Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 80550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
God, I can’t stay here, not another minute.
I wait until his footsteps disappear, and I’m finally alone again. With stained cheeks, I lean up from the bed and gaze at the door, trying to decipher if the guard is still there watching over me. I get up and walk closer, listening in.
Nothing.
I crawl to the floor and peek underneath.
No shoes. Nothing.
He’s really gone.
Maybe Matteo wanted me to have some time to myself, in peace.
I climb back to my feet, staring at the door with shuddering lips, then turn my head to look at the small window in my adjacent bathroom.
This is my only shot.
Without thinking it through, I bolt to my cabinet and pull out any short wire I can find, along with something to pry open a window—a spoon from my cup of coffee. I hurry to the bathroom, grab the stool in the corner, and scoot it up underneath the window.
When I sat in the bathtub, I noticed that this window was the only one in my room that wasn’t barred. It’s small and barely noticeable behind the curtain, but I saw.
And I don’t think they realized it might be big enough for a person like me to fit through.
I shove the big metal spoon I have into the space between the window and the opening, and then bend the wire until it’s got the handle. I push it through the window and curl it up until it hooks under the handle from the outside.
Sweat droplets roll down my back as I twist and push it farther up until the handle is far enough.
Click.
A smile slowly forms on my face.
It worked. It worked!
I nearly giggle, but then slam my hand in front of my mouth before any sound escapes.
I shove the window open fully and suck in the breath of fresh air I’ve longed for. Then I wriggle my way through the window like it’s a goddamn escape hatch, scrunching up my body in my small bathrobe until I fit through.
I crawl onto the small windowsill and gaze out onto the grass down below. It’s steep and terrifying. Sweat rolls down my skin as I clutch the walls, while I consider my options. There’s an awning to my right that I might be able to jump onto and use as a cushion … but I might just fall through.
It’s risky. It’s insane.
But there’s no way in hell I’m going back in there either.
So I swallow away the fear and make the jump.
MATTEO
After I’ve finally rinsed off all the blood, I dry off with the towel, but nothing I do rids me of this rage. I’m fuming from the carelessness with which Lucio simply erased my employees, like they weren’t even people at all to him.
That monster couldn’t care less who lives or dies as long as he has his prized possession.
Well, he’ll have to snatch her out of my cold, dead hands.
I spritz some cologne on my neck and get dressed again while taking some deep breaths to calm myself down. While I glance at myself in the mirror, the only thing that makes me smile again is the thought of her fingers spreading that apricot seed dust all over that cake.
How did she even manage to figure that out? Smart girl.
The rage only subsides a little from the thought of her, but it’s enough to clear my head.
God, those magical fingers of hers as she rubbed the tension right out of me should be worshipped. I wanted to stop myself from moaning out loud right in front of her, but my cock had other plans.
However, I refuse to be led by my dick, no matter how badly it wants the pussy that shall not be his. She doesn’t want me and may never.
Suddenly, my door opens, and Sarah rushes inside my room, panting, while nearly falling over her own feet. “Sir, Stella has escaped.”
My eyes widen as they connect with hers through the mirror. And I abruptly spin on my heel. “She did WHAT?” I bark.
“I couldn’t find her in her room,” she says as I barge over to her. “I looked everywhere. I even checked her bathroom. She’s missing,” she says.
“What do you mean missing?”
I waltz past her and out the door, heading straight toward Stella’s bedroom. But the moment I push open her door, the chilly wind makes my skin crawl.
She’s gone. She’s really gone.
What the hell?
“I don’t know how she did it,” Sarah says behind me as she finally catches up. “All the rooms are locked whenever she is inside, and the windows are barred, right?”
I nod. “They should be.”
Sarah seems completely beside herself with panic. But I have more important things to focus on, like where the hell my wife is.
I search through her room, open all the closets, check under the bed, and I even double-check the bathroom, but she’s nowhere to be seen. The only thing that’s off is the tiny window in the bathroom corner that’s open, which it shouldn’t be.