Chapter 94 Before dawn breaks
Lina’s POV
For a moment, I genuinely thought I was hallucinating. The shock hit so suddenly it felt physical—like cold water thrown straight into my veins.
“Pathy?”
Her name slipped from my mouth again before my mind could catch up with what my eyes were seeing.
She stood in the doorway as if she had every right to be there.
Calm.
Composed.
Nothing like the woman I had seen hours ago in the estate hallway, breathless and shaken, clutching the doorframe like the ground beneath her might give way at any second.
Now she looked… steady. Collected. Her dark hair was pulled back neatly again, not a single strand out of place. Her expression carried that same unreadable calm she always wore like armor.
Like she hadn’t panicked earlier.
Like the entire estate hadn’t turned into a battlefield.
I swung my legs off the bed slowly, my heartbeat still hammering against my ribs. “What are you doing here, Pathy?” I asked, confusion tightening my voice.
Her eyes swept across the room, slow and deliberate. The wooden floor. The narrow window. The single bed. Then her gaze landed back on me.
“Your kids—” I started instinctively.
“Don’t worry about that,” she cut in sharply. Her tone snapped like a whip. “They’re mine to worry about. Not yours.”
The cold dismissal stung more than I expected. I pressed my lips together as she stepped fully into the room, shutting the door behind her with a quiet click.
Her eyes moved over me again. Not kindly. Not sympathetically. Judging. “Look at you,” she murmured.
I frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Pathy tilted her head slightly, studying me the way someone might examine a cracked object.
“Look what you’ve amounted to,” she said calmly.
Every word dripped with quiet mockery.
My spine stiffened.
I crossed my arms instinctively. “You broke into a safe house in the middle of the forest just to insult me?”
Her lips curved faintly.
“Oh, Lina. Don’t flatter yourself.”
She walked further into the room, her boots making soft sounds against the floor.
“I didn’t come here to talk about your feelings.”
My jaw tightened.
“Then what did you come for?”
She stopped near the chair by the window, resting one hand on its back. Then she looked straight at me.
“What’s your decision?”
I blinked. “My… decision?”
“Yes,” Her voice carried an odd calmness.
“Are you going to leave this cage…” she gestured lightly toward the room, “…or do you love being inside it?”
The words landed heavier than I expected. I looked toward the door instinctively. Locked. Guarded by Damien somewhere in the house.
And beyond him—
Kailen’s reach.
My chest tightened.
Was this another trap?
It wouldn’t be the first time someone had used my desperation against me.
Trusting people in this world had already cost me more than I could count.
My freedom.
My child.
My peace.
So why should this be any different?
Pathy watched me silently, her gaze sharp.
“You’re thinking too much,” she said flatly.
“Or maybe,” I replied slowly, “I’m thinking exactly the right amount.”
She arched one brow. I stepped closer to her, keeping my voice low. “How do I know this isn’t another game?”
Her eyes flickered with faint amusement.
“Because if it was,” she said, “you’d already be dead.”
Silence stretched between us.
My mind ran in circles.
What if she was lying?
What if Damien walked in the moment I stepped outside this room?
What if this was some twisted test Kailen had planned?
But then another thought surfaced.
What if she wasn’t lying?
What if this was the only chance I would ever get?
My hands slowly curled into fists.
No.
I couldn’t stay here.
Not with Kailen.
Not with Carlino’s war circling around me like vultures.
If I stayed, I would always belong to someone.
Someone stronger.
Someone crueler.
Someone who saw me as nothing more than a pawn.
And I was done being a pawn.
I lifted my head.
“Fine,” I said. Pathy’s expression didn’t change. “I’ll do it.”
But I noticed the slight glimmer in her eyes. Satisfaction. A slow smile spread across her lips. It wasn’t warm. It was victorious. For a brief second, something inside me twisted.
Finally I’ll get to leave him.
Leave Kailen.
The thought brought relief.
But another realization followed quickly.
I wouldn’t go back to Carlino either.
Going back to him meant walking straight back into the storm.
I met Pathy’s gaze again.
“I’m not going back to stay with Carlino,” I said firmly.
Her smile didn’t fade. “I didn’t ask.”
The answer surprised me.
I hesitated before speaking again.
“I’m serious,” I continued. “I’m done letting people use me.”
Pathy watched me carefully. “Good,” she said. Her voice carried a strange approval. “Because now,” she added quietly, “it’s your turn to use people.”
Her words sent a small chill down my spine. She moved toward the door.
“We’re leaving before dawn.”
“But,” I said quickly.
She paused.
“There’s no ‘but’, Lina,” she said without turning around. “We don’t have time.”
“And Damien?” I asked.
That made her glance over her shoulder. Her eyes were calm again. “I’ll handle him.”
Something about the way she said it made me uneasy. But before I could question her further, she opened the door and walked out.
The lock clicked again.
Silence returned to the room.
I exhaled slowly and leaned back against the headboard. The air felt heavier now.
Leaving.
The word echoed through my mind.
After everything that had happened… I was finally going to leave this place.
I drew in a deep breath.
Then exhaled.
For the first time in what felt like forever, a small flicker of hope appeared in my chest.
I pushed myself off the bed—
And immediately I regretted it.
The room spun violently.
My vision blurred as dizziness slammed into me. I grabbed the bedframe quickly, steadying myself before I collapsed.
“What the hell…” I muttered under my breath.
My hand moved to my forehead. The exhaustion was catching up with me. The pain in my collarbone throbbed again, pulsing like a slow warning beneath my skin.
My body felt heavier than usual.
Every step earlier through the forest had drained what little strength I had left.
I sighed softly.
“I just need rest,” I murmured.
I lay back down on the bed.
But sleep didn’t come easily.
Instead, my mind wandered somewhere I didn’t want it to go.
Carlino.
His name appeared in my thoughts before I could stop it. I groaned quietly and rubbed my eyes.
Why him?
Why now?
We barely spent time together without arguing.
Every conversation turned into a clash.
Every moment felt like a battle of pride and anger.
Yet…
There were times.
Rare moments.
Moments when he looked at me differently.
Not like a possession.
Not like a pawn.
But like a person.
Those moments had always confused me.
The look in his eyes sometimes… it made him seem more human than the ruthless king everyone feared.
I swallowed slowly.
If only I hadn’t lost our baby. The thought struck me harder than anything else. A sharp ache spread through my chest. If the baby were still alive…
He or she would still be inside me.
A small piece of us.
Tears began sliding down my cheek before I realized they had started. I didn’t bother wiping them away.
They soaked quietly into the pillow beneath my head. The silence of the room wrapped around me like a blanket.
Eventually, exhaustion overpowered the storm in my thoughts.
And sleep finally claimed me.
\~~~
BANG.
The door slammed open so violently it sounded like a gunshot. I jolted upright instantly, my heart racing wildly.
“What—”
“Let’s move.”
Pathy stood in the doorway again. Her voice was low and urgent. My mind struggled to catch up as I rubbed my eyes.
“Already?” I muttered groggily.
“Yes,” she said. “Now.”
I slid off the bed, my legs still heavy with sleep. “Give me a second.”
“You don’t have a second.”
Her tone made it clear this wasn’t a debate. I grabbed the edge of the bed for balance before walking toward her.
The hallway outside was dim.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
We moved down the staircase carefully. My eyes scanned the living room instinctively.
The couch.
The kitchen.
The front door.
But no Damien.
A small wave of relief washed over me.
Good.
The last thing I wanted was another confrontation with him.
Pathy opened the front door slowly.
Cool pre-dawn air rushed inside.
The forest was dark and silent.
No birds yet.
No sunlight.
Just the faint grey hint of morning hiding behind the trees.
Freedom was only a few steps away.
My heart began beating faster.
We stepped onto the porch.
Gravel crunched under our shoes as we moved toward the car parked outside.
My fingers curled slightly.
This was it.
Just a few more seconds—
Headlights suddenly sliced through the darkness.
A car roared into the clearing.
My breath caught.
The vehicle stopped abruptly in front of the house.
The engine died.
And the passenger’s door opened slowly.
My stomach dropped.
Kailen stepped out.
His gaze landed on us instantly.
And the faint smile that appeared on his lips made the cold air feel ten times heavier.
Pathy stopped walking beside me.
Neither of us spoke.
The forest seemed to hold its breath.
Kailen’s eyes shifted between the two of us.
Then he chuckled softly. “Well,” he said calmly. “This is interesting.”