Chapter 1617
Stella's eyes turned red, as she witnessed Keegan being tortured. She wanted to rush over to him, but a man held her back. She
looked at her partner who was drenched in blood, and her tears fell uncontrollably.
The man restraining Stella took in the tragic scene and felt somewhat uneasy. He loosened his grip, allowing Stella to break free
and shield Keegan.
Marshall's previous attacker, who was an abuser, swung the bamboo stick toward Stella and hit her neck. The splinters from the
stick pierced through her skin. Although Stella was crying out in pain, she held onto Keegan with fierce determination.
"Bitch! How dare you stash that phone away!" The man's eyes burned with anger. He tossed the stick aside, grabbed a shovel
from the ground, and was ready to strike.
However, Stella did not care. She bent down and pressed her face to Keegan's. Tears streamed down her cheeks, as she heard
his faint breaths.
Just as the shovel was about to strike her, someone kicked the abusive man away.
The driver, who had come back from the car, grimaced at the sight of the two. He grabbed the abuser and said in an icy tone,
"Didn't I warn you not to go too far? How dare you ignore my instructions?!" With that, the driver kicked the
man in the stomach a few times. "You're dead if I catch you losing it again!"
The man curled up in pain. He clutched onto his abdomen, and his sweat glistened on his forehead. It was clear that the driver
did not hold back when he was kicking him.
Then, the driver approached the couple and crouched down.
He reached his hand out, and Stella instinctively flinched. The driver paused. He ripped the tape from her mouth and offered her
a piece of bread.
Stella turned her head away.
"I suggest that you eat something. Butting heads with me won't get you anywhere. Refuse to take this meal, and I might not be
so accommodating next time. You won't have the strength to walk out of here even if you manage to escape," the driver warned
sternly.
Stella's eyes were bloodshot. She said in a low voice, "What do you want from us? Money? How much will it take for you to
release us?"
"I have no comment on that," the driver replied indifferently. He offered the bread to Stella again, and she reluctantly took a few
bites.
"Can you please free me, so I can tend to his wounds?" she asked when he gave her some water.
The driver remained unfazed.
Stella clenched her fists, trying to suppress her emotions." He'll die if you don't let me help him. You went through all this trouble
to kidnap him. Will you get what you want from him if he dies?" she trembled, as she spoke.
The driver contemplated Stella's words.
"Release me so I can stop the bleeding. He's right here. I won't run away!" Stella pleaded. She was now on her knees with tears
streaming down her face. "Please, he's going to die!"
The driver's lips tightened. He drew a dagger and released Stella from her bindings.
Stella looked at Keegan, who was covered in blood, and her legs went weak. At that point, she was crawling to his side. There
were countless wounds beneath his blood-stained clothes. Stella shook at the sight of it all. She was too afraid to touch her
partner.
"Keegan... Keegan..." she whispered his name and started to choke up.
Keegan blinked, signaling that he was still with her.
Stella's heart pounded. She held back her tears and softly said, "Bear with me while I tend to your wounds."
Keegan blinked again in response.
While trembling, Stella gently moved his clumped-up hair aside, revealing the horrifying wound beneath.