110

Solenne

Once we left that bedroom, I closed my heart. Caelum made it clear I would never be anything other than his Mistress and that meant my child would be his bastard. He was getting a better life than that. All week Caelum was attentive and never once raised his voice. He was trying to show me a life that could work here.

I knew the reality though. Caelum was acting out of fear of me leaving, whether it be by death, running away, or him letting me go. I knew there was no reason I needed to stay here. The threat was gone. Caelum kept me here for himself. We both knew he was a selfish man.

I went to work memorizing the turns and street names Antonio took. In the office I watched everyone learning their routines. The accounting department took a long coffee break at 10 every day. I sparked a conversation with a young man and caught his password. It wasn't hard to memorize, 121314. Once I had all the pieces, I decided I would leave from the house. Isaac took us to the south border of