Outside the mansion looked beautiful. Inside the mansion felt like a prison made of marble and gold. Alessia used to think the hallways, the paintings, the chandeliers that sparkled on days when the sun was not bright were wonderful. Now the hallways feel like walls closing in tighter around Alessia with each passing hour. The polished surface reflects back a version of Alessia that Alessia barely recognizes: tired, tense and always aware of the eyes watching Alessia.
Since Captain Lucas arrived at the business Dominic turned the house into something, like a fortress. I could feel the tension, in the house. I saw guards at every door guards watching every hall and guards standing outside the bedroom. No one moved without permission. Not the woman. The privacy the woman once had no longer existed. The privacy fell apart because of Dominics fear, Dominics possessiveness and Dominics suspicion.
I watched the woman understand why he tightened security. I saw that enemies were real, in Dominics world and danger was not a story.. The womans understanding did not make the surveillance feel any less suffocating. The womans phone. The womans one small connection, to the constant checks. The surveillance monitored every call. The surveillance reviewed every message. The surveillance observed every slip.
Alessia walked through the mansion with steps and controlled breaths. Alessia felt like Alessia was walking a tightrope, over a storm. One wrong move, one wrong expression and Dominics control could sharpen into something. Alessia knew the signs. Alessia felt the signs, in each guarded step Alessia took.
I saw the hands shake a little. The woman entered the kitchen that afternoon. I saw the woman reach for a mug and a sharp sting shot through the wrist. I saw the woman wince before the woman could hide the sting. I heard the pain come from the window the woman had tried to fix. I saw the fingers curl around the mug hoping no one had noticed.
I still saw Dominic appear. She did not expect Dominic to be there then.
"You are hurt." He whispered from, behind her.
She turned sharply. She caught her breath. He was not angry not, in that moment. He spoke with an edge. There was something. He felt concern. That concern scared her the most. Concern, from He always meant something.
"I am fine " the woman whispered. The voice sounded small like the voice tried to convince the voice than him.
I watched the man look at the womans hand. I watched the man look at the womans face. Read the womans silence. I heard the man say nothing. I saw the man walk past the woman. I saw the man leave the woman alone in the kitchen. I felt the mans presence linger. I felt the walls hold the mans attention.
It was not, until later when the evening crept over the house that the woman remembered that the woman had not eaten dinner. I watched the woman step into the dining room expecting silence. A small plate waited for the woman steam still rising.
I saw Dominic standing near the counter arms crossed.. Dominics eyes were softer than I expected.
"Eat " the speaker said simply. "You are not going anywhere until you eat."
I watch the womans chest tighten. The man acts harsh and controlling suffocating. Then the man becomes gentle. Leaves the woman unsteady. The woman never knows which version of the man the woman will face. The doubt makes the woman feel constantly off balance.
She looked down. Sat. She ate in the silence. She thought. The food felt heavy, in the stomach of She twisted by the fear and, by the confusion that She despised admitting. How could the man who had just trapped She take care when the man offered She the meal?
I watched the days all run together after that. I saw guards everywhere following the woman into each room. Dominic showed up on the edges of the womans life. Dominic stitched a cut. Dominic placed a snack the woman had not asked for. Dominic brushed past the woman with a glance the woman could not read. Every move Dominic made felt like a thread pulling the woman deeper into a web. The woman was not sure the woman could ever escape that web.
One morning at the faint touch of dawn the woman saw the chance. The woman took the chance.
The house was still. The guards seemed tired alert. I saw Alessia move quickly but silently Alessias bare feet whispering across the floor. Alessias heart hammered with hope and dread as the night pressed in the silence broken by the whisper of Alessias feet, on the cold floor. I saw Averys face flash, in Alessias mind the face urging Alessia forward. Alessia imagined the freedom enough to feel Alessias pulse spike.
I saw the woman reach the door.
The womans fingers touched the metal of the handle. The handle was icy, to the touch.
A breath away from escape.
I noticed something. Something, in the corner of the womans eye shifted.
I watched Dominic step, into the hall. Block her path, like Dominic walked out of the shadows. Dominic did not yell. Dominic did not need to.
"You actually thought I would not know?" The voice was low the quiet felt more threatening, than a shout.
A chill ran through the girl. The chill made the girl feel cold, from the shoulders down, to the toes.
"I… I just—"
"I tried to run. Again." His stare held me still. "Do you have any idea how dangerous the run's ? What could happen to the runner?"
Alessia swallowed hard. Alessia was not wrong, about the danger.. The danger came from every side, including Alessia. Alessias mind raced to find an explanation. The explanation could not reveal the truth Alessia guarded with Alessias life.
"I need to … see someone " the speaker whispered.
Dominic raised an eyebrow. Dominic asked, "Is that someone "
I feel the question carry weight. Weight. The man was fishing, testing pulling at threads the man sensed but could not see. The woman knew the woman could not risk saying Averys name. Not yet. Not ever, unless the woman had a way to keep the womans daughter safe.
I saw Dominic move closer. Dominic did not touch the woman. Dominic got close enough for the woman to feel the pressure of Dominics will. Walls or locks did not trap the woman. Dominic trapped the woman.
I saw the breath tremble. I saw the gaze drop. I saw the retreat happen before more words were spoken.
I watched the man not force the woman back, to the womans room. The man moved behind the woman. The man stayed close enough to guard the woman. The man also stayed enough to watch everything the woman did. The woman felt the mans eyes even when the woman could not see the man. The woman walked away, from the door heart sinking, mind spinning.
Hours became days. Each moment became a balance, between obedience and planning. Alessia knew that escaping now needed more than bravery. Alessia needed precision, patience and those rare times when Dominics guard slipped. Until that moment Alessia had to survive. Alessia had to keep secrets. Alessia had to act the part Dominic expected while Alessia quietly prepared for the one thing Alessia could not give up: freedom. Fr
eedom was not for Alessia but, for Avery. For as long as Dominic was watching her every step, one mistake would cost her everything.