Chapter 6: The Escape

"Going somewhere?"

The voice came from behind her, smooth and cold. Vivian spun around, her heart slamming against her ribs. Damian stood in the doorway of her bedroom, his silver-grey eyes fixed on her face. He was holding something in his hand. A key. Her key.

She'd been so close. So close to freedom.

"Let me go," she said, her voice shaking. "Please. Just let me go."

Damian stepped into the room, his movements slow and deliberate. He closed the door behind him with a soft click that echoed through the silence. "You know I can't do that, Vivian. You're my sister. You're my family. You belong here."

"I'm not your sister." Her voice cracked. "I never was. You stole me from my real family. You stole my life."

"I gave you a life." He walked toward her, his eyes never leaving her face. "I gave you everything. A home, a name, a purpose. You were nothing before I found you. I made you something."

"You made me a prisoner."

"A beloved prisoner." He stopped a few feet away, his expression softening. "You've always been my favorite thing, Vivian. My most precious possession." He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I'll never let you go."

She flinched away from his touch, her stomach churning. "You can't keep me here forever."

"Run if you must." He smiled, cold and knowing. "You'll discover the world isn't safer than I am."

He turned and walked out, taking the key with him. The lock clicked into place, and she was trapped.

---

She stood in the middle of her bedroom, staring at the locked door. Her hands were shaking, her pulse racing. She'd tried to escape. She'd tried to fight back. But he was always one step ahead.

She thought about the other women. The photographs. The girls who looked like her. The ones who came before her and the ones who would come after. She didn't know what had happened to them. She didn't know if they were alive or dead. But she knew one thing: she wasn't going to become one of them.

She paced the room, her mind racing. The window was sealed. The door was locked. Her phone had no signal. She was trapped. But there had to be a way out.

She remembered something. Years ago, when she was a child, she'd discovered a hidden passage in the back of her closet. She'd been playing hide-and-seek with a servant girl and had stumbled into a narrow space behind the wall. She'd been too scared to explore it then. But now, it might be her only chance.

She hurried to the closet, pushing aside the clothes. The wall looked solid, but she pressed against it, searching for any give. Her fingers found a small indentation, and she pushed.

The wall gave way, revealing a narrow, dusty passage. Her breath caught in her throat. It was still here.

She grabbed her bag, stuffing the letter and the birth certificate inside. She slipped into the passage, pulling the wall closed behind her. The darkness was complete, the air thick with dust and cobwebs. She moved forward, her hands brushing against the rough walls.

The passage sloped downward, winding through the old stone foundation of the mansion. She could hear voices above her, muffled and distant. She kept moving, her heart pounding.

She reached a small door at the end of the passage. It was rusted, the hinges groaning in protest, but it opened. She stepped out into the cold night air, the garden stretching before her. She was outside. She was free.

But the garden was patrolled. She could see the guards moving in the distance, their flashlights sweeping across the grounds. She pressed herself against the wall, waiting for an opening.

A car horn blared in the distance. The guards turned toward the noise. Vivian didn't wait. She ran.

She sprinted across the garden, her feet silent on the grass. She reached the wall and climbed, her arms burning with the effort. She pulled herself over the top and dropped to the ground on the other side.

She didn't stop running. She ran through the trees, through the darkness, toward the road. She didn't know where she was going. She didn't know who she could trust. But she knew she couldn't stay.

The road stretched out before her, empty and dark. She walked for hours, her feet aching, her lungs burning. The sun began to rise, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold. She was free. She was finally free.

---

She made her way to the nearest town, her feet blistered and sore. She found a payphone and dialed the only number she could remember. Chloe's number, from years ago.

The phone rang. And rang. And rang.

Then a voice: "Hello? Who is this?"

"Chloe, it's me. Vivian."

A pause. Then: "Vivian? Oh my god, is that really you? I thought you were—I thought he—"

"I need help," Vivian said, her voice breaking. "I need somewhere to stay. Just for a little while. Please."

Chloe was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "Where are you? I'll come get you."

Vivian gave her the address and waited. She didn't know if she could trust anyone. She didn't know if Damian would find her. But she knew she couldn't do this alone.

The payphone rang. Vivian picked it up, expecting Chloe.

Instead, a voice she recognized. A voice that made her blood run cold.

"Hello, Vivian."

Damian.