Chapter 3

• As she entered the car, Katerin looked around to make sure no one was behind her, maybe waiting for her to get in so they could harm her.
• The man entered the car, and without looking at her, he started to drive. A deathly silence filled the car, each of them lost in their thoughts.
• But a strong lightning strike, visible nearby, made Katerin jump, and her pain returned. The woman began to tremble.
• Seeing her in that state, Zac stopped the car and took off his jacket. Respectfully, he draped it over her shoulders, unable to avoid noticing the woman’s erect breasts, clearly visible through the wet fabric. He swallowed hard and placed his hands back on the steering wheel.
• No one had ever been this kind to Katerin.
• She grew anxious, moving her legs nervously as a sign of worry and fear. The man observed her and turned on the car’s interior light to get a better look at her. He could see the bruises on her face.
• “What happened to you?” The man’s voice made Katerin shiver. She swallowed nervously and didn’t look at him.
• “I fell, please don’t ask any more questions,” she pleads, anxious.
• “Have I seen you somewhere?” Zac asks. She tried to answer weakly, but no matter how hard she fought, the woman fainted.
• The man is startled.
• “Woman? Speak to me!” he exclaims with concern, and when he touches her, she is burning with fever. He takes out his mobile phone and makes a call, which is answered immediately.
• “Mr. Ferrero.”
• “Listen, the woman’s car needs to go to a mechanic, and I need you to call Noriega so he can be ready to handle an emergency,” the man orders his right-hand man.
• “Are you alright?” Teo asks.
• “Do what I told you,” The man speaks arrogantly, and hangs up the call.
• Even though she is unconscious, her body trembles, and the man rushes to drive quickly, taking her to a safe place where she can be attended to and kept warm.
• “Sir, welcome home,” his butler greets him with great respect.
• “Teo, is she here yet?” the man asks, holding the woman in his arms.
• “With her doctor, sir. Would you like me to do anything for you?” the butler asks without looking him in the eyes.
• “Prepare something light for her,” the man orders, and walks toward his room.
• Upon reaching his room…
• Dr. Noriega is ready to attend to her, along with his assistant, Nurse Lorna.
• Zac leaves to give them space to work, but he is filled with stress. He doesn’t like getting involved in anyone’s life, but he feels the urge to help Katerin.
• “Wait! Who is she? She really seems familiar to me,” Teo speaks to his boss. He is Zac's right-hand man and friend.
• “Me too. Find out who she is, and another thing, she won’t be leaving here without my permission. Let me know when you have the information. Do you know if Alondra has arrived yet?”
• “She hasn’t arrived,” my friend. The young lady didn’t travel.”
• “What do you mean she didn’t!?” he asks, angry.
• “Everything was scheduled... At the last moment, she said she couldn’t travel because she had some issues.
• The man makes a displeased gesture.
• “Don’t get mad, you know how Miss Alondra is,” Teo says sarcastically.
• “I don’t understand, what’s your problem with her?”
• “You know my reasons with her, so don’t play dumb,” Teo says, and the man stares him down even harder. It becomes a battle of glares, and Teo couldn’t withstand his boss’s cold stare. “I give up. Do you need me to do anything else for you?”
• The man leaves without saying anything, so Teo shrugs.
• He arrives in his room, takes a shower, and puts on comfortable clothes. He takes out his mobile phone and calls his girlfriend, but she doesn’t answer, which only makes him angrier. Upon returning to the room where Katerin Aniston is, the maid arrives with dinner for both of them and leaves.
• “Mr. Ferrero, this woman has suffered physical abuse. Also, the nurse checked her, and it’s possible she had a miscarriage due to the blood found between her legs.
• Zac wants to know more about Katerin Aniston. It infuriates him that a woman was harmed.
• Seeing Katerin move a little, the men fall silent.
• The doctor prefers to leave them alone. He exits the room, leaving the medication that she needs to take.
• Katerin looks around, her vision a bit blurry.
• “Where am I?” she whispers, then groans in pain.
• As her vision clears a bit, she is surprised to see the man who saved her.
• “You’re in my house. Tell me something, woman. Does your husband abuse you? Is that why you lost your baby?” Zac’s questions unsettle Katerin.
• “I need to go home,” she says, fighting the urge to cry, and stands up.
• “Calm down! I just want to help. Can you please tell me?”
• “I need to go back home. My children are alone. He could hurt them.” Katerin tries to stand, but she is too weak. Zac moves closer and picks her up in his arms to help her. They are only centimeters apart, their breaths almost in sync.
• She lowers her gaze and begins to cry. Zac hugs her.
• “You’re not alone. Whoever is making your life a nightmare, I’ll turn it into a hell.”
• “Don’t do it, sir. I don’t want to get involved in my damn life.”
• “You didn’t. I did, the moment I stopped my car to help you,” he says firmly. His face is cold, but he has a heart. Zac is a powerful and wealthy man, owner of Ferrero Real Estate, a prominent CEO in his country, with many properties including quality hotel chains, companies, and branches abroad, five-star restaurants, and large mansions worth thousands and thousands of dollars.