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This time, I run through the house and into the garden through the open French doors in the salon. I hear voices, Bruno's being one of them, and dart behind a large flower pot. He comes to a stop right in front of it, talking on the phone, and my heart beats nervously in my chest as he chuckles into the receiver, saying something about paychecks.
What's stopping him from killing me right now, if he spots me? Adrian's not here, he can't help. I'm completely at Bruno's mercy, so I have to make sure he doesn't notice me. I make myself as small and invisible as I can behind that flower pot, waiting for him to walk away. For several excruciatingly long seconds I'm certain he's going to find me hiding there, but luckily, he walks away, still distracted by his call.
I rush forward then, taking off deeper into the woods behind the house. I hear the noise of a car's engine and glance behind my back, my blood freezing in my veins when I see the familiar black limo pulling up in front of the Estate. That'll be Adrian, back home. How long is it going for one of them to notice I've escaped?
I don't have to spend much time thinking about the last one, because that moment, a high-pitched shriek comes from inside the house. I instantly know my time is running out and take off running through the woods behind the Estate. My heart is pounding louder than ever, but I force myself to put one foot in front of the other and keep going as fast as I can. At some point, I toss off my heels—it'll be easier to run barefoot, despite the sharp stabs and stings from the pine needles and broken twigs on the ground.
I keep going, blindly stumbling through the forest, and not paying any attention to my surroundings. My only thought is that I need to get as far away from the Estate as possible. Put as much distance between myself and Adrian as I can. Otherwise, it'll be too easy for him to find me and bring me back into my opulent, gilded cage.
Time passes excruciatingly slowly and I feel myself slowing down, getting tired. But I'm still determined. Except I thought I'd run into someone already. I'm too scared to venture to the road, knowing the Bernardis have probably sent guards to watch the area.
Instead, I keep stumbling through the forest.
I hear someone shouting my name moments later. Fighting the urge to start sobbing then and there, I force myself to keep going deeper and deeper into the forest. I move as quietly as I can and as far away as I can go from the voice calling my name.
I wonder if it's Bruno who has come after me. I know he wants me dead. Have I just given him the perfect opportunity to get rid of me once and for all? Fighting back sobs, I force myself to keep going, keep moving. The voice grows fainter and I gain confidence.
That is, until I see Adrian behind me and our eyes meet.
"She's here!" he yells.
I take off running, again. But he's faster than me and I soon realize I don't have a chance in hell. Any possibility of getting away disappears as I stumble, tripping over a tree root and falling down. In moments, Adrian has caught me. He wraps me up in his arms and a part of me wants to sob and beg him to take me back home and keep me safe. Another part demands for me to keep fighting and running. But I'm tired. So very tired.
“You’ve made a big mistake, bambina,” he tells me.
His voice sends chills down my spine.
He carries me back to the house as he barely looks at me.
I can't stand to raise my eyes to his, either. He carries me back in silence and I fight back tears of humiliation as we go past the maids in the grand hall, up the stairs and into my quarters.
He finally puts me down on the loveseat in the salon, and I catch my disheveled appearance in the mirror across from it. I look like a complete mess. My dress is muddy and torn, my feet covered in mud and my ankle is bright red and purple and painfully swollen.
Finally, Adrian sits in front of me.
I feel his cool, angry eyes watching me but I'm too afraid to look up at him.
"You've disappointed me," he tells me, "First of all, for thinking you could outrun me. And second, for trying to get away."
His tone makes goosebumps erupt all over my skin. "Can you really blame me?" I demand. "You left me here alone. Your father could have killed me."
"I have his word that he won't hurt you."
