Chapter 75
Chapter 75
The stench of the trash bin hit Austin. He winced, nose wrinkling, but he didn’t remove the plastic bag. He just gripped the medicine tightly and stayed completely still.
He had promised to follow Emily’s lead, and he meant it.
Everything felt extra quiet in the dark. The longer Austin waited, the more it felt like he had been abandoned again, and that was what he hated most.
Sticky blood oozed from Austin’s gaping wounds, and his face turned paler. His head grew heavier, his eyelids drooped, and the darkness around him felt like it was waiting to swallow him whole.
Emily said she would be back soon, but there was still no sign of her.
For the first time, Austin truly felt how close death was. He thought maybe this was how his story ended.
No matter how hard he tried, he was always the one left behind and the one who would die quietly in a reeking alley, with no one to find him.
Just as Austin’s vision blurred, someone burst into view, ripping the plastic bag off him with urgency, eyes filled with worry.
Emily didn’t even hesitate. She ran to him like nothing else mattered.
For once, Austin didn’t feel forgotten. He smiled with a sigh of relief. “You’re back.” His voice, tinged with vulnerability, caught Emily off guard.
They had only known each other a few hours-just names and ages exchanged-yet for a fleeting moment, Emily had the absurd thought that she was all he had.
Emily thought, ‘What a joke. My family used to be all I had, and they still tossed me aside.’ Shaking off the thoughts, she said, “How do you feel? Do you think you can get up?”
Just moments ago, seeing the blood pooled beneath him, she thought she had lost him.
Austin forced a cheerful grin, keeping his tone light. “Don’t worry, Emily. I’m young, and I heal fast. I won’t slow you down.”
Emily froze for a moment. Growing up, only two people ever spoke to her with that kind of closeness-Lucas and Lydia.
Emily looked down and said nothing, steadying him as they left the alley. Austin noticed her mood shift and wasn’t sure what he had said wrong, so he kept quiet.
Austin was in critical condition, barely hanging on by sheer will, but he kept trying to walk on his own. When it got too much, he leaned on Emily for support.
It was late, and the neighborhood was quiet. However, Austin’s bloody appearance was scary, so Emily covered him with her jacket.
Soon, they reached an old apartment. After going through a dark passage, they stopped at a door behind the stairs.
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Chapter 75
Emily rented the house just now. It was a safe spot for Austin, who couldn’t go to the hospital but needed a place to
rest.
The apartment was in a damp corner. It was pretty rundown, just like a basement. Seeing the shabby place, Austin’s mind cleared a bit. He said, “Is this your home?”
Emily helped him onto the couch. “Kind of. I just rented it.”
She never knew her real parents. As for the Bennett family, the moment they sent her off to St. Gabriel Reform Academy, they weren’t her family anymore.
This was the first place she had ever rented with her own money, so it could be considered a home for her.
The coldness in her voice startled Austin. It was like seeing a reflection of himself.