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.

The young man pointed out the direction for me.

I went into the bathroom, finished using the toilet, and was washing my hands with cold water when the comments appeared again.

[The male lead is so smart! He predicted Beatrice's moves and waited for her in this unit ahead of time.]

[Beatrice finally walked right into the trap. Hehe. The male lead even prepared a little locked room just for her! A thrilling, sweet, forced-romance arc is about to begin!]

I stared at the comments as a chill crept down my spine. I clenched my jaw so hard that my teeth rattled.

I replayed everything in my head and finally realized what felt off.

His face was caked in such heavy makeup that I couldn't see what he really looked like. He'd casually said he worked as a livestreamer, yet there wasn't a single piece of streaming equipment in the apartment.

Regret hit me hard. I'd been far too careless.

"Miss, are you done yet?"

At that moment, a voice tinged with suspicion came from outside the door. I looked at the shadow cast on the door panel. He was holding a long rope.

With danger pressing in, I suddenly turned on the shower at full blast and raised my voice.

"I want to take a shower. It'll take a while."

It sounded like he was chuckling. "Take your time."

When the shadow disappeared from the door panel, I wiped away my tears and frantically thought about how to escape.

My gaze landed on the shower curtain. The roar of the running water covered the noise I made.

I struggled to tear the curtain into long strips and tied them together, then tugged hard to test their strength.

After tying the makeshift rope to a water pipe, I didn't hesitate. I climbed out the window and slid down along the curtain.

It wasn't long enough. It only reached the third floor.

Hanging in midair, I clenched my jaw, stared down at the dark lawn below, let go, and jumped.

I landed on the soft grass, rolled several times, and finally slammed into a bench by the street before stopping.

My entire body burned with pain. Holding back sobs, I forced myself up and limped away.

[Why is Bea so stubborn? Wouldn't it be better to enjoy life obediently in the male lead's arms?]

[It's fine. Once she reaches the guardhouse, she'll realize the security guard has already been bought off by the male lead. She won't be able to escape.]

The moment I saw those comments, I changed direction and ran straight toward the underground parking garage.

The empty garage filled me with despair. Those two jerks would definitely find me here.

There were still five hours until dawn. Where could I possibly hide until then?

Heavy footsteps echoed through the empty garage. Seeing only a handful of parked cars, I panicked and crawled underneath one of them.

I watched four legs draw closer. Filthy curses drifted to my ears.

"That wretch really knows how to run! Once we catch her, I'm going to have some real fun with her."

"Don't rush. Without marriage, what you're talking about is illegal. Once I marry her, you can do whatever you want."

That gentle voice carried a bone-chilling coldness. I trembled with fear.

"The wretch injured her shoulder and leg. She can't have gone far. Let's search carefully."

Hidden beneath the car, I watched them begin a meticulous search. They even checked under the vehicles.

As they drew closer to the car I was hiding beneath, a sense of despair rose in my chest.

'Am I really going to be caught?'