Seven
1339 Words
After the failed escape attempt, I spent the rest of the night sitting in an armchair, staring at the portrait of Sasha.
Every time I looked at her, a fresh wave of guilt washed over me.
I found myself praying for her, this woman I had never even met. The fact that someone could have abducted her from a place like this, with all its security and wealth, meant they were powerful. And it meant I wasn’t safe either.
What if her killer was still out there, watching?
What if they saw me, Sasha's perfect double, walking around?
The thought sent a tremor of pure fear through me.
This was so much bigger than just stealing money for Jermaine.
The old Savannah would have been horrified at the thought of stealing.
The new Savannah, the one forged in betrayal and desperation, knew she could easily pocket a handful of the diamond earrings on the vanity, play along for a few days, and then vanish.
But two things stopped me.
First, the fear of the unknown enemy.
Second, the bond.
It was nothing like what I had felt for Ethan.
I had truly and deeply loved him. I loved his easy smile and the way he pursued me when he could have had anyone. I loved that he respected my choice to wait for marriage.
But even if Ethan and I hadn’t ended in a blaze of betrayal, even if we had married and I later met Xavier, I knew with soul-deep certainty that what I felt for Ethan would have been child’s play compared to this.
This bond with Xavier was a raging inferno.
With him, I doubted I could have waited a single day, let alone years. It was as if the rational part of my brain had been unplugged, and my body now had a mind of its own, reacting to him with a hunger that terrified me.
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts.
What if Sasha hadn’t disappeared?
What if Xavier, my fated mate, had met me while he was still married to her?
Would he have left his wife for me?
The questions piled up, stacking into a mountain of unknowns I had no answers for.
At exactly six o’clock, my phone buzzed with an incoming video call. It was Eve.
“Did you sleep?” she asked. Her face looked just as tired as I felt. “Did the doctor show?”
“No one came,” I replied, my voice hoarse. “Can I see my kids?”
She smiled and turned the phone around.
My breath caught.
My boys were just waking up in the bedroom they shared. Jermaine’s face filled the screen, his dark curls messy, his eyes still heavy with sleep.
“Mommy,” he murmured.
Oh, how I missed him.
An ache tore through my chest. I wanted to scoop him up, hold him close, and rock him the way I always did. We had only been apart for a day, but it felt like a year.
“Hi, my sweet boy,” I whispered. “Did you sleep well?”
Eve’s hand came into view, holding his medication. He grumbled, turning his face away.
“Don’t want it.”
“Just a little sip, baby,” I coaxed.
His breathing sounded rough through the speaker. Still, he took the bottle and drank, his eyes blinking up at me on the screen.
“Where are you, Mommy? I need more apple juice.”
A wave of affection slammed into me.
This precious, fragile boy was the major reason I decided to stay back. I wasn’t a thief. I wasn’t a liar. But for him, I would become whatever I needed to be.
“I went somewhere for a little while, my love,” I said, forcing a smile. “But I’ll be back before you know it. Auntie Eve’s going to take good care of you.”
Just then, Jace came bounding into the frame, full of energy.
“Where, Mommy? Where did you go?” he asked, already wide awake.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. This was it. The first big lie.
“I got a new job, sweetie. It’s in another town, so I won’t be around as much for a little while. But Eve will take you to school and make all your favorite meals.”
Jace lit up. “Eve lets us eat ice cream whenever we want!”
I gasped. “Is that so? Well, aren’t you going to miss your mommy at all?”
“I will,” he said thoughtfully. “But you don’t give us treats.”
I pretended to be offended, but my smile faded when I looked back at Jermaine.
His eyes were brimming.
“I want to come with you, Mommy,” he whispered, his lower lip trembling.
“Oh, baby,” I said gently, my heart breaking. “I promise I’ll come back for you as soon as I get a place for us to stay.”
“But you’re already in a big bedroom,” he said quietly, glancing around at my background. He had clearly taken in more than I expected.
I flinched. He was too observant.
“This old place?” I said with a fake laugh. “This isn’t my house, silly. I’m sharing it with lots of people. It’s loud, the food’s bad, and all they watch is the news. No cartoons.”
Jace wrinkled his nose. “I don’t want to come, then.”
Jermaine’s crying subsided. He was curious now. I let out a breath of relief.
After a few more minutes, Eve took the phone back and walked toward the kitchen.
“Aren’t you going to work?” I asked, remembering it was a weekday.
She laughed. “Please. Been done with that job for months. This was just the push I needed.” She winked. “Now I’m a full-time nanny. I get a fat paycheck from you and I still get to screw Noah. Win-win.”
I frowned. “What about when you have to go to Noah’s place? What if he gets uncomfortable with this whole situation? He could expose me, Eve. Xavier is his Alpha.”
“He’s wrapped around my little finger,” she said, waving it off. “And if I stay at his place, I’ll get a sitter. Don’t stress.”
“You have to let me vet them first,” I said quickly.
“I’ve got it handled, Mom,” she teased. “You’re such a control freak. You think no one can take care of your kids like you can.”
“I do not,” I said, though we both knew it wasn’t entirely untrue.
“Uh-huh. In two weeks, they’ll be calling me Mommy,” she joked.
I was about to argue when footsteps pounded in the hallway. Fast. Coming toward my door.
“I have to go,” I whispered and ended the call.
The door burst open. Xavier’s little girl ran in, arms full of dolls. I didn’t even know her name.
She looked up at me, hope shining on her face. And just like that, all my fear and guilt melted into something gentler. Pity, maybe.
I opened my arms.
She flew into them, tucking her head against my chest the way my boys always did. I kissed the top of her head.
“Mommy,” she whispered. “Please don’t run away again.”
My smile felt brittle like it could break at any second.
She pulled back and started chattering nonstop about her dolls, “Aunt Beatrice,” her grandma, great-grandpa, names and stories I didn’t know.
I nodded, pretending to understand.
But deep inside, a knot of dread tightened in my gut.
How many people had Sasha known?
How many memories was I supposed to carry?
How long until someone realized I wasn’t her?
It wasn’t a matter of if.
It was only a matter of when.
- Writer
