Every instinct screamed at me to run even if i didn't know where. Even if it meant walking barefoot into the woods beyond the estate. Anything was better than living in a palace built on chains.
But the moment her fingers reached for the grand brass handle of the front door
"Miss Hayes."
I froze. Mr Harrow stood just behind me, calm as ever, hands folded in front of his prim uniform. Clara, my personal maid, was by his side, looking slightly nervous but firm. l turned around slowly.
"I'm going out," I said flatly. "I need air."
Mr Harrow shook his head gently. "You're not permitted to leave the estate, Miss."
"This is kidnapping," she snapped. "You can't keep me here like a"
"Like a wife under Mr. Voss's protection?" Mr. Harrow interrupted smoothly. "This estate is your home now. For your safety.
My lips parted, stunned. "My safety?" and I'm not his wife.
. "There are guards at the gates. Cameras in the woods. Even if you got out, you wouldn't get far before someone brought you back."Clara spoke softly
My heart dropped. The walls felt higher now. The sunlight colder. Everything inside a shrank.
"You're really going to keep me locked in?" I whispered.
Mr. Harrow offered a faint, practiced smile. "We don't make the rules, Miss. We only follow them."
I backed away slowly, turning around before they could see the tears building in my eyes. I climbed the stairs in silence and shut the bedroom door behind then the tears came.
I collapsed onto the bed, curling up as the sobs wracked my body. The soft sheets couldn't comfort me. The silence only made the pain louder.
My mother's face flashed in my memory kind eyes, a warm laugh, soft hands that once held hers during thunderstorms. A woman who had loved her fiercely. Who would have never let this happen.
And then Micah my only friend. Hee didn't even know i was gone. Would he report her missing? Would he care? I stared at the ceiling with swollen eyes and whispered through the tears, "Mama… what do I do now?"