“if you really want to help me, then tell me the way out of this nightmare. I want to escape this hell and go away from him as much as I can”
The heavy silence that followed my words felt suffocating, and I could practically hear my heart pounding in my chest.
She kept staring at me as if she were not expecting this request. She blinked, and her lips parted as if she wanted to say something but nothing came out of her mouth.
I held my breath, waiting for her to speak, but as second turned into an eternity, my hopes began to fade. It was as if plea had fallen on deaf ears, and the realisation sent a pang of despair through me
After a minute m, which felt like an eternity, she broke the silence.
“As much as I want help you” she looked down, fiddling with her fingers” but I can’t”.
“It’s okay” I finally murmured, my voice quivering. “I suppose I will have to endure the punishment for my brother’s deeds for the rest of my life”
“I….” She placed her hand over my shoulder. “You may not be aware of the mafia group and it’s intricacies but I was raised here and it is practically impossible for you to escape him until and unless he doesn’t want it ” she told me. “No matter where you hide, he will surely track you down and bring you back” she sucked in a deep, audible breath.
“And then I am not sure what…”
“Just tell me the way out of this” I cut her short, “Before I lose my mental, physical, and emotional balance” she was still silent.
“Please” I whispered, my voice barely audible admist my choked sobs, “I don’t want to end up like you ” my eyes once again welled up with tears.
The fact that I had lost control over my emotions was suffocating. Tears are rolling down my cheeks without any reason.
The last hope that I had shattered and I looked away, trying the control myself. I cannot let myself break so easily. I cannot let him win.
The only sound that could be heard was my laboured breath.
“Library” she suddenly said, breaking the silence.
“Library?” I looked up at her.
She looked around and suddenly stood up to close the door of the room, which was still open. Returning to my side, she leaned in and lowered her voice. “There is a hidden way in the library”
My heart thumped in my chest and my eyes widened as she showed me the way of hope.
“Where is the library?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking, as I didn’t know that this house also had a library.
“It is on the second floor. There is a big bookshelf there, behind which there is a sliding door that leads to an underground tunnel that is connected to the garden outside” she drew a deep breath “No one, not even Grace, has permission to enter the library without my brother’s permission. Wait for them to leave before trying anything because they are very loyal and won’t hesitate to inform my brother if they suspect anything ”
I nodded and hugged her tightly, grateful for her help.
“Thank you so much” I will never forget this favour you’re doing for me” I said as I pulled back.
“There is no need to thank Mr. I would be happy if I am able to save you” she said, drawing a deep breath. “Just make sure brother doesn’t catch you back”
I nodded. I could see concern and fear in her eyes.
Picking up my clothes, she gave them to me before turning around and taking her leave.
I knew the path ahead was more risky than I could imagine m, but I was determined to seize this chance at freedom, no matter what challenges lay ahead.
But no matter what, I will always be thankful to Desy for helping me so much when she knows that Ansell won’t be happy if he finds out about this.
Without wasting any more time, I stood up. I wiped the tears from my cheeks with the back of my trembling hand and hastily put on the clothes she had given me.
I can’t go out of the room in this state, disheveled, broken, and utterly defeated. I knew I needed to regain a semblance of composure before I could even think about executing our escape plan.
I decided to wash my face and make myself look like a human first.
My heart was thumping so loudly in my chest that a second, I thought it would come out. The adrenaline rushed into my veins out of anticipation.
Shaking my head and drawing a deep breath to prepare myself for what came next, I stepped into the bathroom. My heart shrank when I saw my reflection in the mirror.
I was looking at least normal when he was not home but right now I was looking like a homeless, a prisoner in the actual sense. My eyes were red and puffy because I had been crying continuously, my nose and lips were swollen; and my hair was not looking any less than a nest. My cheeks were stained with tear tracks and the weariness has now reached the depths of my soul.
Though at the moment I don’t care about my appearance, I need to maintain it so that I don’t raise any suspicion among his people.
With a heavy exhale, I turned the tap, allowing water to rush over my trembling hands. I splashed the cool water onto my face until I was satisfied that I had washed away all the tears. I even splashed water on my eyes to reduce their redness. Though my t didn’t work properly, they still looked better than before.
Dabbing a towel on my face, I came out. I quickly gathered my unruly tresses and secured them into a high ponytail.
With a final, determined gaze into the mirror, I met my own eyes and silently reminded myself of the person I had been before this nightmare began. No matter what he or anyone else had done to me, they could not break the core of who I was. The strength that had been a part of me since before this ordeal was a force that still lived within me. I couldn’t let myself be shattered.
With a strong resolution, I came out of the room and realized that, without even knowing it, to had taken around fifteen minutes. Desy was sitting on the couch in the living room. Our eyes locked for a second before she averted her gaze because a servant passed by us and didn’t miss the chance to notice us.
I decided to go around as I usually do since the day I came here and entered the kitchen to find Grace preparing dinner.
She caught my presence her head snapped in my direction as soon as I stepped in. As I entered m, her warm smile greeted me, but it quickly faded as she observed me closely.
“What happened?” She asked as she came to me, “Why is your face swollen and your eyes so puffy and red?”
“Um” my eyes moved around to come up with an excuse”Actually I slept after giving lunch to Desy and have just woken up. I think it has swollen because I overslept”
I smiled to cover my lie but she didn’t seem too accept my words.
“Enough about me. Tell me how is your grandson?” I asked her to change the topic.
“Oh, he is doing better now. There was some blood loss, but the doctor assured us that we brought him to the hospital in time. He’s resting at home ” she told me.
“You should have taken leave and looked after him for today ” I said.
“No need, dear. I’ll be back soon enough ” Grace shook her head, her lips curving into a gentle smile.
I nodded.
“Come, help me with preparing dinner for sir” she invited, leading the way into the kitchen.
I walked with her and helped her with everything she wanted. Though I was physically present here helping her with the kitchen chores, in reality, my mind was wandering, thinking about how I was going to escape from here.
Grace’s voice pulled me back to the present every now and then, but my response were absent-minded.
The food was almost ready when Desy came to the kitchen to make the announcement.
“Ansell just called me to inform me that he won’t be coming back tonight. So you all could leave after you are done” she said, leaving without even glancing at me for once.
A wave of relief and happiness washed over me as I heard her.
He is not going to be here, which means he will not come to know that I have escaped.
“I can understand your happiness” she said, her tone warm and empathetic ” smile often, you look beautiful”
. Grace’s words caught my attention and this is when I realised that I was smiling from ear to ear.
As the minutes ticked away, everyone resumed their tasks with renewed vigor, driven by the thought of leaving early. The once daunting workload for which they usually take so much time was swiftly complete, and by the time they departed, the clock read 7:30 in the evening.
Desy was nowhere to be seen and I assumed she must have gone back to her room. After giving her the dinner Grace also left and this was my time to execute my plan.
This was the moment I had been waiting for
With a heart thumping loudly in my chest, I made my way upside down with the hope that I was going through do would help me come out of this deadly situation and I would not fall into another trouble.