Chapter 16 FREE AT LAST
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
SAMANTHA’S POV
I had finally managed to sneak back into my room after hours of waiting and hiding. My door was closed now, but that did nothing to calm me. I kept checking it, half-expecting it to burst open at any moment by Kate.
Kate was late.
I sat up, rubbed my palms together, then stood and paced the room. I whispered prayers
“Please let this work. Please don’t let us get caugh”
If this failed, there would be no mercy.
Just as panic began crawling up my chest, the door creaked open. She was here..hopefully
Kate slipped inside quietly, her movements careful and practiced. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it briefly, breathing hard.
“Are you set?” she whispered.
“Yes,” I said quickly, standing up.
She studied me in the dim light.
“Where have you been?”
I frowned. “Where have you been?” I asked back.
“I was here earlier,” she said. “You weren’t here.”
“Don’t tell me you went to see that baby,” she added, her voice sharp.
I looked away.
I didn’t want to argue. I didn’t want to explain. I just wanted to leave.
“Let’s pray we get out of here according to plan,” Kate said after a moment. “Because if this goes wrong, it’s on you.”
I nodded silently.
We moved out of the room together, careful with every step. The hallway was dark, quiet and i was scared. I stayed close to the wall, my shoulders tense, my breathing shallow.
When we got closer to the exit, I peeked outside.
Guards. Too many of them.
They were walking back and forth, alert, armed, talking quietly among themselves. My throat tightened.
“How do we do this?” I whispered, my voice shaking.
“Stay here,” Kate whispered back.
Before I could ask anything, she disappeared into the darkness.
I stood there frozen, hidden behind a pillar, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. Seconds dragged by. Then minutes. My hands were shaking badly, and I had to press them against my thighs to steady myself.
What if she got caught?
What if she didn’t come back?
Then suddenly, the guards near the gate stiffened, then started moving quickly in the opposite direction. Something had happened. Whatever Kate did, it worked.
“Hurry,” she whispered, reappearing and grabbing my wrist.
We moved fast but carefully, keeping low, sticking to the shadows. My legs felt weak as we approached the gate.
Two guards stood there.
Kane’s guards.
My heart dropped straight into my stomach.
This was it.
But instead of stopping us, they nodded at Kate.The gate man stepped aside without a word and shock was visible on my face.
The gate opened slowly, and I finally understood. Kate wasn’t just brave. She was connected. Kane’s men knew her. They trusted her. They obeyed her.
“Move,” Kate whispered and we started running.
The moment we crossed the gate, the night air hit my face hard. My lungs burned, my feet ached, but I didn’t stop. Fear pushed me forward. I was free, the air smelt different from the toxicity I smelt in that dark mansion
When I finally dared to look back, the mansion stood behind us, quiet and massive, as if it hadn’t held me prisoner for so long.
Relief crashed into me all at once.
I hugged Kate tightly, laughing and crying at the same time. I didn’t care where we were going. I didn’t care what came next.
All that mattered was this.
I was free.
And whoever my new master would be, I prayed he would be kinder than Kane.
GENERAL POV
The convoy arrived with authority.
The moment Kane’s vehicles entered the compound, the mansion snapped back into order. Guards straightened. Maids rushed to their positions. Fear returned to the walls like it had never left.
Kane stepped out of the car, calm and confident. His presence alone demanded obedience.
Nanny stood waiting, her hands trembling.
“Kane,” she said, dropping to her knees.
“What is it?” he asked coldly.
“The mutate… Samantha… she’s not in her room.”
He stopped walking.
“Have you searched everywhere?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“And the CCTV cameras?”
“They were all turned off.”
Kane chuckled softly.
“An inside job,” he said.
He turned to his guard. “Bring every guard that was on duty last night.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Get the truth from them,” Kane added. “Then execute them.”
Nanny hesitated. “What about Samantha?
She could be in danger.”
“She’ll return,” Kane replied calmly. “Before you know it.”
He walked away.
“When she does,” he said over his shoulder, “she will be punished severely.”
Walking into the room, he went straight to the cupboard. He didn’t hesitate. He opened it and brought out the control he had received after the payment was confirmed. It was small, cold, and ordinary-looking, yet it held absolute power.
This was the symbol of the master and servant relationship. Ownership. Control.
He stared at it for a moment, his face hard and unreadable. He knew exactly what it did. Once activated, the mark imprinted on her body would come alive. It would burn from the inside, spreading through her veins like fire. The pain would be so intense that she wouldn’t be able to stand, run, or even scream properly.
She would have no choice. She would come back.
His fingers tightened around the control as he slowly turned the handle. A smile crept onto his face, dark and satisfied. Somewhere far away, he imagined her collapsing, her body giving in to the pain, confusion flooding her mind as the mark punished her for disobedience. The thought pleased him.
He leaned back slightly, still holding the control, enjoying the idea that even in her absence, she was suffering because of him.
She could run.But she could never escape.