Chapter 3: The Puppet and the Puppeteers
1079 Words
Evangeline’s POV:
I am startled awake when someone knocks loudly against the door.
Fuck.
I had gotten so used to sleeping against the cold walls of a cell that I had unconsciously curled up right in front of the door, my ear pressed against it.
So when the loud bang came, the reverberation made it feel like an earthquake.
I jerk upright, my pulse racing, and out of reflex, I yank the door open—without even checking my reflection.
The moment I do, I regret it.
Standing outside is a familiar-looking Beta, his expression frozen in wide-eyed incredulity.
Dark, curly hair, slanted feline like hazel eyes, and tanned skin.
The name slips past my lips, raspy and heavy with sleep. “Hugo?”
His eyes widen slightly before he quickly lowers his gaze to the floor and bows his head respectfully.
“I apologize for disturbing your sleep in such a rude manner,” he says, his voice even, professional. “I had been knocking for a while and became worried when you didn’t respond.”
I blink, my mind still groggy. Ah… well. That made sense.
I had gotten used to sleeping through a lot of noise.
There had been so much ruckus in the underground cells—screams, chains rattling, constant footsteps—that I had learned to sleep through anything.
A small flicker of embarrassment creeps in as I instinctively wipe my cheek—only to feel the dried crusts of drool on my skin.
Fuck.
In my last life, my reputation as a respectable Omega had lasted for a month and a half at least.
This time?
I had ruined it in just a month.
Well.
All the more reason to escape as soon as possible.
“The Lord awaits you for breakfast,” Hugo announces formally before quickly scurrying away down the hall.
I stare after him, stunned.
Wait.
What?
“What do you mean awaits me for breakfast?!” I yell after him, but he disappears around the corner.
That doesn’t make sense.
Orion had never eaten breakfast with me after we’d spent the night together.
Especially in the early years of our marriage, we had rarely shared meals—maybe once or twice a week at best.
He had always been too busy to sit down and eat with me consistently.
So why now?
Fuck.
I mutter a low curse under my breath, shut the door, and march toward the bathroom.
And the second I glance in the mirror, I immediately slap my forehead in mortification.
My hair is an absolute disaster.
A bird’s nest. A crime against humanity.
As much as I wanted to leave this place, I knew better than to draw any suspicion to myself.
Because even though Orion was a complete and utter asshole…
He was possessive of his things.
And to him, I was just that—
A thing.
I highly doubted he would let me leave peacefully if I asked.
Which meant I had to play along.
I inhale deeply, reaffirming my plan.
I will smile sweetly, act like a dumb submissive Omega, just as I had in my past life.
And all the while…
I’ll be silently planning my escape.
I know I can’t do this alone.
But I already know exactly who to use.
After a quick shower, I brush through my hair and slip into a pastel pink dress with bell sleeves and a ruffled skirt that falls just above my knees.
I frown.
It had been years since I had worn anything like this.
After Orion started openly cheating on me, I had stopped dressing up entirely.
Silk nightgowns, neutral-colored midi dresses, muted tones—that had been my uniform.
But now?
I look like a walking doll.
I grab my phone, stepping out of the room, only to slam straight into a solid chest.
I wince, stumbling backward, clutching my nose as sharp pain flares.
Tears prick my eyes as I look up at the man I just ran into.
An angry-looking Orion.
Of course.
“Why are you so late?” His deep, irritated voice grates against my ears.
I quickly pull my hands away from my nose—even though it’s still throbbing.
“I overslept. I’m sorry.”
Orion huffs, grabs my wrist, and starts leading me toward the dining room without another word.
The moment we step inside, it hits me.
My stomach churns.
Two figures are already seated at the long dining table.
The moment my gaze meets theirs, my body goes rigid.
Vladimir Volkovitch and Maria Volkovitch.
Orion’s parents.
A shiver crawls up my spine.
Memories of this exact moment resurface, hauntingly clear.
Except this time, there’s one difference.
In my past life, Orion had warned me in advance that his parents were coming.
I had spent the entire previous night sleepless, anxious, desperate to make a good impression.
But today?
Today, I walked in completely unprepared.
Fuck.
Vladimir stares at me with cold, narrowed eyes.
Maria, however, rises to her feet, her face painted with a bright, saccharine smile.
She moves toward me, arms outstretched.
“Oh, you look like a doll, sweetie,” she coos, pulling me into a hug. “How are you?”
I stiffen at the contact before forcing a sweet smile onto my lips.
“I’m great! Thank you, Mother. How are you?”
The air in the room drops several degrees.
I keep smiling.
Maria hates when I call her that.
Maria Volkovitch is a snake in silk.
For all her warmth and sweetness, she is a calculating, manipulative b***h.
The first time I met her in my past life, she had smiled just like this and greeted me in the exact same way.
And then?
She had spent the next hour passive-aggressively tearing me apart.
I had made a mistake back then.
I had worn a red silk dress.
And Maria had hated it.
But today, by some twist of fate, I had chosen the right color.
Soft. Innocent.
Exactly how they had wanted me to be.
Because to them, I wasn’t a person.
I was a puppet.
A perfect little blonde doll, carefully raised to be Orion Volkovitch’s Omega from birth.
A deal struck between my parents and his.
One that ensured I would never see the outside world.
One that ensured I would remain obedient, uneducated, and easy to control.
I had been their greatest success.
The stereotypical dumb blonde.
Their perfect little puppet.
- Writer
