Chapter 15 ESCAPE PLANS
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SAMANTHA’S POV
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her……Micky’s tiny face pressed against my chest, her breath warm and trusting, whispering
“Mummy” like it was the most natural thing in the world. And behind her, on every wall, Sally stared back at me. My same eyes. The same mouth. My same tilt of the head when i smiled. It felt like looking into a fucking mirror that showed a life I had never lived.
Morning came too soon. I was changing and I didn’t know if I was becoming stronger… or just broken in a new way.
A soft knock pulled me out of my thoughts
“Come in.”
Nanny entered carrying a tray of tea, toast, a small bottle of pills. Her eyes were red-rimmed, tired. She had spent the night in the pink mansion
“Good morning, my child,” she said gently, setting the tray down.
“Did you sleep?”
I forced a small smile.
“A little.”
“You look… different today,” she said carefully.
Different.
Yes. I felt it too.
“I’m trying,” I said. “Like you told me. Facing things.”
She nodded slowly, but there was worry in her eyes.
“Kane will be back tomorrow night. Be ready.”
For what? Another breakfast table violation? Another night of being used and discarded?
Or something worse.
I took the tea from her hands, sipping slowly to buy time.
“Nanny… can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Micky,” I said softly. “How old is she?”
Her face softened instantly. “Five…six. She turned six three months ago.”
Six??
“How do you even know about her??”
I chucked
“Everyone mentions her name, I'm sure I'm not dumb”
“Does she… does she ever ask about her mother?”
Nanny’s fi
ngers tightened around the bedsheet. “Every day,” she whispered. “Every single day.”
My throat closed. “And Kane?”
She looked away. “He doesn’t speak of Sally. Not ever. But he keeps her alive in that wing. Nothing has been moved since the day she…” Her voice cracked. “Since the day she left us.”
“I know you've been listening to gossips…but be careful. Kane won't appreciate this”
I wanted to press, to demand the full story, but the pain in Nanny’s eyes stopped me.
Instead I asked something else.
“Do I really look that much like her?”
Nanny met my gaze.
“Like looking at a ghost,” she said quietly. “It’s… unnatural. Sometimes I forget myself and almost call you by her name.”
The words landed heavy between us.
She stood abruptly, smoothing her apron.
“Eat. Rest. I’ll be in the pink wing if you need me.”
I stared at the closed door long after she was gone.
Unnatural. That was the word that followed me all day. I moved through my chores like a shadow…..folding laundry, dusting shelves, carrying trays. The maids whispered when I passed. Some with pity. Some with fear. A few with something darker jealousy, maybe.
Kate found me in the laundry room late in the afternoon.
She slipped in without a sound, closing the door behind her.
“You’re still thinking about it,” she said. Not a question.
I didn’t look up from the shirt I was folding. “I haven’t stopped.”
“Don’t,” she warned. “Don’t let this place twist you. Don’t start feeling sorry for him. Or for her.”
“I feel sorry for Micky,” I said sharply.
Kate stepped closer. “Micky is Kane’s weapon. She cries, someone dies. Don’t romanticize her or fantasize her even.
“She’s five,” I repeated, voice rising. “She’s lost her mother. She’s growing up with a father who shoots people behind her back…and act all gentle in front of her. That’s not a weapon. That’s a child who’s terrified.”
Kate’s eyes flashed. “You’ve been here here barely a week and suddenly you’re the expert on this family?”
I met her stare. “I held her last night. She fell asleep in my arms calling me Mummy. Tell me that’s not broken.”
For a moment, Kate said nothing.
Then: “You’re getting attached.”
“
Maybe,” I admitted. “Or maybe I’m just tired of hating everything. Maybe there’s more here than monsters and victims.”
She laughed, cold and short. “There isn’t. Trust me.”
She stepped back, hand on the door. “Offer expires when Kane returns. After that, you’re on your own.”
“Wait….said..this nightmare let's leave later…very early in the morning i whispered” I said
She stared at me angrily..you plan on visiting that girl again…your choice”
“I'll see you in your room….it'll be difficult.” she said
She left without another word.
That night, I couldn’t stay in my room. The pull was too strong.
I waited until the house settled into its deepest silence past 2 a.m. then slipped out again…I'll be back by 3am to escape with Kate.
This time, I knew exactly where I was going.
The pink mansion welcomed me like it had been waiting.
I moved faster now, more sure. Past the parlour with its gallery of Sally’s face with all the strength I could gather.
Micky’s door was cracked open.
I pushed it gently.
She was sitting up in bed, knees pulled to her chest, crying quietly.
I think she does this every night.
The sound broke something inside me.
I stepped inside and closed the door softly.
“Hey,” I whispered.
Her head snapped up. Tears streaked her cheeks, but the moment she saw me, her face lit up like sunrise.
“Mummy!”
“I knew you'd come again..for me”
She launched herself at me again, arms tight around my neck.
I held her without thinking. Sat on the bed and pulled her into my lap.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
“I had a bad dream,” she sniffled. “You were gone. You left me like before.”
My heart cracked open.
“I’m here now,” I said, rocking her gently. “I’m right here.”
She clung harder.
We stayed like that for a long time. Me stroking her hair. Her breathing slowing against my chest.
Eventually, she spoke, voice small.
“Daddy says you’re not coming back. That you’re in heaven.”
I froze.
“But you’re here,” she continued, looking up at me with those big, trusting eyes. “So he lied?”
I didn’t know how to answer.
Instead, I kissed her forehead. “I’m here tonight,” I said. “That’s what matters.”
What the fuck am I doing this to this child.
She nodded, satisfied with that child-logic, and snuggled closer.
“Will you stay until I sleep?”
“Yes.”
She was out within minutes.
I didn’t leave right away.
I sat there in the soft glow, holding Kane Draven’s daughter, staring at the woman on the wall who wore my face.
But I'd taken a decision..Kane was coming back tomorrow, really needed to be out of this place. I was leaving this night.