Chapter 5 +25 BONUS Chapter 5 That night , I couldn't even remember how I made it out of there . By the time I stumbled into the hospital , numb and hollow , the doctor's voice was already heavy with regret . " I'm sorry . Your dad's breathing stopped tonight . We've declared him dead . " The sting on my face didn't matter anymore . I threw myself onto my dad's still body and broke down . All I could think about was how my mistake of loving the wrong man had dragged him into this pain . " Dad , I'm sorry . I swear I'll make them pay for this , " I cried , choking on every word . After the funeral , I dialed a number I hadn't contacted in years . The next day , carrying nothing but a scar across my face , a small suitcase , and a few things that could destroy them , I boarded a plane . This wasn't goodbye forever . It was just temporary . Before takeoff , Gary called . " Zoey , where the hell are you ? Why aren't you home? " My voice was calm . " Didn't you see the divorce papers on the table? " He snapped angrily , " I saw them ! What are you trying to pull this time ? I'm warning you , this trick won't work on me . If you don't come back , don't blame me if I really leave you ! " I couldn't help but laugh bitterly . Even now , he was still arrogant as usual . " Sorry , but I was the one who walked away first . " I hung up , leaving his furious roar behind as I boarded . In Pereem , my friends ' eyes filled with tears the moment they saw the bruises I couldn't hide , as well as the scar that cut across my face . My senior , Charles Bailey , was livid - his eyes burned with rage . I had no parents left . My friends , and Charles most of all , were the only ones who ever truly cared about me . When I dropped out to marry Gary , my professor had tried countless times to talk me out of it . Charles even warned me in secret that if Gary ever wronged me , I had to tell him . However , I had been trapped in Gary's chaos for so long that I forgot about the people who had only ever treated me with kindness . I forced a small smile , brushing away my tears . " It's fine . It's over now . " Once I opened my phone , hundreds of messages and missed calls popped up . When I skimmed through the messages , I saw the familiar shift - Gary's rage and threats softening into his usual brand of condescending comfort , once he realized I was serious this time . " I was wrong , okay ? Enough already . " " What do you want , for me to kneel and beg ? Zoey , don't get too full of yourself . " The words almost made me laugh . I shook my head , pulled out the SIM card , snapped it in half , and tossed it in the trash . Now was not the time yet . Life in Pereem was quiet . It was almost peaceful . My professor and Charles were kind to me . Charles even found the best healing serums and applied them to my scars himself every day . His gaze was so tender that it nearly drowned me . I knew that he had never stopped loving me . From the very first day of school , I had seen it in his eyes . When I got married , he disappeared for a week . It was the only time he had ever missed classes . However , I couldn't meet Charles ' unwavering , passionate gaze . Not yet . I still had unfinished business . 1/2 Chapter 6 My best friend , Sarah Hurst , messaged me , saying Gary was tearing the world apart looking for me . She promised not to say a word . My new identity was a secret only she knew . Gary wouldn't be able to find me . Even if I tried not to care , news of him always found its way to me . +25 BONUS 2/2 Chapter 6