Chapter 21

One thing was crystal clear to me. Ace and Christina were still unsure of their deeds and revenge. Obviously, they were not professional criminals. They were normal people who had been swept away by emotion.

Yesterday, my words had definitely had an effect on Ace. I was not able to read his emotions, but something had changed in him for those few moments.

He and Christina were driven by the fire of revenge burning in their chests. They were doing things they did not mean to do only to quench that pain of loss and regret. They only wanted to feel better and satisfied.

There was no doubt that they had thought all this through multiple times over the past year. They had planned explicitly and carried out everything without a hitch—from sending the marriage proposal to me to this day. They were sure about what needed to be done, how, and when.

But there was one thing that they were still hesitant about. The morality and ethics of their acts. This fact was clear from Ace's swaying mood yesterday.

I had spent the rest of yesterday and the entire night understanding and reasoning all this. And now I had arrived at some conclusions.

No matter how cleverly and explicitly they had planned everything, they were still not professional criminals. This meant that they would not think as crudely as I was expecting them to. They were dangerous, yes, but I could still outsmart them. I just had to think smart and act discreetly.

This realization that I still had chances of escaping was so relieving that I had not been deterred even by Ace's attitude being back to normal this morning.

He had come in and made me call up Mom. My heart had felt like it had been ripped into pieces when I spoke to her. She did not suspect anything and before I knew it, it had been time to say goodbye.

Ace was his usual taunting and threatening self. I had expected it. My guess was that Christina had brainwashed him again. Maybe that was how it was between those two. When one person grew a little unsure, the other one pulled them right back on track.

I sighed and stared at the wall clock. I hated the sound it made, reminding me of every passing second.

Night had fallen, and I was still locked in the room. Another day had gone by.

Like yesterday, the maid gave me a plate of fruit for breakfast, and then again, a sandwich for dinner. That was all. They just wanted to keep me alive, not satisfy my hunger. But that was fine with me. I had no appetite to eat. If allowed, then I would not hesitate to starve myself to death.

I had to think now. I needed to find a way to escape. I needed an idea and then a plan.

My mind was growing foggy, and a headache was tightening its hold over my forehead.

I stood up and decided to move my legs a little. My limbs had become rusty being cooped up in a corner.

The room was still a mess. Not a single shard of glass had changed positions. Christina had said that since I had been ungrateful and destroyed the decor, I was going to live with this mess. It was supposed to be a visual reminder of the terrible condition my life was in.

Taking in a deep breath, I paced around the room, being careful to avoid the glass pieces sticking out.

Think, Dalia. Think.

There has to be some way. Some loophole that you can exploit.

The headache was growing. I could feel the pulsations in my ears.

This is going nowhere.

I stopped in front of the closed door. They locked it from the outside every single time.

Gritting my teeth, I placed my hand on the knob and turned, expecting the resistance of the lock.

But the knob turned, and the door opened.

I sucked in a sharp breath.

How was it possible? The door was open. But how?

Had the maid forgotten to lock it after giving me the sandwich?

Maybe she had forgotten. How else could it be open right now?

This was my chance. This was my chance to escape.

I opened the door as softly as possible and flinched when it creaked ever so slightly.

I peeked out through the narrow opening of the door.

The corridor was empty. The yellow light coming from my room mellowed smoothly with the yellow spotlights of the corridor.

I could not hear anything. The house was dead silent. There was no one around.

I closed the door and stood still.

No sound from outside carried into the room. I could understand that. Maybe the walls were too thick, or the room had been soundproofed. Anything was possible. But outside? I should have been able to hear something, at least. The corridor was connected to the living room and the main hall.

My heart hammered in my chest. I had the perfect opportunity to escape. But could I risk it?

Sighing, I stepped back from the door.

The lights outside were still on, which meant that nobody had gone to sleep yet. Just because I could not hear anyone did not mean that nobody was there. It was too risky to go out right now.

I decided to wait until the lights were switched off. That would give me a confirmation that everybody had gone to bed.

But what if someone, meanwhile, came to check up on me and found the door open? If they locked it again, I would lose a golden chance.

Biting my lip, I paced around the room again. My stomach twisted and turned, and my palms itched with nervousness. Could I gamble this chance of escape by playing safe or could I take the risk and be prepared for the worst?

I stopped in my tracks. My decision was made.

No, I could not take the risk. I did not even know my way around this house. Ever since I'd been locked in this room since the party, I had not stepped out even once. And from what I remembered from the party, the front door in the main hall was the only entrance and exit point that I knew.

I could not go out into the main hall and then leave through the front door when all the lights were switched on and people were awake. No, that would not only be foolish but also dangerous. I did not know what measures Ace and Christina had gone to ensure my captivity.

I had to wait. It was currently ten in the night. Probably another hour and the lights would be switched off.

Taking in a deep breath, I went back to my corner to wait. I did contemplate switching off the room's light but decided against it to avoid suspicion. During the nights that I had spent here, I had never switched off the light. Mainly because I hated the loneliness and fear that the darkness brought with it and partly because I felt safe knowing that I could clearly see my surroundings.

With bated breath, I sat in the corner, praying that nobody should come to check on me. That was the least I could expect from my luck.

Seconds ticked by and my anxiousness grew.

Freedom was so close and yet so far away. I had never felt this helpless in my life.