LOGINAshley’s POVThe dreadful cold that seeped through my clothes, penetrating them, my skin, and seemingly reaching into my bones, was what I woke up to.Even before I opened my eyes, I knew where I was. My entire body ached and hurt so badly that I was terrified that I must have broken several bones.A soft whimper came, and I started, until I realized that it came from my own lips. I opened my eyes, or at least, I tried to. I could barely see anything.In fact, I could only see faintly from one of my eyes, but I couldn’t see a single thing from the other one, which probably meant that it was swollen shut, or maybe it was even now blind.Even though my entire body protested the movement, I forced myself to get into a sitting position, then I scooted back against the stonewall, my fairly good eye watering and pitiful whimpers escaping from my throat as pain ravaged every single fiber of my being.Of course, I was back in the dungeon once again, and this time around, there would be no esc
Ashley’s POVThen I ran down the empty street, screaming my lungs out, but even as I did so, I doubted anyone would hear my screams.This was a rich neighborhood, and most of the houses here were mansions like Will’s, with the main house far away from the gate.“Help!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. “Help me, please. Someone help me.” I screamed. My voice tore through the air, sounding raw and desperate, but even as I screamed, I knew that no one was coming to help me. No one was going to hear me.“And what are you waiting for? Fucking grab her before she screams down the whole street and manages to alert someone.” I heard the man say.My heart slammed violently against my ribs, and I increased my pace, but I was no match for whoever it was that sent after me. Soon, I heard heavy footsteps chasing right behind me.No, no … no …My legs seemed to develop a mind of their own, and they pushed me forward even faster. My lungs were burning and my vision blurred with tears, but still,
Ashley’s POVWhat did this mean? Was it safe for me to continue driving towards the gate? Who was the driver and perhaps, other occupants of that car?There were two possibilities I could think of. The first one was that the car outside probably belonged to a regular visitor who had come to visit Will impromptu and had no idea what was going on inside the house.If that was the case, then maybe I could salvage that situation. I could just pretend that I was also a visitor who was now leaving, and none would be the wiser.Hell, I could even ask them for help, but I wouldn’t do that. I would rather just leave and take my chances, because what if they happened to be just as mentally disturbed as Will?The other option was that the people at the gate were the ones that Will had been waiting for.If the second option was correct, then that meant that I was well and truly doomed. Those people would definitely bundle me back to Will, and there will be hell to pay.Oh God, please let it be th
Ashley’s POVI couldn’t see my phone on the table or on the armchair where Will had last kept it, so he had probably taken it with him, and I wasn’t about to waste precious time searching for it.The front door was locked, which meant that my only hope now was the back door. It was always locked as well, but at least Will always left the key in the lock because he always went out through the front door.“Please, God, please let the key be in the lock.” I prayed silently.Adrenaline coursed through my entire body as I raced through the house towards the utility room. It seemed to take forever to get to where the back door was, because most of the house, especially the path through which I ran, was shrouded in darkness.I couldn’t waste time searching for a switch to turn the lights on, so I had to use muscle memory to find my way. I stumbled against many objects on the way and stubbed my big toe hard against something two times.The second time, I was sure it drew blood, but I simply w
Ashley’s POVWhile all I wanted to do was spit in his face and tell him how much of a monster he was, I forced my expression to look like I was scared.Right now, my survival depended on my acting skills, of which, if I was being honest, I actually didn't have any, but I had to try my best. Luckily enough, I was already terrified, so it didn’t take too much for me to force myself to shake in fear.Will’s eyes darkened with excitement when he saw that I was trembling, and he reached out a hand to grab me, but I turned and ran in the opposite direction.He clearly hadn’t been expecting that, because he swore, and I heard his footsteps as he came after me.“Hey, do you really want me to fight for it?” he called out laughingly as his footsteps echoed behind me.That was good. It was exactly what I wanted. As I ran with my back turned to him, my hands moved quickly, and I pulled out the screwdriver from beneath my bra and concealed it in my palm.To Will, this was a game, but to me, it was
Ashley’s POVI was the most scared I had been in my entire life, yet my mind remained blank as to how to get out of this situation. Will was much bigger and stronger than I was.He could overpower me in the blink of an eye if I tried anything funny. I knew that as well as I knew my own name, so I had to be very careful to strike him where it mattered the most when I did decide to use the screwdriver.I thought of the people who were on their way to the house and knew that if they got here before I figured something out, I was done for.Suddenly, something in me snapped, and I shot to my feet before I could second-guess myself.The sudden movement surprised Will, and his eyes widened slightly, but then, he stood up as well, his expression becoming angry.“And what do you think you’re doing?” he demanded harshly.“I'm not going back to that hellhole. I’d rather die than do that, but I also have no intention of dying today,” I informed him in a shaky voice, tilting my chin defiantly.Wil
Claire’s POVSilence wallowed in the room for several moments, and then I spoke again, my tone bitter, even to my ears.“You know they’ll never allow me to come back. You know that better than anyone else. They frustrated me a lot when I was working there before. They were always finding fault in e
Claire’s POVIn fact, several of them had the unmitigated gall to boldly lift their phones and record me being escorted away.I immediately stopped struggling and desperately tried to hold on to whatever remaining dignity I had left as the security guards led me insistently away.I could feel my re
Claire’s povI lowered my eyes in embarrassment. “No, Dad.""So what the hell are you talking about?""Em, well, we ... Jeff and I have never dated in the sense of the word. We’ve … done, er, … stuff together, but he never agreed to put a label on what we had.”“So you’ve been lying to us this who
Jeff’s POV“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I asked her incredulously.“What does it look like I’m doing, Jeff? I’m trying to remind you of what you’re missing, of course! I can make this right, you know. There's no need to throw away what we have on account of a nobody. You and I have al







