Chapter 5 – What He Takes Without Asking
1163 Words
Chapter 5 – What He Takes Without Asking
Lisa’s point of view
When I woke up, the schedule was already there.
It was on the small table next to my bed and was printed on thick paper. Clean lines.. Black ink. Every hour of my day was already full.
6:30—Get up
7:00 a.m. — Breakfast
8:00—Ethan's therapy 10:00—Personal time (inside)
12:00—Lunch
2:00—Rest
5:00—Dinner
I looked at it for a long time.
Personal time. Inside.
Like I was a plant that needed shade.
I stood up and crumpled the paper in my hand. Clara was already there when I opened the door.
"Good morning, Mrs. Hale," she said. "Your clothes are ready."
She pointed to a seat. There was a dress there. Soft material. Light blue. Too kind. Too much planning.
"I didn't pick that," I said.
"It was chosen for comfort," she said.
"I'll wear my own," I said and walked to my closet.
Clara stepped in front of me. Not touching. Just blocking.
She said again, "Mr. Crowe likes things to stay the same."
That sentence stayed with me everywhere.
“I’m not his employee.”
"No," she said. “ You are under his care."
I brushed past her and took off my jeans. The dress was gone when I got back.
“Where did it go?”
Clara's face stayed the same. "It will be kept."
I could feel heat rising in my chest. "You can't take my things."
A voice from the doorway.
“I do.”
Alexander was already dressed and in charge of the day when he stood there.
“I didn’t ask.”
"I didn't need to."
I moved closer. "Are you dressing me now?"
“I’m getting rid of friction. Chaos wastes time.”
“I don’t have a system in my life.”
"It is now."
I made fists. "This wasn't part of the deal."
He turned his head a little. "You didn't read it closely enough."
That made me stop.
I looked at him. "I read every word."
"Then you missed the part where freedom was traded for safety."
My mouth felt dry. "That's not how contracts work."
"That's how leverage works.”
Ethan's laugh echoed down the hall.
I turned my head. He was running toward us, and his steps were getting stronger. Glad.
He yelled, "Mama!"
I made myself smile. "Hey, baby."
Alexander took a step back. Like he knew when to back off.
“Your therapy starts in ten minutes.”
"I'll take him," I said.
"That's not very efficient.”
I looked. "What?"
He went on, "The therapist is already there." "Clara will escort him."
Ethan frowned. "Mom?"
I said quickly, "I'm going."
Alexander's voice came in. "No."
The word hit like a wall.
“He needs a routine. You disrupt it.”
Something in me snapped.
“He is my son.” Each word landed hard. "You can't take moments from me just because they fit better on your clock."
The room went silent.
Ethan felt it. He stepped back, holding his dinosaur tight.
For a long second, Alexander looked at me.
After a long second, he nodded.
“Five minutes.”
It felt like a win.
It wasn't.
I figured out the pattern by the afternoon.
He could open doors when he wanted. Close them when he didn’t. They brought food without asking. Before I could reach for the medicine, it came.
I tried to get in touch with my sister.
No signal.
I tried again.
Nothing.
I went to Alexander's office without asking.
He was talking on the phone. He stopped when he saw me.
"You blocked my phone."
"There's no need for outside help."
"That's my family," I said.
He said, "They make noise."
I snapped, "You can't erase people."
He got up slowly. "I get to set priorities."
"For who?" I asked.
"For results," he said.
I shook my head. "You're shrinking me."
He came closer. "I'm making you stable."
"I didn't agree to this," I said.
“You said you would stay alive. This is the price.”
I laughed. "So, what else do you take without asking?"
His eyes blinked. Only once.
“Sleep. Peace. Illusions.”
"And freedom."
He didn't say no.
That night, I didn't stick to the plan.
I waited until the house was quiet. After that, I went to the back door. I knew it would be locked.
It was.
I tried the window.
Closed.
My chest got tight.
"Are you looking for something?" Alexander asked behind me.
I turned around. "You're following me."
“I make sure everything is done right.”
I said, "You're scared I'll leave."
He said, "I know you will try."
"Then why not let me go?" I said.
He moved closer. "Because you haven't finished."
"With what?" I asked.
He said, "With learning."
I pushed past him. "I won't live like this."
"You already are," he said.
I turned around, my anger burning. "This contract doesn't keep me safe."
His voice lowered.
“No. It keeps me safe.”
The words hurt more than anything else he had said.
"What?" I said it softly.
He looked at me all the way. No masks. No softness.
“If something happens, you can’t say I forced you. You can’t accuse me. You signed.”
Cold spread through me.
I said, "You used it as a shield."
"Yes.”
I said, "For yourself."
"For control.”
I stepped back.
I said, "You don't own me."
He got closer. Too close. His voice got lower.
"Not yet."
My heart hit my ribs hard.
I looked him in the eye and said the first honest thing I had felt since signing.
"Then you should be scared of what will happen when I stop following orders."
His lips bent a little.
"Good.” "That means you're still intact."
The danger between us was no longer hidden.
It was out in the open.
Neither of us stepped back.
His smile went away as quickly as it came.
There was a soft beep above us.
I stopped.
Alexander's eyes moved quickly past me, sharp and alert. He pulled out his phone and looked at it. Whatever he saw made him lose his cool.
"What's going on?" I asked.
He didn't respond to me.
He turned and walked quickly down the hall. I went along.
The door to Ethan's room was open.
Too open.
There was no one in the room. The bed was not touched. The dinosaur was on the floor.
My heart sank to my feet.
"Where is my son?"
Alexander stopped in his tracks.
The man’s voice was calm. Unfamiliar.
“Mr. Crowe, the child has been moved. According to the board’s decision.”
I shook and turned to Alexander.
“I didn’t know you weren’t the only one who owned the doors.”
And for the first time—
Alexander didn't seem to be in charge.
- Writer
