a duck? I'm already feeling too full," I said, looking weak and leaning helplessly against the chair. To be honest, my current weakness wasn't an act. Long-term medication and constant drowsiness had exhausted my body to the limit. I fully understood what it meant to feel weak and feeble, with no pretense at all. Just standing up made my heart race, while my lower abdomen felt utterly powerless.

Although I skipped three doses of medicine, I felt significantly more spirited, yet still experienced palpitations and extreme fatigue.

"Are you tired?" Sean asked, looking concerned.

I immediately nodded, pretending I couldn't hold my head up, slumping against the table, "I'm sleepy!"

Without hesitation, Sean lifted me up, "I'll take you back to your room."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling a pang of sorrow. I couldn't remember the last time I received such care from him. My heart warmed, and I couldn't help but blurt out, "Honey, when will I get better? I feel weaker and weaker. With all the medicine I've taken, I should be seeing results by now."

"Don't rush. You're already showing improvement. You can even come downstairs now!" he said meaningfully, looking at me.

My heart tightened; his response didn't sit well with me. Could it be that I wasn't even supposed to come downstairs? My suspicions were aroused again, so I said nothing more and leaned weakly against his chest.

As we exited the dining room, I caught a glimpse of Anna feeding the child and glancing at Sean, who was carrying me.

He carried me upstairs to the second floor, placing me gently on the bed. I was already pretending to be drowsy. He pulled the blanket over me but didn't leave, standing by my bedside, watching me. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel his gaze.

Oddly enough, his watchful stare sent chills down my spine; it lacked any sense of affection.

His gaze lasted for what felt like an eternity, then I heard him call my name, "Chloe!"

I didn't move or respond, pretending to be asleep.

The next moment, I felt him lean closer, his warm breath brushing my face. I didn't dare move a muscle.

My sixth sense told me that his actions were far from innocent.

The brief gaze felt like a century, completely shattering any remaining illusions I had about Sean.

I heard Anna's voice; she whispered, "Is she asleep?"

The breath on my face moved away, and I heard their footsteps leaving the room, followed by a chilling directive from Sean: "Keep an eye on her. Something's off these past few days."

I didn't catch anything they said next. It felt like falling into an abyss, a cold pool in the depths. Despite the blanket, I couldn't stop trembling.

I wasn't sure if it was fear or anger; a wave of emotion stuck in my throat, making me see stars. I wanted to scream, but I didn't dare. I couldn't predict what they might do if they discovered my true state.

My home, my children, everything over the past ten years… I bit down on the blanket, trying to stifle my sobs.

Memories of the past decade swirled in my mind, making it hard to breathe. I blacked out.

When I woke, my mind was unusually clear. I couldn't just lie here and wait to be slaughtered. I had to find out the truth. Why were they doing this to me? Cheating was one thing, but poisoning me was a clear intent to kill.

This was a death trap. I had to take drastic action to save myself.

I stared at the upper left corner of the room, thinking that since Sean had noticed my unusual state, he wouldn't leave the room unmonitored. I needed to disable that "eye" discreetly.

Incredibly, an opportunity soon presented itself.

In the evening, I heard Anna talking in the hallway, followed by Sean on the phone. It seemed he had come back early or never left.

His voice was loud enough for me to hear clearly—there was a power outage in the community.

Excitement surged through me—an opportunity from heaven! Just as I was about to get up, the doorknob clicked. I quickly lay back down, holding my breath.

In the dim light, I squinted and saw Sean check the room before stepping out again.

The door wasn't fully closed, allowing me to hear Anna's impatient complaints, "Why did the power go out? Dinner's not ready yet! What did the property management say? When will it be back on?"

"They're checking. If it's not fixed soon, we'll go out to eat!" Sean replied casually.

"Really?" Anna sounded excited. "But her medicine isn't ready yet!"

"We'll deal with it when we get back. She won't wake up anytime soon."

"Then I'll go change the child's clothes!" Anna's footsteps hurried away.

Soon, I heard the car engine start downstairs.

My heart sank to the bottom. Tears rolled down my face.

But I had no time for sorrow. I quickly got up, my heart pounding with excitement and nerves, feeling like it would burst out of my chest. My whole body was weak, my legs trembling.

I dragged a chair over with difficulty, stood on it, and saw the camera in the corner. I took it down, examining it, unsure how to render it useless while keeping it intact.

In a panic, I stepped down, rushed to the bathroom, filled the sink with water, and threw the camera in.

Then I hurried back to my bedside table, searching for my phone. It had been so long since I used it; I didn't know where it was. I needed to call Inara for help. I had to find out what they had been giving me.

Inara was my hometown friend, my classmate, and the only trusted confidant in this city.

But I searched every drawer, every crevice of the bedside table, every shelf... Exhausted, I couldn't find my phone.

My heart felt like it would explode, pounding relentlessly. I collapsed on the bed, gasping, tears streaming down my face, wet and itchy. I wiped them away, inwardly cursing: How did I end up like this?

I took a moment to catch my breath, took a deep breath, and forced myself to the door, carefully peeking outside. The whole building was eerily quiet, shrouded in darkness.