Chapter 140 : Escaping Again.

 Samir shook his head, his brow furrowed. "I know Ibrahim called off the surveillance, but the staff swears they haven't seen Ava since this morning. They even had breakfast together in a nearby restaurants but sister-in-law was absent."

Aliya's worry deepened. "Don't you have her tracker location?"

"It shows she's still at the resort," Samir mumbled.

"Perhaps she's unwell and resting. That's why she didn't join the others." Aliya replied.

"I'll have someone check her room," Samir decided.

Aliya placed a hand on his arm. "Yeah do that. But not a word to Ibrahim. Ibrahim just had major surgery," she reminded him, "and he was feverish all night. If he finds out about this, he'll rush to Ava in a heartbeat, and I can't allow that. I lost one child who chased love blindly, I won't lose another."

 "But Mom," Samir argued, "when Ibrahim eventually learns something's wrong, he'll demand answers. I'm going to surrender but that time you need to answer all of his questions." 

Aliya acknowledged his point with a grim nod. "Ava can't have vanished into thin air. Search every room in the resort, thoroughly. Once you have any news, come to me first. I'll decide when and how to tell Ibrahim."

Suddenly, a voice shattered the stillness. "What do you need to tell me, Mom?" 

Both Aliya and Samir spun around, their eyes widening in shock. Ibrahim was standing there leaning against the doorway, his hand clutching the doorframe for support, the other resting over his bandaged stomach. His face reflected the remnants of pain despite the painkillers coursing through his veins. His eyes clouded with grogginess...

Meanwhile, back in the previous night... (5th December)

Outside the hospital, Elara remained glued to his chair, his mind racing with a plan to spirit Ava away from Malaysia. He needed someone who could keep her safe, and a name popped into his mind – Somchai Wongcharee. 

Six months ago, the Wongcharee family had arrived in Kuala Lumpur from Thailand for a vacation. The family consisted of three individuals: the father, Somchai Wongcharee, aged 45, the mother, Pimpa Wongcharee, aged 41, and their son, Tanin Wongcharee, who was around 17 years old at that time.

On a fateful day, Elara found himself on duty when he witnessed Tanin driving a bike recklessly at high speeds on the highway. As a responsible police officer, Elara promptly approached Tanin and requested his identification. Upon inspection, Elara discovered that Tanin was not only a minor but also a foreigner from Thailand.

Concerned about the implications of a foreign minor being arrested, Elara urged Tanin to contact his parents at the scene to prevent the situation from escalating further. Elara felt compelled to intervene, understanding the possible repercussions of a minor facing legal trouble while in a foreign country. He discussed the matter with Tanin's parents, requesting not to let Tanin drive here in Kuala Lumpur especially as he is a minor.

Somchai and Pimpa, immensely grateful for Elara's intervention, expressed their heartfelt appreciation. They explained that they were scheduled to return to Thailand that very evening. If Tanin had been arrested or faced consequences by the police force, it would have not only disrupted their travel plans but also tarnished their reputation. Somchai was a famous divorced lawyer in Thailand, his wife Pimpa ran a local cosmetic brand.

"Thanks for everything Officer Elara. Call me if you have any problem which I can solve. I'll be glad to help you with all my heart." Somchai offered his help in return, a gesture Elara dismissed at the time politely. Tonight, that offer became Elara's lifeline. He contacted Somchai for asking could Ava stay at their home in Thailand, even for a month? Well, Elara maintained privacy he didn't called Somchai with his phone. He did with the public booth which was available in hospital for national and international calls. 

Somchai agreed happily, "Ava can stay as long as she needs. We'll look after our own, Elara. Don't worry, Ava will be safe. Bring her through the Wang Kelian border tonight. I have connections there, we'll get her through. Send me her passport picture so I can prepare the border officials."

Elara got relief when Somchai agreed. He knew crossing the border wouldn't be easy, and Ava wouldn't be safe making the journey alone. He needed someone he could trust implicitly, someone who wouldn't hesitate to risk their own neck for Ava's freedom. He didn't have the vast network Ibrahim possessed, but there was one person he could turn to - Aqil, his informant.

Elara rushed to his apartment, grabbed Ava's fake passport, and rushed to Aqil's room where Aqil was living as a paying guest. However, Aqil initially hesitated due to his wife Nayla's ongoing medical treatment after an early c-section and Sahil's stay in the NICU. It wasn't a one hour journey from which he could quickly return in case of an emergency.

Elara assured Aqil that he would personally take care of Nayla and Sahil in Aqil's absence. After much deliberation, Aqil agreed to accompany Ava on the journey.

Aqil sank into a chair, "One thing. Ava may have gotten rid of her electronics, but trust me, Ibrahim isn't the type to rely just on hacked devices. "

Elara's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Aqil told, "Let me talk to Ava first."

Ava sat perched on the edge of her bed inside the resort room, phone pressed tightly to her ear as Aqil's voice filled her ears, "Look, Ava. I'm Elara's friend, and tonight I'll be accompanying you to Thailand. Are you comfortable to go with me?"

Elara had always surrounded himself with good people. Ava never really saw any bad influence in Elara or his nearby people. She trusted his judgment in her brothers colleagues and friends. "Ummm. Yes," her voice was steady despite the tremor in her heart. "Anything to get away from Ibrahim."

"Good," Aqil continued, "Now, listen carefully. Have you noticed any unusual injuries on your body, especially near your shoulder, at any point after meeting Ibrahim, even before your marriage?"

Ava's eyes darted to the mirror, instinctively reaching under her dress to touch her shoulder. She had never noticed anything, no scars, no marks, nothing out of the ordinary. "No," she replied, "There's nothing."

Aqil's voice tightened with worry. "Are you sure? Because there's a possibility. Think beyond your shoulder. Could there be any other injury?.... Ibrahim might have implanted a tracker inside your body. Even if he can't track your phone, he could still find you through the tracker."

Ava's breath caught in her throat. A tracker? Inside her? "Uh ... I... I'll check," she stammered.

"Good," Aqil said. "It's 8 PM now. I'll come langkawi by flight and will be near your resort by 10:30, but I can't come inside. You have to find a way out and reach to the main highway, okay? We leave for Thailand at 11 sharp in car from Kuala Perlis."

The phone call ended, leaving Ava trembling in the silence. Her reflection stared back in the mirror, wide-eyed and fearful.

Ava, feeling a mix of anger and frustration, picked up a fruit knife from the tea table beside the fruit basket. The resort staffs had arranged these little arrangements earlier in every rooms.

Memories flickered – Malacca, the fight with Daniel. Could that be the location of the tracker?

Ava began to vigorously scrape her right hand, focusing on a specific spot where she had previously been injured and the area still bore a faint scar. She was scraping with so much force as if she were peeling a vegetable. No pain. No tears. Just a cold, steely rage burning within her. 

Farah rushed forward and grabbed Ava's arm. "Ava, stop! You're hurting yourself!"

But Ava was beyond reason, "He put a tracker inside me, Farah! How can I be calm when I have that thing living inside me?"

Ignoring Farah's pleas, Ava continued her relentless scraping. But as the seconds turned into minutes, and the pain intensified as she was scraping the pink coloured flesh continuously. Seconds later, she realized her efforts were in vain. No tracker emerged from the wounded flesh.

Disappointment washed over her. BUT Another location? Then, another memory surfaced - the struggle in the bathroom, the desperate escape attempt when Ibrahim kidnapped her, and the searing pain in her waist while she tried to pass through the small bathroom window.

Ava shifted her focus, lifting her blouse to reveal the scar on her waist. The fruit knife glinted in her hand as she began to dig. The flesh tore open easily. Blood welled up, staining her jeans red, but Ava pressed on. Farah looked away.....

And then, Ava saw it - a glint of black embedded in her flesh. With a triumphant gasp, she pried the object loose, a torrent of curses escaping her lips. "Bloody bastard, Ibrahiiiiiimmmmmmm! You were tracking me from the beginning?" she screamed. 

The urge to hurl the tracker into the vast ocean, to erase any trace of Ibrahim's control, was overwhelming. But Farah intervened.

"Think, Ava," she pleaded. "If Ibrahim can't track you, he'll know you've escaped. Give it to me, I'll take care of it."

Farah helped Ava to clean and dress the wounds. Time was running out, and they needed to act fast. She then worked quickly, transforming Ava's appearance by cutting some bangs and a touch of makeup. This disguise, though subtle, would be enough to confuse any casual observer and it would make it difficult for any CCTV footage to definitively identify her as Ava.

The clock on the wall displayed the time as 10 pm, and they were nearing the final step of their plan - leaving the resort unnoticed. However, Ava couldn't disappear without a trace; it would only cause more problems and raise suspicion among the professors and students. 

Ava contacted out to Professor Syed once again, knowing that he was the only one who could provide the assistance she needed. To her relief, he agreed to help her. Though Farah didn't wanted to leave Ava alone with Prof. Syed not for a minute but there was no other choice as Farah had to stay inside the room and erase any CCTV footage that might capture their escape.

While Ava and Professor Syed made their way to the highway, where Aqil was scheduled to meet them. The highway streched before them. And the darkness was almost absolute, broken only by the faint glow of distant streetlights, barely piercing the dense foliage that lined the roadside.

Ava couldn't help but voice her curiosity. "Professor, May I ask you a question, why are you helping me?"

Prof. Syed offered a veiled response. "Sometimes," he said, "one must act as a guardian. Consider this my role."

Ava, pulling the hood of her black leather jacket low over her face, addressed her next concern. "What will you tell the others about me?" she inquired.

"I'll tell them the truth," he stated, "but in a different way. I'll say your health took a sudden turn for the worse, and you had to leave unexpectedly with your brother in the dead of the night."

Suddenly, headlights pierced the darkness, announcing Aqil's arrival. He had flown from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi with fake passport. The flight it only took one hour. And he had also altered his appearance. Gone was his clean-shaven face, replaced by a beard and mustache.

Ava slid into the passenger seat, the car's tinted windows offering a layer of anonymity. The engine roared to life.

Ibrahim, weakened by his surgery and fever, slept in his hospital bed, oblivious to the events unfolding just miles away. His iron grip, for a brief moment, had loosened.

That night Ava escaped.

Ava Lim escaped...

Ava Lim Rahman really escaped the night just because Ibrahim Rahman was sleeping inside the hospital room. 

However, the journey from Langkawi to Thailand was not going to be an easy one for Aqil and Ava. They had to face numerous challenges and uncertainties along the way.

Ava had never met Aqil before, and as they drove, he broke the silence with a question. "Ava, you can still back out of this journey if you want."

Ava, her gaze fixed on the blurred landscape outside the tinted window, remained silent for a moment. She was leaving..... Really she was leaving. But there was a feeling - a hope that anyhow Ibrahim came infront of her and told her everything were lie. Maybe she would believe him..... 

Finally, Ava spoke, "Ibrahim isn't a teenage crush of mine that I can forget overnight. I loved him with all my heart. But the love he offered, it was poisoned. It was a cage, not a love story."

She paused, taking a deep, shuddering breath, "I refuse to be one of those women who silently endure pain without uttering a word. Yes, Ibrahim has caused me immense hurt, but I will never inflict the same pain onto others as I have experienced myself. I don't hate him, not entirely. My heart can't hate him. He may be a monster, a devil, but a part of me will always hold onto the memory of the man I thought he was, the man I fell in love with. My heart beats for him and will beat for him until my last breath." 

Her voice softened to a mere tremor. "That's why I'm leaving. To escape from the cage, but also to preserve the good, the love we once shared. It's the only way I can truly move forward."