Nicole grabbed Howe's phone to call for help. She was relieved that she could make an emergency call without unlocking his phone.

Her hands shaking, she gave their location to the police.

Their villa, situated by the riverbank and away from the city, felt isolated. The dispatcher tried to reassure Nicole, promising that the police would arrive in thirty minutes.

Beep... Howe's phone vibrated again.

Jarrod's name flashed on the screen.

Startled, Nicole dropped the phone.

She muttered to herself, "Evil! They're all evil!"

Bang! The pounding on the door intensified.

Exhausted and in pain, Nicole collapsed, her body shaking uncontrollably.

The constant banging was all she could hear.

Clutching a knife, Nicole crouched in a corner, tears clouding her vision, praying for the police to hurry.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang.

The door gave way under the force of two bodyguards.

They quickly rushed in and assisted Howe to his feet.

Howe screamed in agony. Once they removed the gag, he pointed at Nicole, shouting, "Catch that bitch! She had called the police. We need to clean up this mess and get out!"

Hearing this, Nicole summoned her last bit of energy and bolted toward the door, descending the stairs rapidly.

The bodyguards pursued her.

The front gate stood wide open.

As soon as the bodyguards unlocked the door in response to the alarm, they carelessly left it open.

This sparked a glimmer of hope in Nicole, who quickly darted toward the door.