CHAPTER NINE
The First Attempt
I barely slept that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, the same three words returned.
Don't trust him.
I didn't know who had sent the message.
I didn't know how they'd gotten my number, and I definitely didn't know how they knew about Vaelric.
But there was one thing I did know.
I couldn't keep sitting around waiting for answers.
If nobody was going to tell me what was happening, I'd have to find out myself.
And if there was a way out of this place...
I was going to find it.
---
The next morning, I started paying attention.
Not pretending to.
Actually paying attention.
The mansion had routines.
The maids moved through the halls at almost the same times every day. Breakfast arrived shortly after eight, lunch around one, and dinner at seven.
The hallway outside my room was busiest in the morning and almost completely silent after midnight.
I began noticing which doors were usually open, which ones were always locked, which corridors the maids avoided, and, most importantly—
which doors led outside.
There were more than I'd expected.
But every entrance I'd tried before had either been locked or guarded.
So I needed another way.
I spent the morning acting normal.
I ate breakfast, answered questions, and smiled when I was supposed to.
All while counting footsteps.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Fifteen.
The maid disappeared around the corner.
I glanced toward the staircase.
Clear.
I moved.
Three steps.
Four.
Then—
footsteps.
I froze.
They were coming from behind me.
I turned.
Nothing.
The footsteps grew louder.
My heart jumped.
I could run.
But where?
I looked ahead.
Too far.
The staircase was exposed.
Then I spotted an open doorway to my left.
I moved before I could think twice.
One step.
Two.
I slipped inside just as someone appeared around the corner.
I pressed myself against the wall and held my breath.
A maid walked past.
Slowly.
Her footsteps echoed through the corridor.
She stopped.
My stomach dropped.
For one horrible second, I thought she'd seen me.
I heard her shift.
Then—
she continued walking.
I waited.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Only when the footsteps disappeared completely did I finally breathe.
"Okay," I whispered.
My hand pressed against my chest.
"That was close."
I stepped back into the corridor.
Maybe escaping this place wasn't going to be as easy as I'd hoped.
---
By afternoon, I'd found something.
A narrow passage behind the library.
I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't seen one of the maids pull a book from the shelf and noticed the slight movement behind it.
After she left, I returned.
I ran my fingers along the edge of the bookshelf.
Nothing.
I pushed.
The shelf shifted.
My eyes widened.
I pushed again.
A narrow doorway appeared behind it.
I stared.
"You're kidding."
I looked around before opening it.
Cold air touched my face.
Outside.
My heart jumped.
I pushed the door wider.
Beyond it was a stone path disappearing behind a wall of trees.
The garden.
For seven days, I'd been trying to figure out how to leave this place, and the way out had apparently been sitting behind a bookshelf.
I almost laughed.
Then stopped myself.
Not yet.
I wasn't stupid enough to run without knowing where the path led.
I stepped back and closed the door.
Footsteps sounded from the library.
I froze.
Someone was coming.
I quickly moved back toward the bookshelf and grabbed the nearest book.
The door opened.
A maid walked in.
She looked around.
My fingers tightened around the book.
She walked toward the shelves.
Closer.
Closer.
I kept my eyes down, pretending to read.
She stopped only a few feet away.
Then her hand reached toward the bookshelf.
Toward the exact section I'd just moved.
My heart stopped.
Her fingers brushed the spine of a book.
She pulled it halfway out.
The hidden door shifted slightly behind it.
I nearly stopped breathing.
The maid paused.
I stared at the page in front of me without actually seeing a single word.
She pushed the book back.
Then, after another moment, she reached for a different one.
My shoulders loosened slightly.
She turned.
And left.
I waited.
One second.
Two.
Five.
The door closed behind her.
I exhaled slowly.
My heart was pounding so hard I was sure she could hear it from the other side.
I looked back at the bookshelf.
I'd found my way out.
Now I just needed the right moment.
---
That evening, Vaelric appeared.
I was sitting by the window when I heard the knock.
I stared at the door.
Another knock.
I opened it.
He stood there.
Expression unreadable.
I looked at him.
Then at the empty hallway behind him.
"What do you want?"
"To speak."
I almost laughed.
"That's new."
He ignored the comment.
His eyes settled on me.
"You were in the library today."
My smile disappeared.
He knew.
Of course he knew.
I folded my arms.
"So?"
"Nothing."
"Then why mention it?"
Silence.
I stared at him.
"You're watching me."
He didn't deny it.
That bothered me more than if he had.
"Why?"
No answer.
I stepped closer to the doorway.
"I want to leave."
His expression remained unchanged.
"I know."
My jaw tightened.
"Then let me."
Silence.
"Vaelric."
His eyes met mine.
"Not yet."
I stared at him.
"Not yet?"
He said nothing.
"Do you hear yourself?"
Still nothing.
I shook my head.
"You can't keep me here forever."
His gaze didn't move.
"I wouldn't advise trying to leave."
Something twisted in my stomach.
"Is that a threat?"
"No."
"Then what is it?"
He paused.
"A warning."
Before I could ask anything else, he turned and walked away.
I watched him disappear down the hallway.
My hands tightened at my sides.
A warning.
Fine.
I'd heard him.
I simply wasn't going to listen.
---
That night, I waited.
The mansion grew quieter as the hours passed. One by one, the lights along the corridors went dark until only a few dim ones remained.
I sat on my bed with my shoes on.
My bag was packed.
Not much.
My phone.
A bottle of water.
A small flashlight I'd found in one of the drawers.
That was it.
I didn't know where I was going.
I didn't know what was beyond the garden.
I didn't even know if I'd find a road.
But I knew one thing.
I couldn't stay.
I opened the door.
The corridor was empty.
I stepped outside and closed the door silently behind me.
My heart was pounding.
Not entirely from fear.
There was something else beneath it.
Something almost like excitement.
For the first time since waking up here—
I was choosing what happened next.
I reached the library.
The door opened without a sound.
I slipped inside.
Darkness swallowed the room.
I found the bookshelf.
Moved it slightly.
There.
The hidden passage.
I opened the door.
Cold air rushed toward me.
I stepped through.
Then stopped.
The garden stretched before me.
Huge.
Dark.
Beautiful.
And beyond it—
trees.
Endless trees.
I swallowed.
"Okay, Bella."
I whispered.
"You wanted out."
I took a breath.
"Let's go."
And I stepped into the darkness.
---
I didn't look back.
Not once.
The garden seemed even larger at night. The mansion slowly disappeared behind me as I followed the stone path deeper into the darkness.
For a while, the only sounds were my footsteps and the faint rustling of leaves.
Then—
I heard something behind me.
I stopped.
Silence.
I turned.
The path behind me was empty.
My heart began to beat faster.
"Probably nothing."
I whispered.
I continued walking.
A few minutes later, I heard it again.
Footsteps.
This time, I was sure.
I stopped.
They stopped.
My stomach tightened.
I turned slowly.
Nothing.
Only trees.
Darkness.
Shadows.
I waited.
Nothing moved.
I swallowed and continued.
Faster this time.
The footsteps came again.
Closer.
I looked over my shoulder.
Nothing.
"Okay..."
I quickened my pace.
The stone path curved between two rows of trees.
I followed it.
Then suddenly—
a light appeared in the distance.
I froze.
Someone was coming.
I could see the faint glow moving between the trees.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
I looked around.
Nowhere to hide.
The light came closer.
I spotted a large hedge beside the path and ducked behind it.
I crouched low, barely daring to breathe.
The light moved past.
Slowly.
A figure walked along the path carrying a lantern.
I couldn't see their face.
They stopped.
My breath caught.
The figure turned slightly toward the hedge.
I covered my mouth.
Don't breathe.
Don't move.
Please.
The silence stretched.
The figure took one step toward the hedge.
My fingers dug into the ground.
Another step.
Then—
the figure stopped.
For a second, I was certain they were coming toward me.
Then they turned away.
The footsteps continued.
The lantern slowly disappeared between the trees.
I stayed where I was.
Ten seconds.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Only when I was certain they were gone did I slowly stand.
My legs felt weak.
I looked toward the darkness where the figure had disappeared.
Someone else was out here.
And they knew these grounds well enough to walk through them in the middle of the night.
I looked back toward the mansion.
It was barely visible now.
I turned forward.
I wasn't going back.
---
The garden seemed endless.
Every time I thought I had reached the edge, another stretch of trees appeared.
My legs began to ache.
My breathing grew heavier.
But eventually—
the stone path ended.
I stopped.
In front of me stood the forest.
Dense.
Dark.
Completely silent.
I looked behind me.
The mansion was barely visible through the trees.
For a moment, I hesitated.
Then I stepped forward.
Into the forest.
The branches scratched against my sleeves as I pushed through.
The ground became uneven beneath my feet.
My shoes sank slightly into the damp earth.
I kept going.
Ten minutes.
Twenty.
Maybe thirty.
I had no idea.
The mansion disappeared completely.
No lights.
No walls.
Nothing.
A smile slowly spread across my face.
"I'm free."
The words barely left my mouth.
Something moved behind me.
I spun around.
Nothing.
I stared into the trees.
"Hello?"
Silence.
I waited.
Nothing.
I exhaled slowly.
Probably an animal.
I turned back.
Then froze.
There was something carved into the tree in front of me.
I stepped closer.
My flashlight trembled slightly in my hand.
The carving was old.
Deep.
A symbol.
I recognized it immediately.
The same symbol I'd seen on the dark wooden door inside the mansion.
My blood ran cold.
I reached out and touched it.
Then I noticed something underneath.
Letters.
Faint.
Almost erased by time.
I wiped the dirt away.
My breath caught.
I knew those words.
Not because I'd read them somewhere.
Because I recognized the handwriting.
My handwriting.
I stared at the carving.
Impossible.
My fingers trembled as I moved the flashlight lower.
Beneath the symbol was a single sentence.
Bella was here.
My fingers went cold.
I leaned closer.
There was something else beneath it.
A second line.
Almost completely hidden beneath the dirt.
I wiped it clean.
My heart stopped.
He brought you back.
I stared at the words.
I couldn't breathe.
Who?
Who had brought me back?
And what did back mean?
A branch snapped behind me.
I froze.
Slowly—
very slowly—
I turned around.
There was someone standing between the trees.
The flashlight slipped slightly in my hand.
I couldn't see their face.
But the silhouette—
I knew it.