The Billionaire's Runaway Nurse

My heart broke as I looked at the photo, a heavy weight pressing on my chest. Tears rolled down my cheeks, each one a silent witness to the years of pain I had lived through. I had left him because he had hurt me, three years of endless insults and sometimes even hitting me when he was drunk or high. I had finally had enough and walked away. He begged me to come back, but I stayed strong. Just six weeks after I left, he was with someone else. The photo showed him cuddling with a girl wearing a lot of makeup. I had been replaced. Why did I feel jealous? I had left him. He abused drugs, alcohol, and me. He was no prize. What hurt the most was how he showed her off. He had never done that with me. He kept me hidden, saying if I changed my looks, then he would show me off, then he would marry me. I put my phone aside, and the photo disappeared as the screen went black. I looked at myself in the mirror, my reflection blurred by tears. Was I the monster he said I was? My dark brown loose curls fell to my mid-back, the only feature he had ever praised. My light brown skin had paled, looking sickly, and my big brown eyes had dark circles under them. He said I always looked scared. Well, he scared me. How was I supposed to look? My mouth was small and pink with slightly full lips. I bit my lower lip, dreading work the next day. How would I manage? I was a doctor in the emergency department of a public hospital on the southern side of Iris Isle, where I lived. I had started medical school at eighteen, as was possible on our island, so at twenty-five, I was already a doctor. Work was a blur. It was the last day of my six-month contract. Iris Isle was understaffed, and the public hospital couldn't afford more workers. I was called into the human resources department to be officially told that my contract would not be renewed. I had expected this. I nodded and wished the secretary a good day. The tears could wait until I was alone in my room. I had so much student loan debt. How would I repay it? My father's gambling addiction had pushed me further into debt as I helped him pay off loan sharks. I still had to work my final shift. It was dark when I finished. Lightning lit up the hill where the hospital stood. I carefully made my way down the hillside in the rain. Thunder boomed in my ears. I had my jacket on with my hood up. I couldn't risk walking on the road at night with this black jacket; I might be hit by a car. I slipped in the grass and slid the last few feet down the hill. My knees and palms hit the wet concrete of the pavement, and I winced in pain. Cars rushed past. I was soaked. I had forgotten my umbrella at home. I ran along the pavement towards the taxi stand. It was empty. I silently cursed. I waited in the rain for a car, a chill creeping through me. I felt uneasy. I looked around. No one was there, but I felt watched. I pushed the feeling away, thinking it was paranoia. A car stopped in front of me. The window lowered to reveal a pair of cold, grey eyes, so light they almost looked white, only distinguishable as irises because the whites of the eyes were bloodshot. "Get in," said a male voice. It wasn't a taxi, just a car driven by a stranger. Maybe it was the heartbreak, the debt, the unemployment, or just the rain, but something made me get into the car. It was cool inside. The car was new. The window went up, and the door clicked shut, locking me in. The man with the cold grey eyes had a crooked nose and a thin mouth. His scraggly beard had white hairs, though he didn't look older than thirty-five. He had very high eyebrows, giving him a constantly surprised look. He was balding, with thin black hair combed over the spot. Despite this, he kept his hair long, just below his shoulders. He wore a white T-shirt and blue jeans. He glanced at me. "You were easy to find," he said, laughing nervously. "What?" I said, feeling goosebumps. "Don't try anything or ask too many questions!" he warned. I was silent. The door was locked. He seemed thin enough for me to overpower. I was slender but fuller than him. He was much taller than me, about six feet, more than half a foot taller than me. I reached into the pocket of my scrubs. I had a blade there, used to cut stitches. I unwrapped it. He seemed to hear that soft sound even with the rain, thunder, and car's air conditioning. His eyes caught mine in the rearview mirror. "Don't even think about it," he said, narrowing his eyes. The rain was so heavy I could barely see ahead. We arrived at huge iron gates. My heart sank. It was now or never. I couldn't let myself go beyond those gates. Who knew what horrors awaited me? "Look out!" I yelled as loudly and convincingly as I could. "What?" he yelped, hitting the brakes and causing the car to stop abruptly. I stabbed him in the eye nearest to me with the tiny blade. Blood spurted from the socket. He let out a blood-curdling scream. I lunged at the controls on his side, pressing the button that unlocked all the doors. I heard the clicks and rushed out my door into the rain, slamming it behind me on his outstretched fingers. He screamed again. I ran away from the iron gates, not sure where I was. This area was unfamiliar. We were in an affluent neighborhood. The houses were far apart with neat lawns now being battered by the heavy rain. Flowerbeds were turning to mud. I ran down the street as fast as I could. I spotted a guard booth. This was a gated community. I ran to it, waking the sleeping guard. He awoke with a start and snarled at me. I recoiled, shocked at how animalistic he was. He stared at me. "I need help," I pleaded. "This man is trying to kidnap me." The man with the grey eyes was running towards me, clutching his bleeding eye. The guard sprang out of his chair. I sighed in relief. There was nothing to be relieved about. The guard grabbed me. I screamed, thrashing in his arms. He was much sturdier than my first attacker. The grey-eyed man reached us and took a cloth from his pocket. He stuffed it in my face, muffling my cries. The smell of chloroform hit me, and darkness surrounded me.