CHAPTER 4

“I’m sorry, Mila. I understand your situation is critical, but I can’t help you,” Rosa finally responded, her voice firmer than the last time.

My shoulders slumped as she gave me an apologetic smile before rising up to leave.

An idea suddenly crept into my mind before I could wallow in defeat, and my head snapped up to glance at Rosa’s retreating figure.

I had no choice at this point, if I wanted to leave this hellhole, I had to act now.

With that resolve fueling me, I shot up to my feet, and with lightning speed I rushed towards Rosa. Just as she was about to open the door, I struck the back of her neck with the edge of my palm.

It was a move my father had taught me during his self-defense lessons when I was a teenager.

I never thought that I’d have to use it, but I’m grateful because it came in very handy at this moment.

Rosa gasped from my sudden strike, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head before she fell to the ground, knocked out cold.

A shred of guilt flickered within me but I pushed it aside. The unconsciousness was temporary, she’d wake up soon.

Without wasting more time, I slipped off her clothes and replaced them with mine, then I dressed myself in hers. Luckily they fit me perfectly because our body structures were similar.

I packed my hair up in a bun similar to hers, and I emptied all the contents of the food she had brought to me into the toilet.

After retrieving the key she used to unlock the door, I quietly opened it and scanned the hallway. Seeing as it was completely empty, relief flooded through me and I stepped out.

I hung my head low and carried the tray in my hands like Rosa would, so anyone who saw me would think I was her as I walked down the narrow hallway.

I had almost reached the top of the stairs when I heard a voice behind me.

“Stop!” The voice barked and I froze in my tracks. My entire body broke out in goosebumps and the tray in my hands trembled as I heard footsteps coming towards my direction.

I decided at that moment that if the person came within reach, I’ll slam him on the head with the tray and make a run for it.

As soon as the footsteps started closing in, my grip on the tray tightened.

“Turn around,” the voice commanded, and I hesitated a bit, taking a deep breath to prepare myself.

“I said turn around,” the voice became sharper and I felt a hand clamp down on my shoulder, forcing me to turn.

As soon as I turned, I brought the steel tray down on the burly man’s head with all the force I could muster.

His eyes widened in shock, but I didn’t wait to see what happened next. Dropping the tray on the floor, I spun around and beelined for the stairs.

Just as I descended the fifth step, a hand yanked at my bun, making it loosen into a ponytail, and the sharp tug instantly pulled me backwards.

“You fucking bitch!” The man sneered and despite the blood that trickled down his temple and onto my cheek, his grip on my hair tightened. “Do you have a death wish?!”

The pain that shot through my scalp made my eyes water. “Let me go!” I cried, thrashing wildly as I struggled to free myself from his unforgiving grip.

But he kept pulling my hair like I was a rag doll. My mind scrambled for a way out and I instantly remembered that I had left some of Rosa’s hair pins inside the breast pocket of the shirt I was wearing.

Instantly, I reached into the pocket and retrieved one of the sharp pins, then I blindly jabbed it backwards.

The sound of squelching flesh filled my ears as I felt the hairpin get embedded into something soft.

The man growled in pain as he released my hair immediately. And I whipped around to see him stumbling backwards while clutching his left eye as a thick crimson liquid poured between his fingers.

My hands flew to my mouth in horror.

I hadn’t meant to hurt him that much, but there was no time to dwell on it, so I sharply turned around and once again ran towards the stairs.

But fate played a cruel trick on me as I missed a step and my ankle abruptly twisted.

I tried to reach for the railing to steady myself but it was too late as my legs gave out under me and I stumbled down the huge flight of stairs.

A howl of pain escaped my lips as my body slammed harshly into one step after the other until I landed at the foot of the stairs with a thud.

Black dots immediately circled my vision and I let out a weak groan as I felt a wet liquid seeping from the back of my head.

I fought to stay awake as the will to escape still nagged at the forefront of my mind. But my body was weak, and within seconds I succumbed to the pain and darkness.

***

I woke up to a loud and insistent beeping noise that did nothing but intensify the excruciating pain that shot through my head.

My eyes slowly fluttered open and all I saw was white.

Did I die and go to heaven?

This was the first thought that crossed my mind, but the face that suddenly appeared in my line of vision snuffed out the thought.

Because it wasn’t the face of an Angel.

No, it was that of a devil.

A very pissed off and dare I say handsome devil.

He loomed over me like a shadow of death, and his jaw clenched as his stormy gray eyes bore into my soul. “Why do you keep testing me, Tesoro?”