Chapter 4:Escape And The Secrets

      I didn’t sleep well that night. My mind kept running in circles, thinking about Valentina, the way everyone looked at me, the way they whispered behind my back. Evelyn’s eyes full of disgust. Charlotte laughing like I was a joke. Lucas pretending not to care.  

I couldn’t take it anymore. I hugged my bag tight, packed only what I could carry, and waited for the house to get quiet. I had to get out. Not just for me… for my baby.  

The moon was low when I slipped out of the side door. My heart pounded in my chest like a drum. I ran as fast as I could, through the back garden, past the guard house, and onto the quiet streets. The cold night air hit my face and it felt… freeing. I didn’t know where I would go, but I knew I had to keep moving. Every step away from that house was a step toward life. Toward safety. Toward protecting my baby.  

I stopped only when the mansion was far behind me, its bright lights shrinking into the darkness. I pressed my hands to my belly, feeling the baby move. “We are safe,” I whispered. “I will protect you no matter what.”  

For the first time in months, I felt a small spark of hope. I didn’t know what would happen tomorrow, or the next day, or how I would survive. But I had to try.  

---

The next morning, the mansion was unusually quiet. Breakfast was tense. Lucas came down first, his usual calm but cold look on his face. He scanned the room, his eyes stopping at Evelyn.  

“Mother,” he said, voice calm, but I could hear the edge beneath it, “where is Naomi? I can’t find her anywhere.”  

Evelyn looked at him, calm as ever. “I suppose it’s better that way,” she said, sipping her tea. “The contract is over. She should leave. She’s not welcome here anymore.”  

Lucas clenched his jaw, but he said nothing. He already knew the truth. Evelyn didn’t need to explain more.  

Charlotte smirked from across the table. “Finally. That useless woman is gone. She was always trying to steal Lucas’ attention. Nobody will miss her. Not me.”  

Lucas said nothing. He didn’t argue. His eyes, cold and unreadable, flicked to the empty chair where Naomi usually sat.  

---

I had made it far enough that morning to find a small cheap hotel, quiet and out of sight. I unpacked my little bag and sat on the bed, staring at the wall. My mind was heavy, full of fear, anger, and sadness. I thought about Lucas, about Valentina, about the family that hated me.  

I pressed my hands to my belly, feeling my baby kick. My heart ached, but it also gave me courage. I whispered, “I’ll keep you safe. I promise. We’ll survive this together.”  

I had nowhere to go, no one to turn to, but I had to try. For him. For us.  

---

Back at the mansion, Lucas went to Naomi’s room later that morning. He needed to see for himself, even though the house felt empty without her. The room smelled faintly of her perfume, her things still in small piles. He frowned. Something felt… off.  

His foot kicked something small on the floor. A paper. He bent down and picked it up. At first, he didn’t understand. It was folded, small, almost like it had been hidden on purpose.  

Lucas opened it. And his eyes widened.  

It was a pregnancy test.  

His mind stopped for a moment. His heart skipped a beat. He stared at it, frozen. Naomi… pregnant? He hadn’t noticed. He hadn’t even realized. She had snuck out without saying a word. And now… this.  

A thousand questions ran through his head. Why didn’t she tell me? Why didn’t she come to me? How long had she known? And… whose baby was this really?  

He gritted his teeth and held the test tight in his hand. The house felt suddenly too quiet, too small, too empty without her. His anger boiled at her leaving, at the way Evelyn and Charlotte had treated her, and at the fact that **he had never realized the truth until now**.  

He felt a mix of guilt, shock, and something he hated admitting—fear.  

Lucas’ thoughts raced. If Naomi left, what would happen to her? To the baby? Could he find her? Should he? And most importantly… how could he make things right?  

---

Meanwhile, I had finally gotten a little rest in my small hotel room. The city outside moved on, loud and busy, unaware of my escape. I hugged my bag tightly and my belly again. My baby was safe for now. That was all that mattered.  

But the thought of Lucas… the man who had married me but never loved me… gnawed at my mind. Would he come looking for me? Would he ever care?  

I shook my head. I couldn’t think about him. Not yet. I had to focus on survival. On keeping my baby safe. On building a life where we could both be free.  

---

Back in the mansion, Lucas still stood in Naomi’s room, staring at the pregnancy test. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His hands trembled slightly as he turned the paper over, trying to process it. Every memory of Naomi—the way she had looked at him, the way she had endured the family’s cruelty—came rushing back.  

And then he realized something even worse. She was gone. She had left the mansion. She had vanished. And he had no idea where she was.  

Lucas’ chest tightened. His jaw clenched. He needed answers. He needed to find her. But most importantly… he needed to know the truth.  

The pregnancy test in his hand was like a bomb waiting to explode. It changed everything. Naomi’s disappearance, her pain, her suffering, the contract… it all felt meaningless now.  

He felt a storm rising inside him, a mix of anger, fear, and something he wasn’t ready to admit—regret.  

One thing was certain: he wasn’t going to ignore this. Not now. Not ever.  

And somewhere out there, Naomi was unaware that Lucas held her secret in his hands. A secret that could destroy her plans for safety. A secret that could bring her back to the mansion whether she wanted it or not.  

The house was quiet. The city moved on. But the test in Lucas’ hand made the future unpredictable.  

And just like that, everything Naomi had run from… had already found her.  

** Lucas held the pregnancy test, his mind racing. “She’s pregnant… and she left ?” His voice was low, angry, and confused. “Where is she?”  

No one knew. Not him. Not anyone. And the answers would come at a cost neither of them were ready for.