Chapter 3

I pulled my gaze away from Russell, licked my cracked lips, and spoke to the phone camera pointed at me. My voice was hoarse but steady.

"Had enough? If you've had enough, come back and pick me up."

The comments paused for a second, then exploded.

"Is he crazy?"

"Still talking tough in this condition?"

Russell laughed out loud, her laughter filled with contempt and impatience.

She let go of Leonardo and leaned out of the car, looking me up and down.

"Still talking tough?"

"I'd like to see how long you can keep that up."

She looked back at the bodyguard.

"Let the hunting dogs out of the car. Mr. James is walking too slowly. Let the dogs help speed him up."

Leonardo frowned in the car, putting on a worried expression.

"Russell, don't do this. You'll scare James."

Russell patted his hand, her tone gentle.

"Don't worry, they're on leashes. They won't kill him."

The car door opened, and two hunting dogs lunged at me.

All my blood froze in an instant.

Even though I'm a man, I've been afraid of dogs since childhood.

Russell actually liked dogs, but after marrying me, she never kept any. She even took detours around people walking dogs, afraid I'd see them.

Now she was personally releasing dogs to chase me.

The two hunting dogs rushed to my feet. Without time to think, I took off running.

The asphalt had been baked by the sun until it was like a red-hot iron plate.

After running about fifty feet, my shoes came off, and my soles immediately blistered.

Behind me, the excited barking of the two dogs grew closer and closer.

"Holy shit, he's running so fast!"

"At that speed, he could medal at the Olympics, right?"

"Mr. James has been hiding his skills. Usually looks so refined, but when he runs he's faster than the dogs."

"Dying laughing, even the dogs can't catch him."

"Well, he is Miss Russell's husband. He works out every day—of course he's in good shape."

The comments flew by so fast I couldn't read them clearly, but I could imagine Russell's expression seeing them.

She leaned out of the car, the smile on her face frozen.

Leonardo leaned close to Russell's ear, his tone carrying just the right amount of concern.

"Russell, James is running so fast. Even I can't keep up with him."

Russell said nothing, squinting her eyes at me.

I'd already run nearly half a mile. The blisters on my feet had all burst, and each step felt like stepping on knife blades.

The dogs behind me were still chasing, but their speed had clearly slowed. The bodyguard was pulling on the chains to control the distance.

Leonardo leaned halfway out the car window and shouted at me.

"James, just apologize! Russell won't make things difficult for you!"

I clenched my teeth and ignored him.

His tone darkened, then switched back to that aggrieved tone.

"James, I'm just a kid from a poor family. My life is cheap—I deserve to walk those roads. But don't do this to yourself."

As Leonardo said this, his voice trembled and his eyes reddened, looking like he was thinking of me.

Russell pulled him back into his seat and patted his shoulder, her tone impossibly gentle.

"Leonardo, you're just too kind, taking all the blame on yourself."

At some point, the road surface had become covered with sharp-edged gravel.

The moment I stepped on it, blood seeped from the soles of my feet. The dogs behind me grew even more excited smelling the blood, barking wildly as they lunged forward. The bodyguard could barely hold the chains.

I stumbled forward. The gravel embedded in my wounds, each step like walking on broken glass.

The blood flowed more and more, my footprints growing deeper and deeper.

The livestream comments became even more frenzied.

"Place your bets! I bet he can run another mile."

"I bet a quarter mile. Look at him—he's about to collapse any second."

"Half a mile, no more than that."

"Two miles. I bet he can hold out for two more miles."

The comments started displaying odds as someone opened a betting pool on how far I could run.

The numbers grew larger and larger as more and more people watched.

Russell looked at the betting amounts on her phone screen, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.

She was very satisfied with this effect. She turned to glance at me, her gaze devoid of any warmth.

"I want you to know in front of the entire country what happens when you cross Leonardo."

Leonardo stuck his head out the car window, staring at me, his tone still feigning concern.

"James, stop being stubborn. It's just an apology, isn't it?"

"My life is cheap—I can handle you kneeling to me."

"I won't kneel!"

Leonardo's smile froze for a moment, then he put on that innocent expression again.

He turned to look at Russell, his eyes reddening again.

"Russell, look at James. He still won't forgive me."

My vision grew more and more blurred. My body had reached its limit from blood loss.