Beyond the Divorce

The storm hit suddenly and forcefully. Just as we crossed the outskirts of the city, the rain poured down torrentially. I had expected rain, but I didn't think it would be this intense.

"Damn, this is too much!" Lauren cautiously maneuvered the car, craning her neck to see the road ahead. But visibility was severely limited, and the windshield wipers swished back and forth futilely, rendered useless by the relentless rain.

"Maybe we should find a safe spot to pull over and wait. This kind of rain usually doesn't last too long," I suggested to Lauren while peering outside. I couldn't figure out why my eyelids kept twitching incessantly, adding to my already agitated state.

"There's a risk of landslides. Besides, who knows how long this rain will last? Look at how overcast the sky is. It's getting worse. I'm afraid the rain will get heavier the longer we wait. If there's a landslide, things will get even more dangerous," Lauren said, involuntarily glancing at the slope on our right. "We should keep going. It should be safer once we get through this mountainous stretch."

I started feeling concerned. This stretch of road was prone to landslides. There were no other cars on the road.

Lauren focused intently on driving, and neither of us spoke.

My phone rang suddenly, and I pulled it out of my pocket. It was Atlas, who was worried about me.

He quickly asked, "Where are you now? Is the road still okay?"

"We're on the road, driving very slowly. We can't stop. But don't worry. We should be near Northum Bridge soon." I gave Atlas our specific location.

The road continued with the mountain on our right and a steep slope to our left. We were approaching the location where the kidnappers had brought Ava.

The road would get better

loud bang echoed, and the car jolted forward abruptly. My phone slipped from my hand, accompanied by a gasp from both me and

forward. I struggled to make sense of the situation, instinctively glancing at the rear,

phone I had dropped, but his words were indistinct. Before I

to the left

the

steadied myself, turning back

dark mass beside us Rainwater cascaded down the car

going on? Ah..."

shouted, suddenly afraid. This impact wasn't accidental.

clear. They wanted to force our car off the steep slope

clutched the steering

our left were scraping against the car, The clattering sound sent shivers down

our car was close to

coming