AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 8
Oriana
I feel like I’m floating. And I haven’t been able to stop smiling all day. Being with Flint is exciting, exhilarating even, but at the same time, his strong, steady presence makes me feel at peace. It makes me feel safe.
“There’s someone who’d like to see you,” he tells me as we step out of the bedroom.
I furrow my brow. “Who?”
He shoots me a mischievous smile, but there’s a nervous edge to it. “You’ll see.”
He takes my hand in his and brushes a kiss over my knuckles. I can’t hold back a happy sigh.
“Come on,” he says, tugging at my hand. I follow him down the hallway toward the kitchen. The sound of talking and laughter mixes with the sound of music.
“This might be a bit of a shock,” Flint says, and before I can ask what he means, we reach the kitchen and I freeze, not believing my eyes. But no. This is actually real. Standing right there, an infant on her arm, is my mother.
My world tilts and shifts and I feel sick. She looks different than I remember. Her hair, the same shade as mine, is longer than I ever saw it, and instead of wearing an elegant dress, she’s in jeans and a T-shirt. There are other people in the room, but I barely notice them. And none of them have noticed me, either.
I can’t breathe, can’t get enough air into my lungs. That’s my mother. And the baby on her arm—that must be my half-sibling. So my father was right. She really left us, left me for some man, and now she has a baby with him.
Tears sting my eyes. I always wondered what it would be like to see my mother again. What I would say to her. But right now, I just want to get away from here.
“Are you okay, Oriana?” Flint’s voice is quiet, but it still catches my mother’s attention. She turns to look at me. She opens her mouth to say something, but I can’t hear her. The world is tilting and spinning, and I don’t know where up or down is.
“I need the bathroom,” I tell Flint.
Wordlessly, he leads me across the hall and pushes open the bathroom door.
“Do you need anything?” His brows are furrowed in concern. I can barely stand to look at him. He knows my mother. He knows her, likely knew where she was all along, and didn’t tell me. How do they know each other? Is she dating one of the men in the club? And did they come up with the plan to kidnap me together? I can’t think straight through the burn of betrayal, both Flint’s and my mother’s. I forgave him for kidnapping me. I don’t know if I can forgive this. It’s like he stuck a knife in a wound that’s still raw and aching and then twisted it.
“No. I just—I need to calm down before I see her.”
He nods. “I’ll tell Sarah,” he says and brushes a kiss to my cheek. Hearing him say my mom’s name with such familiarity makes me feel nauseous.
I close the door behind me and lean back against it, sliding down until I’m sitting on the cool floor. My mother is here. Why? I have so many questions. But I can’t stomach talking to her. She left me. She left me, and she didn’t call once. Hell, she didn’t even pick up when I called her.
I try to breathe deeply, but I still can’t get enough air into my lungs. I need to get outside. I need to breathe fresh air and feel sunlight on my skin.
Flint kidnapped me, and my mother must have something to do with it. He lied to me. And so did she, when she told me she loved me and would always be there for me. She left me, and instead of calling me she decided to get Flint to kidnap me? I shake my head. This is crazy. Is this what the world is like when my father doesn’t shield me from it?
I push myself to my feet. There’s a window above the toilette that I might be able to squeeze out of if it’s not locked. I have to at least try to get out. I can’t deal with all of this, not right now.
To my surprise, the window opens. I climb onto the closed toilet lid and, holding on tight to the windowsill, manage to get one leg up and then the other. I look down at the dusty ground and take in a deep breath. The drop is only a few feet. I might not be particularly athletic, but I can do this. At least, that’s what I tell myself.
“Oriana? Are you okay?” Flint’s voice coming through the closed bathroom door is like a knife to the gut.
“Yeah. I just need a few more minutes. Upset stomach,” I call back, my voice remarkably even.
“Okay. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
What I need is to get out of here. I push myself off the windowsill and only stumble a little when I land. A road leading god knows where is to my right. But I have to avoid the men guarding the door. A thick forest surrounds the entire property, and the road runs right through it. If I can get to the forest without being seen, I can hide between the trees.
A few hasty steps have me reaching the tree line, and a few more are enough to hide me from sight. I’ll walk through the forest, parallel to the road. And when I reach civilization, I’ll find a way to get home. My father may not allow me many freedoms, but at least I know what to expect. At least I’m safe with him.
So I walk, trying and failing to not think of Flint. Or my mother.
