Bloody Rose

You would be free as planned

Rose’s POV

Getting home from the event, I slipped out of my dress and wiped away my makeup, slowly revealing everything I had been hiding beneath it.

Standing in front of the mirror, I took a deep breath as my eyes settled on the bruises and cuts scattered across my skin. A moment ago, I had looked perfect. Polished. Flawless. The kind of woman people admired from a distance.

Now, there was nothing left to hide behind.

Only me.

Broken and scarred.

I swallowed hard, trying to stop the tears from falling, but as always, my body betrayed me. The tears came anyway, slipping down my face as if they had been waiting for permission.

I hated what I saw in the mirror.

I hated this version of myself.

This shattered reflection of a woman who once believed in love, in safety, in freedom.

Now all I felt was weakness.

Helplessness.

And something deeper… emptiness.

I needed it all to end.

I needed to be free.

I crawled into bed and lay there, letting the darkness wrap around me like a thin, temporary shield. It was the only place where my thoughts quieted. The only place where I did not have to pretend to be strong.

And I let it take me.

Because in the darkness, I could almost forget who I had become.

Morning arrived too quickly.

The darkness faded the way it always did, slipping away no matter how tightly I clung to it. Light crept into the room, uninvited and harsh, forcing me back into reality.

I opened my eyes and turned to the other side of the bed.

Empty.

Neatly made.

“He didn’t come home last night,” I whispered to myself.

I forced myself up and walked into the bathroom, taking a cold shower that did nothing to wash away the heaviness in my chest.

Afterward, I dressed quickly and went downstairs for breakfast, trying to pretend I was normal. Trying to pretend my life was not falling apart piece by piece.

I had barely touched my food when the front door burst open.

Keith rushed in.

Fast. Angry. Determined.

Before I could even react, he grabbed my arm and pulled me up from the chair.

“Rose, get your things. We are leaving now,” he barked, dragging me toward the stairs.

My heart jumped into my throat.

“Keith, what is going on?” I asked as I struggled to keep up with him. “Where are we going? Why are you in such a rush?”

He did not slow down.

He dragged me into the bedroom and straight into the closet.

“Don’t just stand there looking at me. Pack your things. Fast,” he ordered, already throwing clothes into a bag without care or order.

I stood there frozen for a moment, confusion tightening in my chest.

Then I forced myself to speak again.

“Keith… what is happening? Where are we going?” I asked softly, watching him closely. “Why is everything suddenly so urgent?”

For a moment, he stopped.

Just for a moment.

Then he turned to me, and something about his expression shifted. It was not his usual cold dominance. It was different. Almost… controlled. Almost gentle.

Too gentle.

“Baby,” he said, walking toward me. “My princess, my love.”

I stiffened at the tone.

He touched my face lightly, as if I were fragile glass.

“You wanted a getaway, remember? The beach house. So that is where we are going,” he said with a small smile. “Be a good girl and pack your things. The helicopter will be here soon.”

He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.

My body did not relax.

It never did with him anymore.

“Rose,” he continued, already turning back to his things. “Whatever I am doing, I am doing it for our future. You have fifteen minutes.”

And just like that, he went back to packing as if nothing strange had happened.

But I knew.

Deep down, something was wrong.

This urgency. This sudden change of plans. It did not feel like a vacation.

It felt like an escape.

But I did not ask further questions.

I could not afford to.

A few minutes later, the helicopter arrived.

Soon, we were gone.

*

The Hampton residence was nothing like I expected.

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

Elegant in a way that felt almost unreal. The air was clean, the view stretching endlessly toward the water, waves crashing gently against the shore.

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe properly.

“This place is so peaceful,” I whispered to myself.

Peace was something I no longer recognized.

“Rose.”

Keith’s voice pulled me back.

I turned.

“I have some business to handle,” he said flatly. “Do not wait up for me. And remember, we are alone here. Do not open the door for anyone.”

I nodded immediately.

I never argued anymore.

I never questioned him.

And just like that, he left.

The silence that followed felt different.

Not heavy.

Not suffocating.

Just… empty.

I stood there for a long moment, staring at the ocean, my mind slowly shifting.

This was it.

My chance.

My only chance.

I walked back inside, my hands trembling slightly as I reached for my phone.

Zena.

I needed to tell her about the change of location.

But before I could dial, her call came in.

“Zena, I was just about to call you,” I said quickly, forcing a small smile into my voice.

“Really?” she laughed softly. “Then I guess we are connected.”

Her laughter eased something in me for a moment.

But it did not last.

“Rose,” she said more seriously. “How are you holding up? Did you convince him about the beach house?”

I hesitated.

“That is why I was calling you,” I said slowly. “We are not at the beach house. We are at the Hampton residence instead.”

There was a pause.

“Oh,” she said finally.

Her tone shifted, more alert now.

“Wait,” she added quickly. “Let me call you back.”

The line went dead.

I frowned, my heart tightening again.

Something was wrong.

Seconds later, my phone rang again.

I answered immediately.

“Zena? What is going on?” I asked, my voice rising with anxiety.

“Rose,” she said quickly, her tone firm now. “Listen to me carefully.”

My stomach dropped.

“You are going to be free from that monster soon,” she added.

My breath caught.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “Does the plan still work here?”

“Yes,” she replied. “My contacts confirmed it. Hampton is even better. Everything is still on track.”

My heart began to race.

“Then in five days…” I whispered.

“Yes,” Zena said. “In five days, you will be free.”

The words hit me harder than I expected.

Free.

After everything.

After all the pain.

After all the fear.

I stood there in silence, gripping my phone tightly as the reality settled into my chest.

In five days…

I would finally start my life again.