If I got out alive, I'd leave on my own.
Once Aiden's surgery was done, we'd leave together. Go far away. Give back the Orlov name, this absurd marriage, all of it.
I was done.
I'd take Aiden. We'd beg on the streets if we had to. Better than being a dog wagging its tail for scraps here.
I don't know how long passed, but just when I thought I'd freeze to death, a faint metallic scrape came from above the iron door. The small food slot cracked open.
A weak flashlight beam shot through, blinding me.
"Ma'am? Mrs. Orlov?" A trembling voice, barely a whisper.
I lunged toward it like a lifeline, pain be damned. "Anna? Is that you?"
"Shh! Keep it down." Anna's voice was thick with fear. "The guard just went for a smoke break. I've got one minute."
Something soft pushed through. A wool blanket.
"Take it. It's freezing in there."
My shaking hands grabbed the blanket, and before I could say thank you, my fingers hit something hard and rectangular tucked inside. My phone.
"It kept buzzing. Thought it might be urgent..." Anna's voice cracked with tears. "Ma'am, please call Mr. Orlov. Beg him. Apologize. He loves you so much—if you just humble yourself, maybe he'll soften up and let you out. Don't fight Genevie anymore, please..."
"Who's there?!" A guard's harsh bark echoed down the hallway.
"Sorry, ma'am, I have to go! God bless you!" The slot snapped shut. Light vanished. Darkness swallowed everythingagain.
I clutched that phone like it was my last shred of hope in this world. The screen lit up, stabbing my eyes. Dozen missed calls. All from the same number—St. Mary Hospital.
My heart skipped a beat. A fear colder than the basement crawled up my spine. The phone buzzed again, vibrating in my palm.
I fumbled to answer, pressed it to my ear.
"Hello..."
"Miss Evans? This is Dr. Miller." His voice was urgent, frantic. Even through the static, I could hear the chaos behind him. "You need to come to the hospital. Now. Aiden's condition deteriorated suddenly. Multiple organ failure. We're doing everything we can, but... all his vitals are crashing."
My brain went blank. A ringing filled my ears.
"What... what does that mean?"
"It means," the doctor's voice turned heavy, brutal, "he might not make it through the night. If you want to see him one last time, come now. Any later and you won't make it."
The phone slipped from my hand, hit my leg. Aiden. My brother. My only family in this world. The only reason I sold myself to the Orlovs, endured every humiliation.
He was dying.
"No! NO!!" I screamed until my voice shattered, cracked, couldn't form a single word.
Terror crushed everything else. I threw myself at the iron door like a madwoman, pounding with my fists, my palms, my whole body slamming against that immovable slab.
"Open up! Please open the door!" I sobbed hysterically, tears and snot streaming down my face. "Let me out! I need to get to the hospital! My brother's dying! Please!"
Dead silence outside. The guards were deaf.
"I know you're out there! Boris! Anyone! Please have mercy!" My palms turned red and swollen. My nails scraped the iron with a horrible screech, leaving bloody trails. "Just let me get to the hospital! Let me see him one last time! After that you can lock me up forever! Kill me if you want! Please, let me out!!"
