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I got up and started to pace through the room like a caged animal. After all, that was what I was, what I felt like right now. I knew that the door had been securely locked from the outside, condemning me to this chamber. I wouldn’t be going out that way. To be quite honest, I doubted that there was any other way out of this room. But I knew that I couldn’t just sit and do nothing. I had to try something, no matter how futile it was.
I took a moment to gather my thoughts. The room itself offered no comfort despite the worn-out furniture that I was so generously allowed to use. There was no window. There was no hole in the wall or in the floor. That meant there were no alternate exits, just four unwavering walls that seemed to mock my predicament.
Desperation threatened to engulf me, but I couldn't afford to succumb to it. Instead, I continued to search, my eyes darting around the room, hoping to spot any clue or object that might aid my escape.
Despite knowing well that the door was sturdy, I approached it. I had to make sure that I didn’t miss anything, no matter how small it might be. My hands instinctively reached out to trace the edges of the door. I was hoping against all hope that I had missed something, that it was too dark for me to see clearly and that by touching, I would find a secret latch or something, anything that might help me get out of here. But no matter how hard my fingers touched and trailed the lines of the door, I could find nothing but smooth wood. A sinking feeling settled in my chest, but I refused to give up. Until there was even a single breath in my body, I would fight to find a way out. I would not give Constantine the satisfaction of knowing that he managed to break me. He might be able to break my body, but never my spirit.
I walked into the center of the room and looked around, considering my options, of which there were very few. The chamber seemed to be a confounding puzzle, a trap with no visible exit. I could see no answer… for now.
The door suddenly unlocked and opened, without me hearing any sound of oncoming footsteps. The action was so sudden it made me jerk in surprise and jump backwards, away from the figure that was emerging from the darkness of the hallway outside. There was only one, and he hastily closed the door behind him. I couldn’t understand what this meant. I was escorted back here by a small army, and now, there was only one guard sent back? I remained vigilant, because I knew that Constantine had many tricks up his sleeve. The worst thing was not knowing what to expect of him.
The guard reached inside his cloak, and I expected a knife, a gun, any sort of weapon which he would use to attack me. I was in no condition to fight, but I knew that I would not go down easily. I would not give any of these bastards that satisfaction.
Then, to my shock and surprise, the guard took out a small satchel, and he started to take out food from it. I could see fresh bread, cheese, sausage. It all smelled so delicious that my mouth started to water immediately. But I knew this had to be a trap. What was it this time? Was the food poisoned? That had to be it.
The guard lifted his gaze to meet mine, taking off his hood. It was the same guard I had attacked. He had a black eye and a cracked lip. Was this some revenge tactics? I still had no idea what to expect from all this.
“Eat,” he suddenly told me, glancing back at the door, half-expecting for someone to barge in and see us in cahoots like this. “We don’t have much time.”
Chapter Fourteen
Lilith
I couldn’t tell my father that I doubted my husband was my husband just because he didn’t make love to me like he used to. But I could tell my father that I still had my doubts about him. But what sort of doubts? I didn’t know myself.
“You look troubled, my dear,” Father told me, as we once again found each other in his study. “Does this mean that things between you and Adrian are still not good?”
“I’m afraid not,” I admitted with a heavy sigh, as I leaned into the leather chair, that squealed under the weight of my body. Not even the usual scent of books that permeated the air here could have provided much solace.
He tilted his head a little as he looked at me. “You seem even more worried now than when you came to me two days ago.”
“I am,” I confessed again.
“What worries you so?” he asked.
“I’m afraid it might sound silly,” I bit my lower lip as I talked, but instead of dismissing my doubts, my father took me completely seriously.
“Tell me,” he urged softly. “You’ll feel better after you’ve shared your fears with someone.”
I smiled. “Then you can tell me that I am being silly.”
He smiled back. “Your fears would never be silly to me. Speak to me freely, my sweet child. I will help you if I can.”
I inhaled deeply, thinking of the right words to use. Then, I decided to just say it as simply as I could, without complicating it.
“I… I feel like he’s not the same person at all,” I said, still not saying it exactly as I meant it. I was still afraid that I might sound ridiculous if I said it aloud.
“Mentally or… do you mean actually?” he asked for more clarification.
“I… I feel like someone took my husband and left this… person instead,” I finally said it, and I was right. It sounded absolutely ridiculous, almost as if a little child was telling a scary story around a campfire.
But instead of waving his hand dismissively at me, my father looked at me with a concerned expression on his face. “You have already tried to sort everything out with him?”
“I have,” I nodded. “I really tried everything. But it seems the more I try, the more distant he is. And I… I can’t think of anything that would push him away from me. I even considered him cheating, but—”
“Never,” he interrupted me. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you, the way he speaks of you. He would never cheat on you, Lilith. Be absolutely certain of that.”
I smiled at the reassurance. “I realized that as well. I knew that he would never do that to me, to Cass. But see… that is the trouble, he hasn’t been the same with Cass as well. It’s like he is just living with us here, as if he is merely… tolerating us for whatever reason, and I’m sure that he would never do that. He would tell me if he had a problem, he would talk to me. But all this… person does is disappear and stay away from everyone.”
