diff --git a/Readme.md b/Readme.md
index 130e349..660f28e 100644
--- a/Readme.md
+++ b/Readme.md
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ minifyFiles(["file1.json", "file2.json"]);
 
 ```
 ❯ node .\benchmark\native-benchmark.mjs
-1.086 seconds
+1.066 seconds
 
 ❯ node .\benchmark\js-benchmark.mjs
 58.686 seconds
diff --git a/src/native/lib.d b/src/native/lib.d
index 3c9a324..89a611f 100644
--- a/src/native/lib.d
+++ b/src/native/lib.d
@@ -42,9 +42,13 @@ string minifyString(string jsonString, bool hasComments = false) @trusted
 
     const lastIndex = jsonString.length - rightContext.length;
 
+    auto leftContextSubstr = leftContext[from .. $];
+
+    // update from for the next iteration
+    from = lastIndex;
+
     const noCommentOrNotInComment = !hasComments || (!in_multiline_comment && !in_singleline_comment);
 
-    auto leftContextSubstr = leftContext[from .. $];
     if (noCommentOrNotInComment)
     {
       if (!in_string)
@@ -52,11 +56,7 @@ string minifyString(string jsonString, bool hasComments = false) @trusted
         leftContextSubstr = leftContextSubstr.replaceAll(spaceOrBreakRegex, "");
       }
       new_str ~= leftContextSubstr;
-    }
-    from = lastIndex;
 
-    if (noCommentOrNotInComment)
-    {
       if (matchFrontHit == "\"")
       {
         if (!in_string || hasNoSlashOrEvenNumberOfSlashes(leftContextSubstr))
diff --git a/test/fixtures/escaped_quote.json b/test/fixtures/escaped_quote.json
index 5818377..e4b5440 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/escaped_quote.json
+++ b/test/fixtures/escaped_quote.json
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
 {
-  "a": "\" a "
+  "a": "\" a ",
+  "b": "\\\" a ",
+  "c": "\\\\\" a ",
+  "d": "a\\\\\\",
+  "e": "\\\\\\"
 }