The days passed, but the message didn't come.
Serene paced her room like a trapped animal, anxiety simmering just beneath her skin. She had memorized the last note from Gloria, read it until the words blurred and stained her thoughts. "Everything is in place. Be careful. Nothing escapes their eyes."
That last sentence haunted her more than anything else.
Because it was true.
The Ashbornes weren't ordinary people.
They didn't watch. They saw.
And in the silence that followed Gloria's message, Serene started to question everything.
Had Roman found out?
Was Lelo pretending not to know?
Was this just a game?
The more the silence dragged on, the more unstable Serene became. Her mind flickered between hope and paranoia, her chest tightening every time Roman walked into the room and looked at her for too long. She wondered if he could smell her thoughts, taste her fear—know that she remembered now.
That she was planning to leave.
That she still had secrets.
Even Lelo seemed off. Her energy was distant, cold, distracted. Her eyes lingered too long on Serene's belly, then quickly flicked away. She was quieter than usual, and Serene caught her rubbing her stomach absentmindedly, as though lost in some private war.
The baby was growing. There was no denying it now.
Her body had changed—softened, bloomed.
But so had her soul. The dread was sinking in deeper than the love.
Serene stopped sleeping properly. Every noise outside her door made her sit upright. Every glance from a maid made her skin crawl. Every breath Roman took next to her in bed felt like thunder pounding just above her ribs.
She prayed that Gloria hadn't betrayed her.
But it was getting harder to believe.
Until one evening, when the sun was melting into a hazy gold, a maid—young, pale and jittery—approached her near the garden wall.
"My lady," she whispered, eyes darting behind her, "this is from Madam Gloria."
Serene's heart nearly exploded. She took the small envelope with trembling fingers and walked away without a word.
Inside were only two lines.
> "Tomorrow. Roman leaves at 9. Lelo will be gone by 10. The man will be waiting by the west gate. You'll know him."
Serene pressed the paper to her chest. Her fingers shook. Her mind whirled. She could barely breathe through the rush of emotion: fear, hope, guilt, disbelief.
This was happening.
It was real.
She was going to escape.
She was going to try.
The next morning was eerily quiet.
Roman kissed her forehead and left for work without suspicion. At least, he didn't show it. His eyes were dark and unreadable, his lips brushing hers in a way that sent ice down her spine. He lingered a moment longer than usual before pulling away.
As if to say, I know.
Lelo left soon after, claiming she was visiting her grandparents. She wore sunglasses and barely spoke. But she hugged Serene longer than expected and whispered something too soft to hear.
Then the gates closed behind her.
Serene was alone.
Gloria had done it. The security shift had changed. The west side was open for the first time in weeks. Her door was unlocked.
She was one step away from freedom.
But as she stood at the edge of the hallway, clutching her belly and the note, her breath caught in her throat.
Because nothing about the Ashbornes had ever been simple.
And if they knew, if they had even the smallest hint…
Then this wasn't a rescue.
It was a trap.
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