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The slap leaves me dazed for a few moments.
My skin stings from the hard hit. My body trembles as I look up at the man.
Even though Laura started dating him barely three months after my father died, he never interfered with her daughter or me. This sudden change in his demeanor shocks me into silence.
He slaps a document at my chest. “You will sign these or I’ll show you the way you’ll get punished by Luciano if you ever disobey him.”
I glance at Laura. She’s breathing hard but choosing to stay silent.
A piece of my heart breaks.
I knew she didn’t love me. I was, after all, a reminder of the second husband she lost. However, I always considered her my family. I never thought she would betray me and the memory of my father this way.
Pete forces a pen in my hand. “Sign in the places with the pencil marks.”
My hand shakes…in fact, my whole body trembles. Fat teardrops roll down my cheeks. Everything I’ve ever held dear was being snatched from me.
Lightning flashes in the darkening sky outside. Next second, an ear-splitting thunder growls, making us all jump.
In that split moment, I’m on my feet, pushing past Pete and heading to the front door.
My sudden flight buys me a few seconds as I dash toward the front door. Wrenching it open, I run out into the snowstorm.
“Get back here!” Pete’s thunderous roar chases me.
I don’t even turn back to look behind me, running as fast as I can toward the woods that stretch behind the houses of the neighborhood.
The wind growls in my ears and the snow stings my eyes and cheeks but I don’t stop. After a few minutes, I switch directions, dashing into the dark undergrowth to hide from Pete.
My heart pounds in my chest. Nestling into a hollow space in the ground, I keep a watch over the backyard of the neighboring houses. Snow continues to blow all around me, soaking the white dress I’m wearing.
This is the moment I realize I’ve left my gloves and jacket at home. Looking at my feet, I see that I’m wearing a pair of flimsy house slippers. Shit!
“Winter!” A rough male voice calls out my name. “Where the hell are you?”
Pete’s voice sounds far away but it still makes me cower in fear. The cold makes me shiver but I stay crouched in my hiding hole.
I can’t go back to the house where Laura and Pete will be waiting for me to return. They’ll eventually break me and make me sign those legal papers before giving me away to the gangsters who terrorize the streets of this town.
The minutes tick by as my mind whirrs.
My teeth chatter from the cold but I still haven’t come up with a plan yet. My phone is lying inside one of my coat’s pockets, so I can’t even call anyone for help. I could probably go to Carol’s house and hide there, but it’d be the first place Laura and Pete would check on to find me.
Concern swirls inside me as I mull over the idea of asking Carol for help.
Laura and Pete have gotten involved with mobsters now. I can’t lead them to Carol who’s singlehandedly raising two young children. She’d jump in to protect me but I don’t want her to bear such a burden.
The cold is becoming too much for me to bear. If I don’t find a place to take shelter, I’d die in this snowstorm.
Out of choice, I walk out of my hiding spot and edge back toward the street.
There’s not a soul to be seen anywhere as the storm rages around me. The glinting Christmas lights turn hazy in the thick snow flurries. I’m barely able to see anything as I walk down the street.
Laura and Pete must’ve already given up on searching for me in this weather.
The small relief doesn’t do much to stem the flow of bitter tears that cascade down my cheeks. I still haven’t come up with a plan on what to do next.
Suddenly, I’m blinded by a flash of intense bright light.
