The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1036 I Am Not Feeling Well

Allen tried to free himself from Peggy's hold. "Leave me, Mom!" Glaring at Sue, Allen bellowed furiously, "I am going to teach this bitch a lesson that she will remember all through her life."

"Stop!" Peggy shouted at her son trying to hold him back from hurling another blow at Sue. Peggy was much more calculative and shrewd than Allen. She knew that at the moment, she needed to protect Sue. After all, Sue was the last straw to save their lives. 'As long as we have Sue, Anthony will do whatever we ask him to do. But if anything happens to Sue and her unborn baby, he will not spare us,' she thought to herself.

Peggy could not allow Allen to lay a hand on Sue no matter how much he was mad at her.

Eyeing her fuming son, she persuaded softly, "I know you are mad at her. But you already taught her a lesson by scolding and hitting her. Let her go today. It will do us no good if anything happens to her or her child."

"But..." Allen seethed. The more Peggy tried to dissuade him from hitting Sue, the more he tried to break free from her grip and bash Sue up to his heart's content. Right from his childhood, he had only learned to blame Sue for everything that did not happen as per his wish and vent out his anger by physically abusing her. Sue was the scapegoat of their family. She had to bear the brunt of everything. Peggy had always allowed him to have his way. But this time, she stopped him. He struggled to break free of Peggy's grip but his efforts were in vain.

"Come on, son. You already struck her hard. Just let her go for today," Peggy coaxed. "Anyway, control your temper. After we get the money and new identity cards, you can do whatever you like to her." This was the only way in which Peggy could stop him from hurting Sue.

"I take that as a deal, Mom," Allen said as he accepted her suggestion. He looked at Sue and broke into a cold and malicious laugh. Then he turned at Peggy and continued, "I hope you will not back out on your word."

"I won't and I told you once. You have my word on that," Peggy assured.

Allen cast a scornful glance at Sue once again and snorted, "You're lucky today."

Peggy helped Sue up and said to her, "I admit I favor Allen and I hope you will not complain about his. After all, he is my only son. If you had persuaded Anthony to help us, you wouldn't have suffered so much."

With a sniff, she continued, "I gave you time to discuss with Anthony and prepare for the money. But look what you did to us? You kept hiding in your house all day. Did you think you could escape from us so easily?

I am telling you if Anthony doesn't give us what we want, I will show no mercy to you. If I and Allen can't get away from here, we will not let you and Anthony live happily. I will kill your child and let you and Anthony regret for the rest of your lives."

"Mom, my unborn baby is your grandchild. How could you have such a horrible thought?" Sue responded in disbelief, her mouth opened wide in shock. "Grandchild?" Peggy sneered, "For me, nothing is more important than my son. I will not let anything happen to him."

Sue had always been a victim of her mother's partiality and she was used to it. But she never expected Peggy to be so merciless to her that she would not hesitate even once at the thought of harming Sue's unborn child. Peggy's statement took away her last hope for her mother. Sue completely gave up persuading her mother. She flashed a desperate smile and remained silent.

She realized that it was pointless speaking to her.

"Anthony still has two days. I hope he will not disappoint me," Peggy said indifferently.

When Sue first had been brought here a few hours ago, she hoped that she could persuade Allen to turn himself in. But after spending these few hours with them, she realized that both Peggy and Allen believed that they had not done anything wrong. In fact, they felt that they did what they were supposed to do and they gave Doris exactly what she deserved.

Sue realized that it was stupid on her part to think that she could make her mother and her brother see reason.

Sue watched Peggy silently as she walked towards Allen with a loving smile and coaxed him to eat some food. Sue's lips curved into a bitter smile and tears filled up in her eyes as she recalled how radically different Peggy behaved with her. So many times! In fact, all the time! Yet, she had never called out to her mother for one touch of love! 'Both I and Allen are her children, but she treats us in a different manner. Wake up. She doesn't love you. The only one she cares for is her son,' Sue told herself in her mind. She felt as if a heavy weight had been put upon her chest. It was so heavy that it hurt.

Sue lowered her head trying to accept the cruelest reality of her life-she meant nothing to her mother or her brother. She never did. Nor would she mean anything to them ever! She closed her eyes to stop the tears from flowing out of her eyes.

The abandoned junkyard where they were hiding was located on the outskirts of the city. As midnight set in, Sue was struck by an unbearable chill. What made it worse was that her hands and legs were tied to the chair so that she couldn't move even an inch. Her body went numb and she felt extremely uncomfortable.

Peggy and Allen were fast asleep lying on the ground covered by a thin blanket. As she couldn't take it any longer, she called out Allen with a grimace.

Allen rubbed his drowsy eyes and yelled at Sue, "What's wrong with you? Why did you wake me?"

"What's up?" Peggy asked Allen as she was awakened by his yelling.

"Ask her. It's all because of her," Allen replied petulantly, pointing at Sue. "I was in the middle of a wonderful dream, but she woke me."

He glowered at Sue and huffed, "I knew I shouldn't have shown her any mercy. I am going to knock her out."

"Wait!" Peggy grasped his hand firmly and pulled him back from reaching out to Sue. "Get back to sleep. I will go check what is going on with her," she said to her son.

She yanked the blanket and made her way to her daughter. "What's your problem?" she asked coldly.

"I am feeling cold..." Sue replied with her lips shivering. It was a chilly, windy night. Her face had turned purple due to the cold and she was trembling.

She looked up at Peggy and requested, "Mom, it hurts. Please untie me. I am not feeling good."

"Don't do that, Mom!" warned Allen in a sleepy voice with his eyes still closed. Then he opened his eyes wide open and remarked, "What if she runs away?"

Peggy fell into a dilemma hearing Allen's words. 'Sue is looking bad. But what Allen said makes sense,' she mused.

Taking note of the hesitant look on Peggy's face, Sue assured, "I promise you that I will not try to escape, Mom."

With a bitter smile, she continued, "I am pregnant. I can't go far. Even if I try to run away, Allen can get hold of me very easily. How am I supposed to outrun him in this condition?"

With a pleading look at Peggy, she moaned in a weak voice, "I am just...I am not feeling well."

"Don't be fooled by her, Mom. She is acting," Allen said with a disgruntled look. Sue woke him in the wee hour, which angered him.

"Be quiet," Peggy raised her voice as she scowled at her son. "I don't care whether it's a trick or not. We have kept her like this for hours. She must be feeling uncomfortable. We should let her have some rest.

She leaned forward and untied Sue. With a stern look, she warned, "You'd better not do anything stupid. If you have an accident, your baby will be the victim. Do you hear me?"

"I know," Sue nodded meekly. "I will not run away."

There was no trace of human habitation around for at least a dozen miles. It was impossible for anyone to escape from this place successfully on foot. And invariably a suicidal thought for a pregnant woman. Fully aware that she stood no chance to flee, she already gave up that thought.

All she could do was to stay here and wait for Anthony to come and rescue her from here.

She somehow had faith in him and believed that he would help her out.

But till he came, all she had to do was protect herself and her unborn baby.