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The days following my botched escape attempt blurred into a fusion of fear and helplessness. I had been so close to freedom, only for it to be turned upon by Noah's cruel hand. Those cold, merciless eyes of his still haunted my thoughts, as did the echo of the gunshot that had rung through the air as I had fled. But it wasn't the sound of the gun that kept me awake all night, nor the memory of his grip on Martha. It was what followed—the cold, grim silence that fell on the mansion, and then the swift and brutal punishment Noah doled out.I was locked in my room immediately after my escape attempt, the door bolted from the outside like I was nothing more than a wild animal in a cage. Noah didn't visit or utter a word. The hours blurred into one as I lay there, staring at that door, waiting for the inevitable showdown between us. The question was what new torment Noah would contrive to break me. But it wasn't my fate that hung in the balance—it was Martha's.It was two days before I hear
Every subsequent failure in evading Noah buried me deeper in my despair. Days were spent suffocating in a haze of fear and longing to be free as my mind turned over with thoughts of new plans, new ways to break free. To be sure, the tragedy of my friend Martha haunted me, but rather than breaking my spirit, that was the fire which fueled my drive to survive at all costs. I would find a way out of this nightmare, even if it meant risking everything.Weeks passed, and Noah's control over me became as tight as a noose around my neck. I was watched constantly, never allowed a moment of privacy. The guards were always there, lurking in the shadows, their cold eyes following my every move. Even the housemaids seemed to be replaced with some new, chillier staff—women who did not meet my gaze and kept conversations to a minimum. It was obvious that Noah had tightened his security; now the walls of my prison stood higher than ever.But I refused to give up. I couldn't. Knowing what was at stake
The days blurred seamlessly into one another, an endless and agonizing stretch; one bled into the next until I no longer could tell where one began and the other ended. I was lying in this place in one position, in the same position, in this cold, dark room that had become my world. Vaguely could I recall when last I felt the warm touch of the sun on my skin or when the unchecked wind streamed its caresses through my hair. The barred windows tormented me with the vision of a world that no longer belonged to me, a world from which I had been torn away most harshly.I would sit for hours, staring through those windows, watching the birds as they soared through the sky, their wings afloat, gliding effortlessly through the air. Oh, how envious I was of those free, careless creatures who knew not that life for anyone could be pain or captivity. They could go wherever they wanted, while I was left to rot in this prison with nothing but a forgotten, lonely soul. My heart ached with injustice
The walls seemed to be closing in on me. The weight of my despair had pressed down on me until I thought it might crush me altogether. The thought echoed in my mind: "He's not coming back for you. He's forgotten about you," Noah's words repeated, over and over again, like some cruel, taunting melody. I wanted to scream, to tear my hair out, to get away from the relentless torture of these thoughts. That sense of desperation was so huge, so choking, that it almost took away my breath.I just couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't stand the distance, the loneliness, that crushing weight of abandonment. I felt that all the pain and frustration I'd bottled up over the past weeks suddenly burst from me, and I lost every last piece of control. A red haze seemed to descend across my vision, and the next thing I knew, I was on my feet, hurling whatever I could get my hands on across the room.The lamp crashed to the wall, its pieces scattering like fallen stars. I picked up the nearest chair and
The sterile air in the hospital room clung to me heavily with the weight of news I had just received. The quiet hum of the machines, the muted beeping of monitors, and the murmurs of voices in the hallway fell into the background, sitting on the edge of the bed, numb from the inside out. I couldn't wrap my brain around it: pregnant. with Noah's child. I felt my whole world had been turned upside down, spinning off its axis into some dark, unknowable void.I saw the gleam in Noah's eyes, smug satisfaction twisting his features into some grotesque parody of joy, as he came in. He strode across the room as though he now owned it; this was his victory, the prize he'd won. My stomach churned, the sickening feeling settling into my belly, with nothing else but dread and revulsion.Christie," he said, his voice thick and husky with an undercurrent of possession that did more to crawl down my skin than burrow itself deep within me. He leaned into the bed with all the slow deliberation of a con
It was clear now: I would not win this battle through brute force, resistance, or even appeals for mercy. Noah was immovable; his obsession with me stronger than any amount of fear or guilt he'd had. The only way I was going to escape now was by changing tactics, even if that meant betraying every instinct inside of me.It made my skin crawl even to think about it, but the desperation to be free-and the child I was now carrying-along with me drove me to extreme measures, suddenly very real-ones I never thought I'd consider. I had to make Noah believe I finally came around, that I had accepted him as my partner and that I was ready to let go of the past to build a future together. I had to lie to him, make him feel that he had won me while, in the reality of it, I was buying my time until the right moment to flee appeared.Countless hours in front of the mirror, practicing the smiles that once came out so effortlessly from me, trying to remember the warmth that once burned inside my eye
By the time we reached this rooftop café, the setting sun had already dipped below the mid-sky and was casting a golden glow over the city. The air was warm, tinged with the scent of fresh flowers and the faint hum of evening traffic below. It was a place that, under other circumstances, I could almost have found charming-an intimate little retreat where couples might lose themselves in each other's company, far above the noise and confusion of the world below. Tonight, however, the beauty of the setting only accentuated the tension knotted in my stomach. I was here on a date with Noah-a man I had come to despise, but whom I had to convince of my love.We strolled over the rooftop as my heart jolled in my chest. I could feel the weight of his gaze on me, scrutinizing my every move, every expression. I knew this wasn't just a date; it was a test. Noah was giving me just enough freedom to test whether I would betray him-if I would try and run. He was watching me, waiting for any sign tha
That night air had been a little keener than I'd expected, and by the time we returned to the apartment, I could feel it starting to seep into my bones. The flurry of excitement and adrenaline that had seen me through the evening quickly evaporated, replaced by extreme weariness. I ignored it at first, chalking it up to the stress of keeping my mask so long. But then, waking to the pounding headache, an exhaustion that had somehow become bone-deep by the next morning, I knew something was wrong.Noah was beside me in an instant, concern etched across his face, a cool hand pressed to my forehead. The fire that had so recently begun to build inside me was untempered by his touch. I tried to brush him off, to insist it was nothing, just a bit of a cold, but my voice was weak; the protests little more than a whisper."You're burning up," Noah said, his tone tight with concern. He didn't wait for me to argue, but called straight away for the doctor. I lay there, too tired to fight him, too