When She Rose From the Ashes (Natalie and Jensen) novel Chapter 512

Chapter 512: The Explosion

The driver knew there was nothing more he could say. The tension in the air was thick, suffocating.

Suddenly, the car began to veer sharply.

Xenon’s voice was low but resolute. “Goodbye, forever.”

Without hesitation, the driver stole one last glance at Xenon, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and sorrow. Then, swiftly, he flung open the car door and leapt out into the darkness.

Below stretched a steep embankment, shrouded by shadows and rain. At its base lay a dense thicket of trees, their branches swaying in the storm. The driver didn’t hesitate; he relaxed his body and let himself tumble down the slope, trusting the momentum to carry him safely.

The rain poured relentlessly, and the night’s heavy cloak concealed his desperate escape. To any observer, a lone figure plunging from a speeding car in the rain would be easily overlooked.

As soon as the driver hit the ground, Xenon slammed his foot down on the accelerator, the engine roaring like a wild beast. The car surged forward with reckless abandon.

Behind them, the pursuers closed in rapidly, their headlights piercing through the rain like knives.

The driver, still shaken, managed to catch hold of a sturdy branch mid-roll, halting his descent. He peered back toward Xenon, the darkness barely shielding what he saw.

That single glimpse left him breathless. His eyes brimmed with tears that spilled down unbidden.

“Sir! Madam!” he gasped, voice trembling.

He watched in horror as the cars behind relentlessly closed the gap, maneuvering to flank Xenon’s vehicle. There was no escape left.

In that instant, Xenon’s eyes blazed with fury, glowing red in the dim light. Without hesitation, he steered the car directly toward a roadblock looming ahead.

The driver’s heart pounded as he remembered something crucial. Fumbling, he pulled out his DV camera and began recording the unfolding scene.

The impact was catastrophic. The car crashed into the roadblock with a thunderous, bone-shaking collision. Smoke billowed from the crumpled vehicle, curling upward into the stormy sky.

From where the driver crouched, the damage was clear and devastating. The car’s frame was mangled beyond recognition. Xenon sat trapped behind the wheel, blood pouring from a grievous head wound. Rescue was impossible.

Beside him, Xenon’s wife clutched their child tightly, her face etched with pain. She fought desperately to open the jammed door, but it refused to budge.

The pursuers pulled up, their vehicles screeching to a halt nearby. One of them spotted the fuel leaking from the wreck and shouted, “Get back! This thing’s going to blow!”

“I think I remember something,” Natalie said softly, turning to Baron.

He looked at her expectantly. “What is it?”

Natalie’s voice was low as she recounted, “Jensen was badly injured back then. The Luke family had given up on him, and even Loretta hesitated. To save him, I pawned the pendant at a shop. The owner asked if it was a final sale or a temporary pawn. I said final sale. After I got the money and paid for Jensen’s surgery and hospital bills, someone tried to grab me that very night. But Hansel was with me, and Loretta had decided to save Jensen, so there were bodyguards around. That’s why I was spared.”

Her face darkened at the memory, troubled by the danger she had narrowly escaped.

Baron squeezed her hand gently. “That’s all behind you now. Even then, you risked everything to find a Witch Doctor for Jensen. You truly loved him, didn’t you? Enough to face death.”

His voice was tinged with bitterness.

Natalie smiled faintly. “I didn’t know who was coming for me. I thought they were Jensen’s enemies. Who would have guessed a pendant could bring such trouble? Besides, aren’t I your wife now? The past is the past.”

Baron’s anger melted away as he looked at her smiling face. After all these years, even when she was with Jensen, bringing this up now felt wrong.

He steadied himself and said, “All the footage on this disc shows the masked man’s deep hatred for your Stone family—or maybe for Dad. Xenon’s death was caused by him, too. But we still don’t know who this masked man is. We also don’t know if the nurse who swapped you back then can be found. And first, we need to find Rachel. She witnessed the child swap over twenty years ago, yet she returned to the Stone family as a housekeeper and even befriended Mom. Who is really behind her? We have to uncover the truth.”