Bullied and Dumped, But She Won in the End (Adriana) novel Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Will She Survive?

“Hey, Anna.” Adriana had just ended her call when a soft voice called out to her. It was Natasha, standing quietly in the pantry.

Adriana turned around, a flicker of unease crossing her face as she faced Natasha. There was something almost ethereal about her—so gentle, so poised. Even her smile seemed to press down on Adriana’s chest, making it hard to breathe.

“M-Ms. Jones, how can I help you?” Adriana stammered, trying to steady her voice.

Natasha stepped forward, holding out a small piece of paper. “I just remembered there are a few things I need to grab for the trip. Could you help me with them?” She handed Adriana a handwritten list.

Adriana’s eyes scanned the neat, delicate script—so much like Natasha herself. Then one word stopped her cold: condoms.

Her heart thudded painfully. That single word felt like a knife twisting in her gut.

“Thanks. Keep this between us,” Natasha whispered with a playful wink.

Adriana nodded awkwardly, her cheeks burning. She almost bolted out of the pantry, desperate to escape the suffocating atmosphere.

She thought back bitterly to her first time with Matthew—her nineteenth birthday. He’d surprised her with flowers and a cake. For an orphan like her, who had never even tasted birthday cake, that small gesture had swept her off her feet. She had given him everything after that.

A bitter smile tugged at her lips. What a cruel joke life was.

Girls really needed to be born rich, she thought. Otherwise, a single cake was all it took for a man to fool you.

Four years with Matthew, and she had never once been responsible for buying condoms. He hated them, so he always insisted she take the pill.

But for Natasha? Of course, he couldn’t bear the idea of her taking pills. Too dangerous, right?

On the drive to the airport, Adriana remained silent, her mind spinning.

“We’re running out of time. Step on it,” Matthew said sharply, picking up on her mood.

“Yes, Mr. Langford,” Adriana replied, forcing herself to focus as she turned left at the green light.

Just then, a boy suddenly dashed through the red light ahead. Adriana slammed on the brakes and swerved hard to avoid him, but the car skidded and crashed into the median.

“Natasha!” Matthew shouted, instinctively pulling Natasha close to shield her as the impact shook the vehicle.

Thankfully, the speed wasn’t too high. The driver’s side took the brunt of the damage.

The airbag exploded, trapping Adriana tightly against the seat. Her left leg was pinned painfully beneath the wreckage, sharp agony clouding her thoughts.

“Matthew…” Her voice trembled with fear. “Help me…”

“Liar! You’re a liar, Matthew! You said you’d protect me!”

Her breakdown spiraled out of control. The mix of despair and panic sent her into a wild frenzy, thrashing helplessly in the cramped space.

At first, her injuries hadn’t seemed too bad. But now, she was hurting herself without even realizing it.

“Let me out… Let me out!” she screamed, pounding on the glass with frantic energy.

The old trauma from that freshman year nightmare clouded her mind, making it impossible to think clearly—until a sharp smell of smoke from the engine filled the car.

“The car’s on fire!”

“There’s no one inside! I saw them leave!” people shouted from outside.

Trapped and hopeless, Adriana sat back, counting quietly under her breath.

“One, two, three, four…”

That night Mia locked her away, she had counted all the way to 6,788.

Now she wondered, trembling: At what number would this nightmare finally end?