Chapter 37 Little Escape
It had been days of chasing shadows, endless planning, and sleepless nights. But that morning, something felt different.
I was in the kitchen when Carson walked in, still in his pajamas. His hair was a little messy, and for once, he didn’t look like a man carrying the weight of the world.
"What if we disappeared today?" he asked suddenly.
I looked up from my mug. "Disappeared?"I asked.
"Just for a day," he said. "No talks about Clark, no planning, no worries, it's just you and me."
I blinked. "You mean, like a break?"I asked.
He smiled. "Exactly."he said.
I couldn’t help but smile too. "Where would we even go?"I asked.
"Anywhere," he said. "Or nowhere. Just... away,"he said again.
A few hours later, we were on the road. Carson had packed a small bag. I didn’t ask where we were going, and he didn’t tell me. We just drove with the windows down, the wind in our faces, and a soft song playing from the car stereo.
After a while, we reached a quiet house by a lake. It wasn’t far from town, but it felt like a different world. No neighbors. No noise. Just water, trees, and birds.
"Where is this place?" I asked.
"It belonged to my uncle," Carson replied. "He passed it down. I used to come here when I needed to think."
I stepped out of the car and took a deep breath. The air was fresh and the sun was warm.
"It’s beautiful," I said.
Carson came up behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders. "And it’s ours for today."
Inside the house was simple and clean. One big couch, a small kitchen, and a cozy bedroom.
"We could make lunch," I said.
Carson nodded. "Let’s do something easy. Sandwiches?"he said.
"Perfect," I said.
We worked together in the kitchen, laughing over silly things. He tried to toast the bread and ended up burning it a little.
"I swear I’m better at business than bread," he said.
I laughed. "Good thing I like burnt edges."I said.
We sat by the window, eating slowly, watching the lake.
"You know," I said, "this is the first time I feel... calm."I added.
He looked at me gently. "Same."
There was a pause.
"Annabel," he said.
"Yes?"I answered.
He reached for my hand. "I don’t want this to end. Not the quiet. Not you."he said, looking sober.
"I don’t either," I whispered.
He leaned closer and kissed my cheek.
Later in the afternoon, we lay on the couch, tangled under a blanket. The sunlight poured in through the window.
"Carson," I said quietly.
"Hmm?"
"What do you think we’d be doing right now if none of this had happened? No secrets. No fights."I asked.
He turned to me. "I’d still find you. And I’d still love you."he said.
I smiled.
There was silence. But it wasn’t awkward. It was full of feeling and of understanding.
Then he touched my face and looked into my eyes.
"Are you sure?" he asked softly.
I nodded. "Yes."
He kissed me gently. Not rushed, just soft and deep. It felt like everything we had held back was now finding a way out.
I kissed him back. My hand found his, our fingers locked. It wasn’t about lust, it was about love. And for the first time, we let ourselves feel everything.
That night, we made love. Softly. Slowly. Like we were learning about each other all over again.
And when it was over, we lay in silence, arms wrapped around each other.
"Are you okay?" he whispered.
I smiled. "I’ve never felt more okay."I said.
He kissed the top of my head.
At night, we made dinner together and talked about our childhoods. He told me how he once ran away from home and lived in a tent behind his school for two days.
"No way," I laughed.
"True story," he said proudly.
I told him how I used to dream of being a singer, even though my voice was awful.
"I want to hear it," he said.
"No you don’t," I warned.
"I do," he grinned.
So I sang.
Terribly.
And he laughed until his stomach hurt.
\---
When it was late, we sat by the lake, just looking at the water.
"Carson," I said. "I’m glad we had today."
"Me too," he said.
I leaned on his shoulder.
But then, my phone buzzed.
I picked it up and saw an anonymous message: "You’re not safe just because he’s beside you."
I showed it to Carson.
He read it and his jaw tightened.
"They found us," he said quietly.
Just like that, our soft escape was over.
But no matter what came next, I had no regrets.
Because we had today.
And that was something no one could take away.
“They’re watching us again,” he said.
I nodded slowly. “That means… even after everything, they’re still close.”
Carson looked around the restaurant, his eyes scanning every face.
“No one followed us,” he said under his breath. “I checked.”
“Well, someone did,” I said. “Because they knew exactly where we were… and that we were together.”
He stood up quickly. “Let’s go,” he said. “Now.”
We drove back home quietly. The music was off. The laughter from earlier was gone.
The closer we got to the house, the more the fear returned.
Once we stepped inside, Carson locked every door, checked every window, and turned on the security cameras.
Fred was already waiting in the living room. He stood up when he saw our faces.
“What happened?” Fred asked.
Carson showed him the message.
Fred read it and looked concerned. “They’re pushing back again,” he said. “They want to divide you two.”
I sat on the couch and held my head in my hands. “Why are they always doing this? Why does it always come back to me?”i asked.
Fred sat beside me. “Because you’re close to something. Something they don’t want uncovered.”
I looked at Carson. “Maybe I should leave,” I said quietly.
Carson’s eyes widened. “No.”
“If I’m the one in danger, then maybe—”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” he said, stepping closer. “I already lost you once. I’m not doing that again.”
“But if they come after you—”
“Let them,” he said. “Let them come. I’ll fight every last one of them if I have to.”
Fred stood up again. “I’ll go check the system logs. Maybe I can trace where the message came from.” He walked off to the study.
I walked into the kitchen to get some water, trying to calm my nerves.
Carson followed me in, his voice low.
“Annabel,” he said. “Don’t ever say you’re leaving again.”
“I’m just scared,” I said, turning to him.
He moved closer. “So am I,” he said. “But I’d rather fight with you than hide without you.”
I nodded slowly.
We were quiet for a while.
Then I whispered, “They won’t stop, Carson.”
“I know.”
“They’ll keep trying.”
“I know.”
I looked at him. “Then what do we do?"I asked.