Nowhere to Hide
842 Words
Lena barely slept that night. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt Damien’s presence looming over her. She could still feel the way his fingers had tightened around her wrist, the way his voice had been too soft, too knowing.
He knew something.
She replayed the moment over and over in her mind. Had she hesitated too long? Had she breathed too fast? Damien was a master of reading her, of sensing even the smallest shift in her behavior. If he suspected she was planning something, he wouldn’t let it go. He would watch her even closer.
Morning came too soon. Damien was already awake, sitting at the edge of the bed, watching her. His expression was unreadable.
“Morning, sweetheart,” he murmured, brushing her hair back. “You were restless last night.”
Lena forced a small smile, trying to look groggy instead of terrified. “Just had a lot on my mind.”
He hummed, his thumb tracing slow circles on her arm. “Anything you want to tell me?”
Her stomach twisted, but she kept her voice steady. “Just work stuff.”
Damien studied her for a moment longer, then leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I worry about you, you know.”
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. He was testing her, feeling for cracks. If she showed even a sliver of fear, he would seize on it.
---
Lena moved through the day as if walking on glass—careful, deliberate. She had to be smarter. Damien had almost caught her last night—she couldn’t afford another mistake.
She checked her phone for the millionth time, making sure her messages to Claire were deleted. Every step she took had to be invisible.
At lunch, she slipped away to a quiet café, her heart hammering. She had arranged to meet a contact—someone Claire knew, someone who could help her disappear.
A woman in her late thirties was already waiting at a corner table, her dark eyes sharp as Lena approached.
“You’re Lena?”
Lena nodded, sliding into the seat. “Claire said you could help.”
The woman, Sarah, sipped her coffee. “You need to vanish. That’s not easy.”
“I don’t have a choice,” Lena whispered. “He’s watching me.”
Sarah studied her for a long moment. “You’ll need cash. A new phone. No contact with anyone he could track. You leave, you don’t come back.”
Lena swallowed hard. “I know.”
Sarah nodded. “I’ll set things up. But you have to act normal until the last second. One slip, and he’ll know.”
Lena exhaled shakily. “Okay.”
---
That night, she walked into the apartment like nothing had changed. Damien was in the kitchen, slicing vegetables with slow, deliberate precision.
“You’re home late,” he commented.
Lena forced a laugh. “Got caught up with Claire.”
Damien’s knife paused mid-slice. “Claire.”
Something about the way he said her name sent a chill through Lena.
Then, he smiled. “I was thinking,” he said, setting the knife down. “We should take a trip. Just the two of us.”
Lena’s breath caught. “A trip?”
Damien nodded, his gaze never leaving hers. “You’ve been stressed. We could get away. Somewhere quiet. No distractions.”
Panic curled in Lena’s gut. A trip meant isolation. No escape. He was planning something.
She forced herself to relax. “That sounds nice,” she lied.
His eyes darkened, watching her too closely. “Good,” he murmured. “I’ll handle everything.”
Lena smiled, but inside, she was screaming.
---
She had to leave. Tonight.
Lena waited until Damien was asleep. She lay still for hours, listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing. Only when she was certain he was deep in sleep did she carefully slide out of bed, moving with painstaking slowness. Her heart pounded so loudly she was sure it would wake him.
She grabbed the bag she had hidden in the closet and crept toward the door.
Her fingers barely brushed the doorknob before a voice whispered behind her.
“Going somewhere?”
Lena froze.
Slowly, she turned. Damien stood in the shadows, his expression eerily calm.
“I asked you a question, sweetheart.”
Her pulse thundered. “I—I was just getting some air.”
Damien tilted his head. “Air?”
He took a step forward. “With a bag?”
Lena’s mouth went dry. “It’s nothing, I—”
He moved too fast. One moment he was across the room, the next his fingers were around her wrist, squeezing.
“Don’t lie to me,” he whispered.
Lena’s breath came in sharp, panicked gasps. “Damien—”
His grip tightened. “You belong to me, Lena.”
Terror surged through her as he pulled her close, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper.
“You’re never leaving.”
---
- Writer
