Kaia stumbled into the house, her breath unsteady. She had hoped her stepmother and Ivy wouldn't be there, but luck wasn't on her side.
"Kaia??" her stepmother, Edith, called out from behind. Reluctantly, Kaia turned around, and a slap landed across her cheek."Where have you been all week??" Edith barked, as Ivy sauntered down the stairs, a glass of wine in hand.
"I'm here to see Eira," Kaia replied defiantly
."Eira?? So after your wild week, you suddenly remember you have a sister??" Ivy sneered.
Kaia clenched her fists, teeth gritted. "What do you mean 'wild week'?!" she yelled, anger bubbling up inside her.
"Oh please, I saw you getting into a fancy car!" Ivy cackled, and Kaia went pale, it must have been Zayne's car. How could she explain to someone like Ivy that she was married now
"You're imagining things," Kaia said, shifting her gaze away.
Ivy clicked her tongue in disdain. "I knew this day would come." She pulled out her phone and waved a photo in front of Kaia. "Explain this!" she demanded.Kaia sighed heavily and lifted her chin to meet Ivy's eyes.
"I don't owe you any explanations. You think putting food on your table and providing for you is easy?" she snapped, biting her lip to suppress the tears that threatened to spill.
"You ungrateful bitch!!" Edith lunged forward, landing another slap on Kaia's face. Kaia laughed, a dry, coarse sound that echoed her desperation.
"Sister Kaia!" Eira called out, limping down the stairs. Kaia's heart sank at the sight of her sister.
"How are you...?" Kaia asked, her concern evident as she took in Eira's injuries.
"You don't have to worry about me. How are you? Did you manage to escape from him?" Eira shuddered at the mention of Zayne
."What are you talking about?" Ivy interjected."It's none of your business," Kaia shot back.
"So, you were caught stealing and locked up then?" Ivy continued, smirking.
"How does it feel to speak without thinking?" Kaia retorted.
"At least I didn't abandon my sister," Ivy scoffed.Kaia threw her head back and managed a half-smile. Maybe running away was her only option. Ignoring Ivy, she led Eira outside
."What are your plans now, Sister Kaia?" Eira asked, her voice shaky.
"I need to run away from him, but I want to make sure you're safe first. I can't let this happen to you again," Kaia replied, gesturing to her sister's wounds.
Eira giggled softly, even through her tears."I'll be fine, Sister Kaia"
"No, I know Zayne. He'll hurt you, just look at what he's done to you"
"What exactly happened between you two? Is there something I'm missing?" Eira inquired, concern etched on her face
"I don't know. I'm still trying to pay off what we owe him... and find a way to be free from him," Kaia confessed.
"Just run away like you planned," Eira urged. Kaia stroked her hair gently, letting it fall to her shoulders.
She had to come up with a plan, running away from Zayne wasn't something she could do out of the blue. She had to create a masterpiece that even Zayne couldn't think of.
She gave Eira some cash and went back to the estate. Zayne wasn't home. Had he gone to find her??
"Welcome back Mrs Blackwood" Stellan bowed
"Thank you" she muffled, her eyes darting around the room.
The grand foyer felt emptier than usual, the silence amplifying her anxiety. She could almost hear the echo of her own heartbeat as she stepped further inside, the opulence of the estate feeling more like a gilded cage than a home.
"Is he…?" she started, but Stellan interrupted her with a slight shake of his head.
"No, Mrs. Blackwood. He's not here. He left shortly after you did." His voice was calm, but there was a flicker of concern in his eyes. "Is everything alright?"
She forced a smile, though it felt brittle on her lips. "Just… needed some air. Thank you, Stellan."
As she moved through the house, her mind raced with possibilities. She needed to think strategically. Zayne was clever, always two steps ahead, but she had something he didn't: desperation. She could use that to her advantage.
In the study, she found a blank notebook and a pen. Sitting at the mahogany desk, she began to jot down her ideas. She needed a distraction, something that would pull Zayne's attention away from her. Perhaps a staged event, something that would require his focus and keep him occupied while she made her escape.
Her thoughts flowed onto the pages: a charity gala, a masquerade ball. Something extravagant that would draw in the elite of their world. She could use the connections she had cultivated over the years to make it happen. If she could create a spectacle, Zayne would be too busy managing the chaos to notice her slipping away.
As she wrote, the door creaked open, and she looked up to see Stellan standing there, a hesitant expression on his face. "Mrs. Blackwood, I couldn't help but overhear… are you planning something?"
She quickly closed the notebook, her heart racing. "It's nothing, Stellan. Just some ideas for the estate."
He stepped closer, his brow furrowed. "You know Zayne will find out if you're trying to leave. He always does."
"I'm not afraid of him," she said, her voice firmer than she felt. "I just need to buy myself some time."
Stellan studied her for a moment, then nodded slowly. "If you're serious about this, I can help. I know people who can assist with the planning. But you must be careful. Zayne won't take kindly to being outsmarted." His words sounded like a warning, she clutched the notebook in her hands as she crawled out of the room.
The heavy silence of the estate was beginning to suffocate her. She took slow, measured steps toward the grand staircase, her fingers brushing the polished handrail as her thoughts raced. The quiet unnerved her; it felt too deliberate, like the calm before an ambush. She reminded herself to stay sharp, to focus.
She could feel Stellan's eyes boring into her back as she ascended, his ever-watchful presence amplifying her tension. It was only once she reached the dimly lit corridor leading to her room that she allowed herself to exhale. She slipped inside, shutting the door securely behind her.
The air in her bedroom was cooler, refreshing it gave her a moment to think. She retrieved her notebook from its hiding place, the weight of it in her hands grounding her. It wasn't much, but it was her anchor, her lifeline. Every plan, every contingency hinged on the scribbled pages within it. Flipping it open, her eyes scanned her most recent notes.
Routes. Backups. Timing. Be invisible.
The words blurred together as her mind jumped ahead.
Out of nowhere, a voice shattered her thoughts like glass.
"Well, well. I was wondering how long it would take you to come back."
Her heart lurched painfully in her chest. The notebook slipped from her fingers, falling to the plush carpet with a muted thud. She knew that voice. Too well.
She whipped around, her stomach knotting as her eyes met his. Zayne stood in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame, his lips curled into that infuriatingly smug smile. He looked relaxed, but she knew better. His body was a coiled spring beneath the expensive suit, his sharp eyes studying her with a cunning deliberation.
"Zayne." Her voice came out brittle, but she forced herself to compose her expression. Cool, detached, indifferent, like she hadn't been obsessing over how to shake him all day. "I didn't know you were home."
"Oh, clearly," he drawled, stepping into the room with languid ease. His presence radiated an unsettling dominance, as though even the air bent to his will. "But don't let me interrupt. You looked so… focused. Writing in your little diary, were you?"
Her pulse thundered in her ears. Had he seen the notebook? No, she couldn't let him notice it. With a deliberate movement, she bent down to scoop it up and tucked it under her arm, masking the motion with feigned indifference.
"What do you want, Zayne?" she asked, her tone frictionless, careful to betray nothing. Every word, every gesture had to be calculated around him. The wrong move could undo everything.
"Want?" He smiled faintly, amused. "Must there always be a reason for me to check on my
dearest wife? I had a busy day, meetings, deals to close, you know how it is. I come home expecting to be greeted, and… nothing. It's almost enough to hurt my feelings."
She wanted to laugh, but it stuck in her throat. Zayne didn't have feelings…not the kind that mattered. His ego, sure. His pride, absolutely. But feelings? No. Zayne's world didn't allow room for emotion. It was all calculated moves, all power dynamics.
"You seemed to manage just fine without me," she retorted, brushing past him toward the window to steady herself. Keeping her face turned away, she pretended to admire the garden below, though her attention was laser-focused on his reflection in the glass.
"Well, I do find ways to amuse myself," he replied, shrugging as he wandered further into the room. "But I must admit, something about this house feels… off today. Like someone's been making plans without including me."
Her stomach sank, though she turned to face him with a carefully crafted mask of annoyance. "Paranoid, much?"
Zayne chuckled softly, the sound low and unsettling. "Maybe. Or maybe I'm just good at noticing when gears are turning behind those pretty little eyes of yours."
The words felt like a challenge, one she refused to rise to. Instead, she crossed her arms and tilted her head. "If you're here to needle me, Zayne, maybe next time send a memo. I actually have things to do."
He smirked, his gaze never wavering from her face. "Oh, don't let me stop you. I'm fascinated to see what you've been up to. You've been… awfully hard to pin down lately. Even poor Stellan can't seem to keep track of you these days."
Her mouth ran dry. Why did it feel like he knew more than he should? The scariest thing about Zayne was how masterfully he played with half-truths, luring people into giving up more than they intended.
"If this is you accusing me of something, just cut to the chase," she said, standing her ground.
Zayne's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, the sharp edge of his amusement waning. "Oh no, darling, this isn't an accusation. Think of it as… a reminder. I'm always watching. Always listening. Whatever it is you think you're doing, wherever it is you think you're going, I'll find you."
A chill ran down her spine, but she refused to flinch. Instead, she gave him a tight smile. "And here I thought you trusted me."
He tilted his head, considering her like she was a puzzle he hadn't yet solved. "Trust is a funny thing, isn't it? But don't worry, Kaia, you'll never need to trust me. Because I'll always be exactly where you expect."
The words felt like a threat, his calm delivery amplifying their weight.
Zayne straightened, smoothing down his jacket like he hadn't just sent her pulse into overdrive. "Anyway," he added, glancing at his watch. "Don't let me keep you. I have a few calls to make. Business, you understand."
Without another word, he crossed the room and disappeared into the shadows of the hallway, leaving her frozen in place.
It took everything she had not to collapse once he was gone. She sank into the chair by the window, her hand clutching the notebook so tightly her knuckles ached. He knew. Maybe not the specifics, but she knew Zayne wasn't the kind of man who waited quietly for answers. He hunted them. And she wasn't willing to be caught. Not yet. Not ever.