Chapter 8
+26 BONUS
John carried Tammy back to the hospital room, coaxing her to sleep before quietly slipping out. The sight of him tiptoeing carefully made my heart ache. I followed him as he drove to a nearby shopping mall.
He headed straight into a dessert shop, standing in line at the entrance. That shop was quite famous; I had begged him to go with me several times. Each time, he had rejected me, calling me silly for wanting to wait so long just for a piece of cake. Yet, at that moment, he seemed all too willing.
When it was his turn, the shop assistant smiled and invited him to choose his order. John leaned over the counter, his expression unimaginably gentle.
“She’s allergic to mango and cherries, so she can’t have those.
“She doesn’t like chocolate; it’s too sweet.
“She’s had strawberries already today. What else do you recommend?”
My heart twisted painfully. I found myself smiling through my tears. He had never remembered my preferences. Whenever he bought me cake, it was always something I could not eat. It was not that he had a bad memory; it was that I did not deserve his attention.
Once outside, he hurried toward the parking lot, carefully holding the box. After he parked his car, he was so anxious that he did not even want to wait for the elevator, opting for the stairs.
Just as he turned a corner, he froze in place, his grip loosening, causing the cake box to tumble to the ground. The cake he had carefully protected was smashed to pieces. I followed his gaze in astonishment.
I saw Tammy’s panicked face in the dim light of the streetlamp. Next to her, with his arm draped around her shoulders, was the very kidnapper who had taken us.
John’s voice trembled slightly. “Tammy, why are you with him?”
The kidnapper turned to face John, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. Tammy anxiously nudged him.
“Go! Hurry!”
