The door panel hit the floor with a deafening crash. Heavy footsteps approached.

I immediately realized I couldn't afford to waste another second. Cheering myself on in my head, I clenched my jaw and began moving sideways.

My fingers burned with pain. The distance was barely seven feet, yet by the time I crossed it, my whole body was drenched in sweat.

Finally, at the exact moment Kevin opened the window to look outside, I flipped over and into the stairwell.

In the pitch-dark corridor, my strength gave out. I collapsed onto the floor and gasped for air. My eyes glistened with relief.

Comments came flooding in.

[Is Bea actually this bold? Did she really get away? What about the male lead?]

[No rush. Bea is a delicate woman. This was just a lucky escape. The male lead will still come save her later!]

I sneered at the dumb comments.

They kept calling me Bea, yet every word favored that so-called male lead. They didn't care whether I lived or died at all.

They were obsessed with that man down to their bones.

Once my breathing steadied a little, I took advantage of the fact that Andy was still searching the apartment. I headed downstairs with light, quick movements.

When I reached the first floor and saw the security door, my heart sank.

That jerk had locked it in advance. He trapped me inside the building!

The annoying comments slid across my vision again.

[Bea, stop running. Be good and find a place to wait for the male lead to save you.]

[Why does a girl need to be so strong? Isn't it better to be pampered by a man? As long as you can have kids, you'll live happily ever after.]

[The male lead is a future investment tycoon. He won't treat you badly!]

I held back my rage. With my parents' massive inheritance and their connections, even a beggar could become an investment tycoon.

A criminal social climber like Kevin didn't deserve to be called a male lead. These commenters' values were so twisted that they were beyond saving.

Every window from the first to the fifth floor was fitted with thick security bars. There was no way to escape by jumping out.

If Andy couldn't find me, he would definitely come out to search. How was I supposed to get away?

I forced myself not to look at the dumb comments and focused on thinking of an escape.

Then, my eyes lit up. The answer was obvious.

Since Andy had already searched my apartment, he would never expect me to sneak back there.

The moment the thought formed, I acted. Carefully, I headed back upstairs.

In the darkness, I held my breath and watched every step, terrified of running straight into Andy. When I reached the fifteenth floor, I heard anxious footsteps above me.

My heart skipped a beat. I took a gamble that Andy would head straight down and wouldn't linger in the corridor outside the apartments.

I hid behind the stairwell door and held my breath.

Snap!

The lights suddenly flickered on.

I listened as heavy footsteps came down from upstairs. A dark silhouette stopped in the stairwell.

Then it moved, step by step, toward the corridor. Watching that silhouette draw closer, despair flooded me. My body shook uncontrollably.

Was I really about to be caught?

The thin door panel was shoved open hard. Andy glanced at the empty corridor, then turned around and continued searching downstairs.

Right above the door panel, I was hanging in a full split and suspended high in the air. I was so nervous that my lips were pale, and my limbs trembled nonstop.

When I saw that he hadn't looked up, I finally let out a sigh and slowly lowered myself down.

Inside, I was endlessly grateful. Thank goodness I loved rock climbing and still had decent stamina. Otherwise, there was no way I would've made it this far.

I waited until the motion-sensor lights in the stairwell finally went out, then hurried upstairs as quietly as I could.

When I reached my apartment, I saw that the front door was completely destroyed. I immediately slipped into the bedroom, locked the door, and hid inside the closet.

Curled up in that cramped space, I finally felt a sliver of safety.

I retrieved my phone and hurriedly dialed 911, only to realize there was no signal at all.

My heart sank.

At that moment, regret flooded me. Why had I moved into a brand-new building so quickly? There were barely any neighbors. Even if I wanted help, there was no one to ask.

Just as I was thinking about what to do next, the disgusting comments appeared again.

[Great! Bea actually used her phone. She has no idea it was implanted with a tracking program long ago. Calling the police will trigger it immediately!]

[Now, Bea can't escape. She'll just have to wait for the male lead to swoop in and save her. A breathtaking romance is about to begin!]

My heart jolted. I almost threw the phone away, but I stopped myself.

I still needed the comments to get information. I couldn't let them realize that I could see them.

I pretended nothing was wrong, climbed out of the closet, quickly changed into athletic clothes, and deliberately acted flustered. I then left the phone behind in the wardrobe.

I heard footsteps again.

I scanned the bedroom, grabbed the heavy oil lamp by the bed, and carefully hid behind the door.

The heavy footsteps stopped outside. Andy's hoarse voice rang out.

"Stop hiding, Beatrice! I know you're in there. If you come out now, you'll suffer a lot less."

I stood silently behind the door. I was waiting to build strength for a single strike.

Thump.

Andy began slamming against the door in a rage. His resentful words drifted into my ears one after another.

"Women should just get married, have kids, and serve men. You gold-digging women who talk about staying single and childfree are a plague on society! I'm doing the people a favor. I'll teach you how to be a virtuous wife and mother."

Listening to those nauseating words, the coldness in my eyes intensified.

Cracks quickly spread across the flimsy door, about to give way under Andy's hammer.

I quietly slid the latch open.

When Andy slammed into the door again, he lunged forward as it flew open and stumbled toward the floor.

I seized the moment and swung the oil lamp hard at the back of his head.

Joy had just begun to rise in my chest when I saw Andy twist his body mid-fall. He raised his hammer and blocked the fatal blow.

He bared his yellowed teeth in a leering grin.

"Beatrice, just lie obediently under me already!"

As he lunged at me viciously, my heart skipped a beat.

The next second, I lifted my leg and kicked him brutally between the legs. I then turned around and ran.

"Arghh! You wretch! I'll kill you!" Andy screamed in agony.

Bent over, he glared at me and swung the hammer at me with all his strength.

I staggered and fell to the ground. There was a sharp pain in my left shoulder.

It was broken.

I was in pain, but I didn't dare waste even a second. I scrambled back to my feet and bolted out.

The comments went wild.

[Bea, stop struggling! You can't beat this man. Just give in and let the male lead pull you into his arms.]

[He's waiting for you on the thirteenth floor. As long as you knock, he'll open the door. Bea, stop wasting time.]

When I saw the comments, my eyelids twitched. I made up my mind that I wouldn't go to the thirteenth floor, even if I was dying.

Enduring the pain, I half-crawled, half-stumbled to the elevator. I smashed the button like my life depended on it.

"Where do you think you're running to, you wretch?"

Andy's furious roar echoed behind me. I swallowed nervously.

Watching the numbers still climbing, I knew there wasn't enough time. I could only turn and bolt for the stairwell.

I slammed the heavy door shut, twisted it tight, and sprinted downstairs.

As I ran, my mind raced. This entire unit was locked down by Andy. My only chance was escaping through another unit.

That meant I had to shake him off.

My mind had never been clearer. I caught sight of a pile of flattened cardboard boxes stacked beside the stairs, and a plan instantly took shape.

I took a deep breath. This was it!

Before Andy could catch up, I ran back to the elevator and frantically mashed the open button. My eyes were locked on the descending numbers.

Finally, just before Andy reached me, the elevator doors slid open.

I yanked off my jacket and tossed it inside. I reached out and pressed the button for the first floor, then pulled away just as the doors closed.

I quickly checked myself, pulled off my hair tie, and dropped it in front of the elevator. After that, I dove into the pile of discarded cardboard before curling myself up tightly.

Only a few seconds after I hid, urgent footsteps approached. Through the narrow gaps, I could vaguely see a dark silhouette approaching.

I held my breath. My entire body went stiff. I could even hear my heart pounding violently in my chest.

The silhouette seemed to pause in front of the cardboard boxes.

My heart was pounding as I silently prayed.

'Please don't find me.'

Finally, Andy reached the elevator. When he saw the floor it had stopped on, he let out a disdainful chuckle.

He turned around, ran back toward the stairwell, and sprinted past the cardboard pile and charged downstairs.

Only when his footsteps had completely disappeared did my body finally relax.

There was no time to waste.

Dragging my weak, shaking body, I made my way to the corridor connecting the two units, but the door was locked.

Clenching my jaw, I smashed the window and carefully climbed through.

Once inside Unit Two, I raced for the first floor.

But despair hit me again. The main entrance was locked as well. Thick chains hung there as if they were mocking me for being naive.

I clenched my jaw and ran up to the sixth floor. I planned to use my climbing skills to jump down from there.

Just as I reached the sixth floor, an apartment door opened. A young man dressed in flashy clothes stepped out with a bag of trash, about to head downstairs.

He looked like a lifeline.

I grabbed his arm. My voice broke into a sob before I could stop myself.

"Someone's trying to kill me! Please let me hide in your apartment."

The young man jumped in shock. Seeing how battered I looked, he didn't even bother with the trash anymore. He hurried me inside and said cheerfully, "Don't be scared. I'll call the police right now."

He retrieved his phone, but then frowned.

"Why is there no signal?"

Exhausted, I sank onto the couch. "That man brought a signal jammer so I couldn't call for help."

The young man muttered angrily, "That's messed up! Don't worry. I've got an aluminum alloy door. He won't be able to break in. Stay here until morning. I'll go with you to report it to the police."

I forced a grateful smile.

"Thank you. By the way, may I ask where the bathroom is?" I asked.