𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐓- 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐃𝐘𝐍𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐖𝐎 - 𝟏𝟖+

CHAPTER THREE

A N D R E A

Carlo had thrown a tantrum right after he'd broken the news of Lorenzo being alive, and I could've sworn I felt my heart swell inside my chest. He was drunk enough to be unaware of the fact that he'd thrown the keys of his car under the couch. If he was sober, he would have never left those unsupervised, except in his alcohol-fueled rage, he'd thrown the keys, with some of the vases he'd seen. I'd shrunk in a corner, and let him go on, waiting assiduously for him to pass out.

This might be my only chance to escape because now that Carlo knew Lorenzo was alive, he wouldn't let me out of his sight. And my previous attempt at escaping has been a failure of epic proportions, so I suppose it was a good thing I'd learned from my mistakes and was intent on not making more forlorn attempts.
It was way past midnight, and I'd put my crying twins to sleep for the second time, packed their essentials, and kept them in the corner of the room with a small bag for myself.

I hadn't packed more clothes for myself and focused on keeping as much food as I could considering I didn't know where exactly was Carlo keeping me. I also didn't know how far away civilization was, as the last time I'd run away I'd been walking for hours and couldn't find a single human. I was still pregnant then, and Carlo had found me nearly passed out in the woods. It was dangerous, but I'd been desperate to get away from this affliction. It was only when I woke up dehydrated that I realized I couldn't make any erratic moves as it harmed my children more than it would ever harm me, and Carlo had already begun to use them as tools to keep me restrained.

The door creaked as I pushed it open. Goosebumps broke on my skin, and a shiver passed my spine as my toes touched the cold hardwood floor when I crossed the hallway to walk to Carlo's room. He always slept with his door ajar, to ensure I wasn't up to something, and ironically I'd begun to lock my door when he'd tried to kiss me when I was asleep. Peering through his door, I exhaled in relief when I watched his chest move with his steady breathing.

Assured that he wouldn't put a halt to my fraught escape attempt, I started descending the staircase, keeping my hands firm on the wooden railing. Once in the living room, I crouched and moved my hands blindly under the couch, my heart in my throat as I prayed for my fingers to close around the keys.

I covered my mouth with my hand when a gasp escaped me as my fingers touched something cold. The keys. I closed my fist around them and dragged my hand back out. From the little light coming from the hallway, I checked if they really were the car keys, and once satisfied, I moved towards the other corner of the living room.

One of the hardwood flooring strips was loose, and I'd been using that as my hiding spot for the minuscule amounts of money I'd been stealing from Carlo. It wasn't much, however, it was enough to last me a few days, at least until I could contact Alex. I pulled the strip with my fingernail, and when it broke away, I took out the rolls of cash underneath, pocketed them, and placed the strip back in place.

I'd already packed my breast pump, and some extra bottles for Vittoria and Riccardo, along with most of their essentials. Carlo already had car seats installed for when he'd had to take them to a hospital. I wasn't allowed to go, obviously. Taking a deep breath, I tip-toed to the kitchen and stuck a knife into my waistband just in case. The knife poked my upper thighs as I went up the stairs towards the room Vittoria and Riccardo were sleeping in.

I picked up all three of the bags, two of them on my shoulders, and one in my hands, and walked down. I stopped for a second after unlatching the door, waiting, listening. Only when I knew nothing was out of place did I open the door and stepped out into the cool winter air. I closed the door behind me, knowing if I didn't the wind would do it for me and it would be more raucous than I could afford right now. The chill in the wind cut through my skin as I opened the boot of the car and dumped all my luggage inside, and closed it lightly. I pressed my forehead against the cold rear windshield of the car, my warm breaths condensing against the cool glass. Feeling my hair get into my eyes, I tied them into a bun with a scrunchie, which I'd recently started wearing on my wrist. Still barefoot, I took a deep breath and walked inside the cottage, which I couldn't wait to get away from.