It was me. I’m the one who has been taking things for the sake of keeping Gavriel alive. “That’s why they killed Adam?”
“It’s my fault,” he utters.
“No. It’s mine. It’s all mine. You can’t take this blame. I will tell them it was me, so they know how wrong they’ve been in punishing you.”
“No,” Gavriel growls.
Flora peeps out a quiet cry.
“It’s okay, princess,” he whispers. “I’m not mad. See?” He tries to smile but his bruised face is swollen in too many areas beneath the hollowed caves of his cheeks.
“I won’t argue with you, but don’t argue with me either. I will not stand by and watch you—” My throat tightens, and hot tears burn the backs of my eyes, a sensation so foreign to me.
“I’d rather starve to death than chance something happening to you,” he argues. “I don’t want you to go through that.” The sound of his voice fades before his last word.
The thought of Ada’s guilty demeanor and the fear in her eyes after catching her with her fake pregnant belly…the strength I garnered in that moment…I need it all back now.
“Ada is going to help us escape. I’m going to get you out of here. I am.”
The confusion weighs over his eyes, his bottom lip hanging. “What? How?—”
I nod sharply. “It’s-it’s true,” I utter, my words stumbling. “Two weeks ago, the last night you were here, I caught her.” The memory of her adjusting her fake belly nauseates me still.
“Caught her?” he says before swallowing hard.
“Yes. Her pregnancy is fake. It’s an impossible situation, something she couldn’t lie her way out of. In return, she agreed to let us go. She said it would take some time, and I haven’t pushed her because all I could think of was you—whether you were still alive. If I’d see you again. How I could find you. ThenI’d assume the worst and the cycle would start all over again. But you’re here now, you’re alive—and I’m collecting on her agreement.”
Gavriel blinks slowly, transfixed with confusion. “Fake?” he repeats, clenching his eyes as if struggling to think. “The-the…secondary infertility diagnosis, it was true…” He peers over at Flora as the scattered pieces fall into place. “And Flora…”
I nod, a grimace tugging at my chin, aching. “She’s been lying to everyone,” I confirm. “The dates from the doctor’s letter and Flora’s age don’t line up, and neither does the rest of the uncovered information. Heinrich has no idea, and if he finds out, she’s finished. She’s going to give me what I want. What we need. Or—or I’ll—I’ll ruin her.”
“I don’t…” Gavriel’s stare is unbreakable against mine. I’m not sure he’s taken much of a breath in the time I’ve been speaking. It’s a lot to take in.
“Go upstairs. If you need help, I will help you up there. Otherwise, I will go gather what I need to help you get better. Then we are getting out of this place, together. Do you understand?” Each word is pushed through clenched teeth, my eyes are wide with the fiery anger writhing through me, failing to understand how anyone could treat someone as innocent as this man the way they have.
Gavriel’s eyes squint and his chin trembles. “Yes,” he whispers.
I feather my fingertips to his cheek, worried about causing him any pain. “I’m here with you. You’ll be all right. I promise.”
“I’m scared,” he says through a weak breath. “What if she’s setting a trap? I don’t know why they even sent me back here. What good am I now?” He looks down at his failing body and shakes his head.
I don’t trust Ada. But I can’t waste a chance to escape. “If it’s a trap, I’ll make sure we aren’t caught. We’re going to getthrough this. Together.” I feel the promise deep in my chest, but I know the risks involved too.
He reaches for my shoulder and wraps his arm limply around my neck, struggling to pull me in closer. I’m careful as I touch the side of my face to his chest and loosely loop my arms around his waist. His heart is beating so hard against his ribcage, I can feel it inside of me. I need to be here, with him, like this, in his arms, he in mine. We’re supposed to be together as one. I can feel it in every bone in my body.
I don’t know when I began to feel so much passion and longing for this man, but it happened somewhere between the rush of risks, the way he coos at Flora, and his relentless faith in me. I couldn’t have planned for this, not in a million years, but here we are. In the impossible. The two of us.
He presses a kiss to the top of my head and takes in a long inhale. “You’re the one who saves me—how lucky am I?”
Left in a state of shock after Gavriel limps down the hallway toward the attic’s staircase, I’m numb all over. I’ve never seen someone so brittle and battered, and to imagine the pain he must be enduring…I should have found a way to help him sooner or at least be more careful about how I helped him. I replaced the sandwich. I doubt she’d even noticed the gold watch and brooch was missing, not with how many items she’s stolen.
My guilt has been eating at me, the entire time he’s been gone. I need to make sure this plan goes off without a hitch.
I hold Flora closer to my chest, her heartbeat calm, peaceful and unknowing of the ugly world around her. With a quick glance out of Flora’s bedroom window, I make sure Ada isn’t anywhere in sight. She doesn’t come back to the house until after the girls come home from the school, despite the continued arguments between her and Heinrich about leaving the house unattended.
Since the revelation between Ada and me, I’ve been stashing non-perishable food away in my suitcase little by little each day. There wasn’t a plan yet—not without knowing what had happened or what was happening with Gavriel. I just knew I had to be ready for whatever came next. No one else has been here but me. Not one of them returned until today. Not even the kapos. I was the only one she could blame for stolen food, which wouldn’t help her.
However, as many days have passed without a word about our agreement, I fear I might need more bargaining power at this point. More proof. Something to seal the fate of this agreed escape.
