Chapter 24: The Escape Plan
1109 Words
Lucy’s POV
I slammed the door so hard that it could get angry with me. I locked it from the inside so no one could access or disturb me. My body was still shaking, and my heart was racing tremendously.
What exactly just transpired before me?
Did he really kiss me?
And to think that I also kissed him back.
And then, just when I was beginning to enjoy it, he pulled away like I was a plague, or rather, a damn mistake.
I hated myself for giving the chance to do so.
How did this even happen? Why did I leave myself to fall for him? After everything he made me pass through, from threatening me to abusing me mentally and now emotionally.
I paced restlessly around the room with shaky hands. My chest threatened to explode and release its content.
He made me feel welcomed, that I belonged, and was safe… but that was only two seconds.
I felt lucky that I wouldn't be treated badly anymore, that I was finally seen for who I was, and that my worth was finally known, maybe for a moment.
But that was stupid of me; I was trending on a wrong and dangerous path. He threw my stupidity before me.
Again, I returned to my lonely nights without care, longing for warmth and attention.
I sat quietly on the bed, my face carefully buried in my palms to hide my shame.
“This wasn't what I signed up for before coming here. I didn't plan to be in this type of mess or to be taken for granted, but that is exactly what is going on now.” I muttered.
“Not again; I can't give him the chance to continue breaking me. He has done more than enough."
Eli’s face was the first thing to flash repeatedly in my head. At first, it was small and blurry; then, it became sick and vulnerable.
This only points to one thing: He needed me to stand firm for him. He won't make it if I'm not focused on the goal of getting him well. I don't need distractions, especially those in human form like Ryker.
I can't afford to play the role of a love-struck fool, especially in a fake marriage.
I won't be a part of it, not now, not in the future.
I stood up and paced one more time around the room, and then an idea struck me. I immediately raced to the drawer and searched for my journal.
On the last page, I wrote down a few things and added more to the list I already had with me.
The Plan was to leave immediately after childbirth.
But there are steps to take before going, including protecting Eli first, packing only the essentials lightly, investigating and discovering hidden routes for escaping, and then disappearing without a trace.
I stared at the book with my plans. Especially the word disappear. How will the babies survive without my presence in their lives? But that wasn't part of the deal. I wasn't supposed to think about what would happen after the contract ended.
I don't need to stay more than necessary. If not, I might fall completely for him, and I'm sure Ryker won't reciprocate the feeling. Instead, he would do everything possible to break me beyond repair. And that won't be a new thing; that's his way of life.
The next morning, just like every other morning before breakfast, he came down too early to eat. Maybe he was hungry or wanted to see me, to get a glimpse of me. When he sensed my presence, he immediately looked up, his eyes saying much more than his mouth could ever say.
"Lucy....I..."
I sat very far within his reach. I didn't want negative energy around me. And to think of starting my day with one, that won't happen.
He paused to see how far I was sitting. “You seem to be avoiding me lately.”
I ignored him, cut a piece of fruit, chewed silently, and said nothing.
“Lucy...I...,” he tried making a complete sentence again, voice lower this time.
“I’m just too tired to walk around,” I muttered.
He stood to approach my side of the dining table. “Look… about what happened between us last night...”
“Don’t even start,” I quickly added. “It meant nothing to me, and I should do the same to you.”
He stared blankly like someone had just received a hot slap. Like I just slapped him.
I stood there speechless; he was beginning to draw attention toward us, and I didn't like it for me. “Please, can we just return to how we used to be? The normal way of this arrangement has been a contract, and you are concentrating only on your pack, the baby, and not me? That's all that I want."
He frowned, his expression not pleasant to behold. “Is that really what you want for yourself?”
I held his gaze coldly. “Exactly what I desire at this point."
He looked away like he was suppressing a tear from coming out. That would be a first; I haven't encountered an Alpha showing weakness to the point of crying. “Fine, that's cool by me.”
“Fine, that settles it.”
We both turned and took the opposite direction, ensuring to back each other, unwilling to apologise or settle our differences. But even as we left without eating breakfast, I could still feel his presence on me. It got to the point that we stopped meeting like lovers at night. We avoided meeting each other at breakfast and skipped meals, never to cross paths.
Then, one night, he decided to corner me, and exactly in the hallway.
“You're deliberately shutting me out of your life,” he had said.
“I’m only doing the necessary thing to protect myself.”
“From what or who exactly?”
“I'm protecting myself from you,” I snapped angrily.
He became quiet.
Then, like a different person, he said softly, “I never had it in mind to hurt you. I didn't dream of doing so.”
I forced a mocking smile. “And yet, that's exactly what you have been doing ever since I arrived here."
That made him keep quiet. With that, I walked past him without looking back. I had to, for my sanity's sake. I had to because Eli's survival depended on it. I had to because I might forget all my plans and still be hurt over and over again.
- Writer
