He was reluctant to leave because he worried that if he left, Ariana would have to fight off the trafficker alone.

Ariana, unflinching in the face of danger, did her utmost to block the trafficker's path from the children, swerving away whenever he swung at her.

With a shriek, she urged Remy again, "I said take the children and go! Get help! You have better stamina than me and can take care of the two kids. I'll be fine. I have a plan."

Every second counted in this perilous situation, and Remy knew that.

So, he swallowed his objections, picked up the children, cast one last backward glance, and made his escape.

However, on the cusp of losing his captives, the trafficker was spurred to action, his eyes blazing in fury.

With a growl, he brutally shoved Ariana out of the way.

Ariana stumbled slightly, and he took the opportunity to thrust his knife into her shoulder.

Then, he kicked her aside before sprinting after Remy and the children.

Pain instantly seared through Ariana's shoulder, but she gritted her teeth and endured it, paying no heed to the warm blossom of blood seeping from the wound.

She whirled toward the trafficker, staunch in holding his attention and diverting him from reaching Remy and the children.

Her efforts weren't in vain as the trafficker spotted her intervening again and lost sight of the children.

He closed in on Ariana.

This prompted panic to rise in Ariana's chest, and she immediately turned tail and ran, the trafficker giving chase not far behind.

Ariana's heartbeat was loud in her ears, her feet pounding against the hard concrete as she ran for her life.

She ran for as long as she could, eventually finding refuge in an abandoned courtyard.

Her head was spinning, her vision blurred.

Her entire body felt as though it were about to give out at any second.

Exhausted and overwhelmed, she leaned against a derelict wall and slowly sank to the ground, gasping for breath.

With one hand clutching her wounded shoulder, she trembled all over, trepidation making her palms clammy, and she silently prayed she had escaped to safety.