Aliyah's Pov
Two weeks after the fancy dinner for charity, Elena told me about an interview.
"It's for a magazine," she said. "They want to talk about you being a young wife to a rich and important man, about how you are fitting into this new life. It will be good for both of you, be honest but keep some things private. Show feelings but also keep a little mystery. Understand?"
"I understand," I said.
The interview was set for a Wednesday afternoon, in Hayden's big office. The journalist would come, and it would seem like a real, casual talk with pictures taken but everything was planned and controlled.
Elena spent hours getting me ready. She told me the questions the journalist would ask. She told me how to answer, she told me what face to make for each answer.
"You're doing well," she said. "You're getting good at this."
I wanted to hit her.
On the day of the interview, I wore the dress Elena picked. Everything about me was gold, the hair, the nails, the dress. I was becoming something that shined, something Hayden wanted.
The journalist came at two o'clock. Elena brought him to Hayden's office where I was waiting. Hayden stood by the window like he was the most important thing in the room.
The journalist shook Hayden's hand and then he turned to me and everything stopped.
It was Alex.
I actually stopped breathing. I know that sounds like something people say, but it's true. I stopped breathing because my brain couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing.
Alex looked older than the last time I saw him. His face had lines that were not there before. His hair was longer, he seemed taller or maybe he just stood tall now but his eyes were the same dark eyes that once looked at me like I was special.
He looked at me, and I saw the same shock on his face that I knew was on mine.
"This is Alex Chen," Elena said. "He's the journalist from the magazine."
"Nice to meet you," Hayden said and shook Alex's hand but I saw something change in Hayden's face. Something small, something that meant he felt something was wrong.
Alex looked at me.
"Nice to meet you," he said. His voice was deeper than I remembered but still the same deep voice underneath.
"We've met before," I said without meaning to. The words just came out.
Everything got very quiet.
"Have we?" Alex asked, looking at me like he was trying to remember something. Like he was trying to know if I was a test.
"I don't think so," I said quickly. "I'm sorry, you just look familiar."
But he knew I was lying and I could see he understood why. Because Hayden was standing right there, watching us like a wolf hunts two rabbits.
"Should we start?" Elena said. She sounded nervous, like she felt the thing between us, the thing that shouldn't be there.
We sat down. Alex had a notebook and a phone that was recording. He asked me questions about being married to Hayden, about my new life and about how I was fitting in.
I answered each question just like Elena taught me. I said the right things and i showed the right face. I was the perfect wife talking about her perfect life.
But all the time, Alex looked at me like he wanted to see past my gold dress and perfect answers. Like he wanted to see the real me underneath all of this.
It was torture. Being so close to him but not able to tell him anything. Seeing in his eyes that he wanted to help me, but I couldn't tell him a word.
The interview lasted an hour.
When it ended, Elena walked Alex to the door. Hayden stayed in his office, I thought it was all finished.
But then Elena came back and told me Hayden wanted to see me.
I went into his office. He was standing by his desk looking at his computer.
"That interview," he said. "Did you know that journalist?"
"No," I said.
"Are you sure?" he asked but didn't look at me.
"Yes," I said.
"Because something looked different when he came," Hayden said. "Your body changed, your energy changed, you looked surprised."
"I wasn't," I said. "I was just trying to do the interview right."
He looked at me then. His gray eyes tried to find a lie.
"Don't lie to me," he said. "Do you know him?"
"No," I said. And I meant it. Not the Alex here now. I knew the Alex from before, the Alex who wasn't a journalist. The Alex who loved me.
Hayden stared at me a long time. Then looked back at his computer.
"Good," he said. "You can leave."
I left his office but my heart was racing fast.
I didn't see Alex again for three days. Then I found a pen on my bed.
It was just a black pen, probably left behind by Margaret when she cleaned. I picked it up, almost threw it away but then I looked closer.
The pen's tip twisted open, and inside was a tiny paper.
On it was just a phone number.
That phone number was like a key. It was a way out, it was Alex.
I memorized it and tore up the paper. I hid the pen in the back of my closet where I was sure Margaret wouldn't find it.
I didn't know what to do with the number. I couldn't use the phone Hayden gave me because he watched it. I couldn't use any phone in the house, they all watched me. I was stuck with this number in my head and no way to call it.
For a week, I did nothing. I just held on to the hope that Alex was out there and he had found a way to reach me. That maybe I wasn't as alone as I thought.
Then I remembered the bathroom window. The bathroom was the one place with no cameras.
I took a chance.
I waited until Elena was teaching me how to act at fancy dinners. We sat in the sitting room practicing how to hold forks.
I said I had to use the bathroom and left.
I locked the door behind me.
I picked up the phone hooked to the wall. It was old and only connected to that room, i never saw Hayden or Margaret use it. I didn't know if it worked.
I dialed the number.
Alex answered on the first ring, like he was waiting.
"Hello?" he said.
I couldn't say anything. I was scared.
"Aliyah?" he asked. "Is that you?"
"Yes," I whispered.
"Thank God," he said. "I've been waiting for you to call. Are you safe? Are you okay?"
"I can't talk long," I said. "Someone might notice."
"Okay," Alex said. "Listen carefully. I'm going to help you get out but you have to trust me. Can you do that?"
"Yes," I said. But deep down, I wasn't sure.
"There is a plan," he said. "People who can help you. Just hold on a little longer, and I'll get you out."
"Why?" I asked. "Why help me?"
"Because I love you," he said. "I never stopped."
I hung up. I couldn't listen longer, not when I didn't know if it was real or just another lie in a world full of lies.
I went back to the sitting room. I forced myself to listen to Elena talk about forks. I acted okay.
But my mind was a storm, Because Alex was here, because he wanted to help me and because maybe escaping was possible.
For the first time since signing that contract, I felt like I might actually have a choice about my life.
That night, Hayden took me to a company dinner. It was small, just business people. Just a way to show me off.
We were talking to a man about money and investments I didn't care about. The man was boring, i wanted to leave.
Then Hayden grabbed my hand.
Like he was claiming me. Like he was sending a message.
He squeezed my hand just hard enough for me to feel it.
He smiled at the man but his eyes never left me.
"Who is he to you?" Hayden asked, voice soft but full of warning.
"What?" I asked.
"The journalist," he said. "Alex Chen. Who is he?"
My stomach dropped.
"I don't know," I lied. I tried to pull my hand away but he held on tighter.
"You're lying," he said. His smile was polite but cold. "That will be a problem."
He kissed my hand softly, like it was a promise, like we were a perfect couple and like he wasn't threatening me.
"Tell me the truth," he whispered. "Who is he."
I knew he knew. He didn't know what Alex meant to me, but he knew something was wrong. That I didn't have to be afraid when Alex looked at me.
And he was going to destroy that. He was going to destroy Alex if I didn't stop it.
I had a choice.
Tell Hayden the truth and risk Alex's hurt.
Or keep lying and hope Alex could still save me.
I lied.
"He's nobody," I said.
Hayden smiled, kissed my hand again, then let go.
"Good," he said. "Because if I ever find out otherwise... you know what I can do."
Yes, I did know.