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I checked my phone, noticing the text message and missed calls. But they could wait. I needed a shower. Hopefully, there were towels somewhere.
I looked through the bathroom and found all my toiletries from home neatly lined up in the mirror cabinet. There were no towels. But instead of foregoing my shower, I grabbed a cardigan from the closet that I’d always hated. It would make for a great towel. I peeled off my clothes and stepped under the warm spray.
After taking a shower, I brushed my teeth, then cleaned my face and moisturized. I pulled on leggings, thick socks, two shirts, a sweater and the thickest coat I owned. I then pulled clothes out of the closet and piled them up along the wall, building a makeshift bed. Sitting down on the clothes mountain, I wondered if my life had really improved. But then I immediately scolded myself. Of course it had. Anything was better than living in the same house as Aleksándr Volkov. Even if it meant I had to sleep on the floor.
I drifted into a restless sleep, only to be woken by the insistent chime of my phone.
The room was cast in the low light of the early morning sun, since I’d forgotten to close the blinds the night before.
Checking the display, I saw it was my father. I’d given him my new number as soon as I’d held my new phone in my hand. Not doing so would have only caused more issues. He hadn’t explained why he’d kept my phone. But since I barely ever used it and had only a few photos on it that were also saved in the cloud, I didn’t care.
“Aleksándr. How are you?”
“Why haven’t I heard from you? Your wedding was four fucking days ago. There has to be something you’ve found out by now.”
I cringed at his loud voice and held the phone away slightly. “I’ve only seen Gabriel once since the wedding.”
My voice sounded meek, and I hated myself for sliding straight back into a submissive role whenever I spoke to him. I didn’t tell him I wouldn’t find anything at the house since Gabriel had never lived there. I also didn’t tell him about the conversation the Olysses family had at dinner yesterday.
But I knew I couldn’t stall him for much longer. I needed to find something that would make him think he had information nobody else did. But at the same time, I didn’t want to hurt my husband’s family.
I didn’t take their kindness lightly. They’d given it freely when they didn’t have to.
“Then look through his office,” he ordered. “You don’t need much of a brain to take photos of whatever documents he has in there.”
“I already looked through Constantine’s office. There’s nothing there. He must keep all his files at work.”
“Then go to his fucking work. And I expect you to bring him around for dinner next week.”
The line went dead, and I dropped back on the clothes, clutching the phone with shaking hands. Even since I was little, I’d always hated lying. If I hadn’t been forced to become a good liar to survive living with my psychopath of a father, I’d never have been able to hide my thoughts.
But now I had a poker face that would take me far if I ever wanted a career playing cards. It helped that I knew a lot of card games. It was a side effect of being left alone in the house with only the guards as company.
I took off my coat but left the rest of my clothes on. The house was cold, and I hadn’t yet found the controls for the heater. I ventured down to the kitchen. But every cupboard I opened was empty. The fridge was unplugged. There wasn’t even any cutlery or plates.
I sat down on the marble countertops since there weren’t any barstools either. I didn’t do well not doing anything. Tackling my to-do list would stop me from freaking out about my current situation.
Scrolling through my phone, I found a charity that might be willing to take my clothes.
After talking to a lovely lady by the name of Maybell, I’d organized for someone to pick them up today. She was almost as excited about them as I was about getting rid of them. Most of them had only been worn once, but they signified a life I no longer wanted any part of.
Feeling much better since I’d accomplished the most important task on my list, I ventured to the front door.
I was hungry, and I needed coffee. If I set off the alarm, I was sure to get one of the security guys I’d seen around the property to enter the code.
I didn’t delay, marching to the front door and unlocking it, opening it with a smile.
The alarm blared immediately, and I covered my ears, then stepped outside. The door slammed shut behind me, and I jumped at the sudden noise.
Two guys ran in my direction, guns drawn, grim expressions on their faces. I waved my arms in the air, first, to show them I wasn’t armed, and second, to make sure they knew it was me who’d set it off. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know the code. Do you mind shutting it off?”
One guy took my arm and led me to the side as the other unlocked the door. “Why are you outside?”
The alarm stopped, and I relaxed. So far, my plan wasn’t going so badly after all. “I need someone to take me to the store. There’s no food in the house.”
“Cleo will arrive shortly. Tell her what you need, and she’ll take care of it.”
“I don’t think you understand. There’snothingin the house.”
