Chapter 33 Caught From Escaping

Chapter 33 Caught From Escaping


Chapter 33 — Susan’s POV

The baby slept in my arms, so small, so fragile. Every tiny breath reminded me that I had a responsibility no one else could understand. The thought burned in my chest: I can’t let him take my child. I have to escape. I have to protect him.

I had planned it for days. Every step, every timing, every distraction had been carefully calculated. I’d wait until the house was quiet, slip out with the baby, and vanish. For the first time, I let myself believe I could do it. I could finally be free from Lucien’s control, from Tabitha’s cruelty.

I tiptoed down the hallway, heart hammering, holding the baby tightly to my chest. Every creak of the floor made me flinch. Every shadow seemed to reach for me. But I kept moving. One step at a time. One heartbeat at a time.

Then, a voice froze me in place.

“You think you can run away?”

It was low. Calm. Cold. Too calm. My stomach dropped. I knew that voice. I’d heard it hundreds of times before. But this time, it carried something heavier—power, dominance, control.

I turned slowly, my heart threatening to burst. There he was. Lucien. Standing at the end of the hall, his eyes locked on me, piercing through every lie, every plan I had made.

“I… I just…” My voice faltered. I didn’t even try to finish.

“You think you can escape?” he said again, stepping closer. His presence filled the hallway. Every shadow, every breath seemed to belong to him. “Do you really think you can hide from me? You have no idea how impossible that is.”

I hugged the baby closer, feeling its warmth against my chest. My chest tightened, my hands shook, but I refused to let him see my fear. “I… I have to protect him,” I whispered, more to myself than to him.

Lucien’s gaze didn’t waver. “Protect him? From me? He’s mine, and so are you. Don’t think for a second that I can’t see everything you’re doing. Every step, every plan, every thought—you think you’re clever, but you’re not. You can’t run, Susan. You’ll never run from me.”

The words hit me like a blow. I wanted to scream, to cry, to shake him and make him see reason. But I couldn’t. Not now. Not with the baby in my arms.

“You… you can’t control everything!” I spat, trying to sound strong, trying to keep the trembling out of my voice. “I… I will protect my son. I will leave if I have to!”

Lucien’s lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile. “Leave? You? With him? Don’t be foolish. You forget who you’re dealing with. I watch. I know. I control. You are not leaving. Not now. Not ever.”

I felt the air go out of my lungs. My heart thumped like a drum in my chest. Every plan I had, every hope I nurtured, collapsed in that moment. The hallway felt smaller, tighter, suffocating.

I closed my eyes and whispered, almost to myself: I can’t. I can’t escape. I’m trapped.

Lucien stepped closer, his hand brushing my shoulder—not violently, but like a warning. “Susan,” he said, low and controlled, “you can’t even imagine the power I have here. Don’t test me. Don’t test me with my son. You are under my watch, every moment. Every move you make. I see it all.”

I swallowed hard, my tears threatening to fall. But I refused to let him see me cry. My fingers clenched around the baby’s blanket. I can survive this. I can protect him. I will find a way… someday.

Lucien’s eyes softened for just a moment, just enough to remind me that he wasn’t a monster, not entirely. He cared for the baby, cared for control, cared for me in his way. But that care was dangerous. Dangerous because it was twisted, dangerous because it reminded me how powerless I truly was.

“You hear me?” he said, his voice now sharp again. “I can see everything. Don’t even think about running. Don’t even try to hide. You will follow my rules. For your son’s sake… and yours.”

I nodded silently, swallowing the bitter taste of defeat. My chest hurt, my hands shook, and my heart screamed for freedom. I wanted to run, to flee, to disappear with my baby. But I couldn’t. Not now. Not against him.

He turned and left the hallway slowly, leaving me trembling, staring at the floor, my son sleeping peacefully against my chest. And for the first time, I realized the full weight of what I was up against.

Not just Lucien. Not just Tabitha. But the power. The control. The chains around my life that I couldn’t yet break.

And yet… deep down, something stirred. Something dangerous. Something stubborn. A tiny spark of defiance that refused to die.

One day… one day, I will find a way to escape.