Chapter 13 THE PINK MANSION
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
SAMANTHA’S POV
“Mummy.”
The voice called out again
She ran into my arms like she had been waiting for me all night, her tiny body crashing into my legs with so much trust it stole the air from my lungs. I froze. My heart stuttered. Everything around me blurred except the little girl clinging to me like I was her whole world.
I looked down at her slowly.
This had to be a mistake. She was beautiful in a soft, fragile way. Big innocent eyes, hair neatly packed, nightdress beautiful, but she was her. Kane Draven’s daughter. The spoiled child. The child whose tears had ended lives.
“Mummy,” she called again, her voice breaking as she buried her face into me.
“Where have you been?”
Tears soaked my clothes.
My mind spun violently.
What the fuck is happening?
Her cries echoed words I never wanted to remember.
“She made Micky cry. That’s why she was killed.”
My body reacted before my mind could. I pulled away slightly, my chest tightening, fear and anger crashing into each other inside me. For a split second, all I could hear were the screams, the blood, the helplessness of the people that were killed because of her.
I almost stepped back.
But then she looked up at me.And my anger died.
Her lashes were wet. Her lips trembled. She looked nothing like a monster. She looked like a child who had woken up in the dark and couldn’t find her mother.
I swallowed hard and forced my voice to stay calm. I've been here before, I've looked and loved for a mother before..I knew what she was going through.
“What are you doing out here? It’s late.”
She only cried harder, her small fingers clutching my clothes like letting go would kill her.
“Come here,” I whispered, bending down before lifting her into my arms.
She was lighter than I expected and fragile.
“I’ll take you back to your room, okay?”
She nodded weakly and rested her head on my shoulder.
“Where’s your room?”
She lifted her hand and pointed at a door down the hall.
I walked slowly, every step careful, my senses on high alert. The other side of the mansion was nothing like the cold, dark wing I knew. This place was alive with color. Soft lights. Painted walls. Framed pictures everywhere.
My breath caught when I noticed them.
Pictures of her.
Her first steps. Her birthdays. Her laughter frozen in frames. Kane was in some of them, standing stiffly beside her, looking more like a father and more like a man guarding a possession, unlike the terrifying beast I'd imagined.
I tightened my grip on her, carried her into the room she pointed to and gently laid her on the massive bed. The room smelled like baby powder and vanilla. Toys were neatly arranged. Fairy lights glowed softly against the walls.
This was not the room of a child who caused death.
“Mummy,” she murmured sleepily. “Can you lie with me?”
The words sliced through me.
The mistaken identity was too perfect and dangerous.
But I nodded anyway.
“Sure.”
I lay beside her carefully, pulling the blanket over her small body. I brushed her hair slowly, rhythmically, the way my granny used to do when nightmares chased sleep away.
Her breathing evened out almost instantly.
She was exhausted.
I stared at the ceiling, my thoughts a mess.
I had sneaked out to gather information. To understand this house. To survive. Yet here I was, babysitting Kane Draven’s daughter like some twisted joke fate was laughing at.
One thing was clear. The security here was shallow. Dangerous gaps everywhere. Anyone could get into his daughter’s room. I had overestimated Kane.
She shifted slightly and smiled in her sleep.
My heart clenched.
She would not remember this in the morning. I told myself that. She would wake up, call another woman mummy, and this moment would disappear like a dream. I pray so..else, I'd die.
The hate I had carried for her melted away quietly, replaced by something unfamiliar. Admiration. Curiosity. A strange ache.
I adjusted her properly on the bed, ensuring she was fast asleep.
Nanny.??
Where was she?
She had to be somewhere close. If she saw me here, I was finished.
Carefully, I stood up, taking one last look around the room, memorizing exits, angles, details. Then I slipped out as i heard footsteps.
My heart jumped into my throat.
I pressed myself against the wall beside the door, barely breathing.
Nanny walked in….good gracious!
She didnt see me.
“I’m glad you’re not up and crying again, poor child,” she murmured fondly…arranging her hair
She turned to leave.
Then stopped.
“I could swear I heard noise and cries” she muttered, glancing around suspiciously.
After a tense second that felt like eternity, she shook her head and walked out.
I nearly collapsed.I waited a few more seconds, then tiptoed away, retracing my steps carefully, marking corners, counting turns, committing everything to memory.
Finally, my room came into view.
Relief flooded me.
I reached for the door handle.
“Hope you had a nice walk.”
I almost screamed
My heart nearly burst as I spun around to see Kate standing there, arms crossed, eyes sharp with amusement.
“Shh,” i whispered quickly. “What are you doing here? What you…”
“Shh,” she cut in, grabbing my wrist. “Let’s talk inside.”
She dragged me into the room before I could protest, closing the door softly behind us.
My chest rose and fell rapidly as I stared at her