EVE

Chapter Forty-Five

(A war only I can win)

●Eve●

The suitcase lay open on the bed, a gaping maw waiting to swallow the remnants of my life here. With each item of clothing I folded, my hands trembled, not from the cold that seeped into the room despite the warmth of spring outside, but from a storm of emotions that I couldn't quite contain. As I packed, memories flooded in unbidden. The laughter we had shared over a shared meal, the stolen moments of intimacy amidst the chaos of his everything, each memory clung to the fabric of my clothes and the air around me. 

I paused, holding the bodycon dress he had bought for me. Memories of the insult I had suffered from his brothers slowly seeped in. 

"Wow, I thought it would be different" Subby whispered as a tear threatened to fall on my cheek.

"Well, at least his brothers told me he would get rid of me eventually," I told her.  

Sighing, I folded it carefully and placed it in the suitcase. My heart ached with profound sorrow, not for what was being lost, but because I was naïve enough to believe whatever this was.  Not once had he defined what we were, I guess I had deluded myself into believing we were something. I let out a chuckle.

"Exactly what were we?" I wondered.

"Master and servant and now that he is done with us he is sending us back" Subby bluntly said.

My thoughts drifted to our last conversation, his voice heavy with a fake sorrow that mirrored, his words—a protective shroud meant to shield me but instead felt like a shroud wrapping tightly around my heart.

"Why now? After everything..."  I whispered to the empty room, my voice a fragile echo of the despair that had clouded my heart since his decision. 

"You have been a beacon of light in my life, a pure force amidst the chaos that surrounds me. But it is because of this... because of what you represent to me, that I must do what I'm about to do." He said.

"Beacon my ass." Subby retorted

"You can say that again," I said .

I zipped the suitcase and looked around the room, taking in the details—the way the sunlight danced on the hardwood floor, the feel of the atmosphere sharing a mix of our fragrance, I couldn't take it so I did a final sweep of the room checking if I had left anything that he had bought for me. A tear slipped down my cheek, but I quickly wiped it away with the back of my hand. Pulling the suitcase off the bed, I felt the finality of the act. With each step I took towards the door, it felt as though I was walking away from the very essence of a life I thought I would get accustomed to.

At the door, I took one last look back. With a deep, fortifying breath, I stepped out of the room, closing the door softly behind me. The click of the latch was like a punctuation mark at the end of a significant sentence in our story. 

My steps echoed in the hallway as I made my way to the waiting car, 

"He's not here to say goodbye" Subby asked. 

"Yeah" I whispered to her.

The driver, an impassive figure in a black suit, stood by the car, holding the door open.  I hesitated for a moment, my gaze lingering on the entrance to the house that had been both my haven and my prison. Some part of me still hoped he would come to see me as I left, but that hope was crushed as I took another deep breath, slid into the back seat, the door closing behind me with a muted thud.

As the escort of cars wound through the countryside, the landscape blurred, matching the haze of my thoughts. I couldn't help but replay the pivotal moments in my mind—the tenderness that had lured me in, 

"I had a really rough day. Can we go to bed?" He asks.

The moments of vulnerability he had shown,

"I ran you a warm bath. I'll carry you in." He told me still stroking my skin.

He leaned towards me and I closed my eyes as he placed a kiss on my forehead. He placed his forehead against mine.

"I'll take you upstairs. You should rest" he whispered.  

I sighed, staring out the window at the passing scenery. A stray tear fell and I immediately wiped it. The memories felt like they were suffocating me, constricting around my chest. I couldn't breathe. The car was a cage, the estate was a prison, and I felt a growing desperation to escape.

"Subby, I can't do this," I whispered, my voice trembling with fear and resolve.

"Then don't," Subby replied, her tone surprisingly supportive. 

"Get out. Now."

My heart pounded as I looked at the door handle, the weight of the moment pressing down on me. The car slowed slightly as it approached a bend in the road. 

"Now or never" I whispered to Subby.

Without another second to reconsider, I yanked the door handle and threw myself out of the car.

The world spun as I hit the ground, rolling through the tall grass on the side of the road. Pain flared in my shoulder and hip, but I scrambled to my feet, adrenaline pushing me forward. I darted towards the woods, the trees offering a sanctuary from the life I was leaving behind.

"Run, Eve!" Subby urged, her voice urgent and clear.

Branches whipped against my face and arms as I plunged deeper into the forest, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I could hear screeching tires, the driver shouting behind me and the panicked guards conversing but all this grew fainter as I ran. The woods were dense, and soon I was surrounded by a canopy of leaves, the sunlight filtering through in golden beams.

I stumbled to a stop by a small clearing, collapsing onto the soft moss. My body ached, and tears streamed down my face. I buried my face in my hands, sobs wracking my body as the enormity of what I had just done hit me. The fear, the pain, the betrayal—it all came crashing down, and I let myself feel every bit of it.

"Why?" I whispered out to the empty woods. 

"Why did it have to end like this?"

"We don't have time for this chomie, get up. They are probably right behind us." Subby  whispered gently. 

I took deep, shuddering breaths, trying to calm the storm inside me. Once again, I ran deeper into the forest, the sound of snapping twigs and rustling leaves behind me grew louder. The guards were following, their heavy footsteps a stark reminder that my escape was far from secure. Panic surged through me, and I veered off the path, diving into a thick cluster of bushes.

Heart pounding, I crouched low, my breath ragged and shallow. I could hear their voices, urgent and searching, as they combed through the underbrush. I pressed myself further into the foliage, willing myself to become invisible, I covered my mouth and nose so that I didn't make a sound. The seconds stretched into eternity, but gradually, the sounds of pursuit faded, leaving me surrounded by the silence of the forest once more. I remained hidden, trembling, until I was sure they had moved on, the adrenaline still coursing through my veins.

The only sounds my own ragged breaths and the distant call of a bird. For the first time in a long while, I felt a strange sense of peace. It wasn't the calm of being protected or sheltered—it was the calm of being truly free. Slowly, I stood up, wiping the tears from my face. I looked around the clearing, the sunlight warm on my skin. This was my new beginning, raw and painful as it was. I would find a way to rebuild, to heal, to live on my own terms.

I took a step forward, and then another, my steps steadying as I moved through the forest. I didn't know where I was going, but for the first time in a long while, it didn't matter. I was free. I was alive. And that was enough.

[AN]

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