Chapter 2

Sophie

The screams echoed loudly. So many people were screaming like they were on fire. I was standing outside the burning apartment confused about what to do. I could hear them scream for help, but I couldn’t help them – I was stuck. I couldn’t move my legs. I was rooted there on the spot.

I turned my head as I heard the cynical laughter. Tears filled my eyes as I knew that this was how I would die, stuck and burnt alive.

It was hot, everywhere felt like it was on fire. The screams were loud, so loud that I covered my ears. Desperate to get away from it, I tried to move, but I couldn’t. The flames were catching up to me. I watched the fire get a hold of my legs, but I couldn’t shake it off.

It was hurting me, and I couldn’t do anything about it; I could only watch as my whole body got consumed by the flames.

I woke up in a cold sweat. I couldn’t sleep. I was wide awake, alert, and desperate to forget everything that had happened so far in my life. Every night, I lay on my bed, calling out to sleep, but it refused to grace me for some reason. And every time I closed my eyes, the images behind them were not something I wanted to see or remember. It was a living nightmare that haunted me and made me a refugee.

I stayed awake for the rest of the night. I couldn’t close my eyes, afraid of what I would see.

I fled to New York after Antonio burnt down my apartment. It was a miracle that I escaped without a scratch. I had a feeling that he knew I was alive and was coming for me next. Whenever I managed to escape his clutches, he got even more determined. That made him vicious and me the object of his obsession. He killed people to get to me, innocent people were dead like bees because of me.

I ran my hands through my hair. I was in my own version of hell, and it was hotter than I imagined. It was lonely, cold, and heartbreaking for me to keep living like this.

Anytime I thought of ending it, I imagined Antonio grinning over my dead body and telling my corpse that he had won, and I immediately got back on my feet and moved to avoid getting caught. I was going to be having this nightmare for weeks to come. It was one of the disadvantages of being on the run. Nothing matters and you never get to be happy.

It was like he found new ways to torture me, so I would have to keep dreaming about it till he changed his pattern, giving me something new to think about. This was the part where I wished for a knight in shining armor, but we all know that isn’t happening. Nobody cared about me, not even my brother cared enough to stick around.

He hightailed it out of here once he got the chance, without a heads up or warning, and he ended up like my parents. My life changed because of one little mistake, and I knew I could get it back by fixing that mistake.

I said a tiny prayer, asking God for a little chance to get my life back on track. There was something I needed to do to evade Antonio and settle here.

First, I needed to change my appearance just like I had done so many times. This time I was going to dumb it down.

Brunette, here I come.

It was the one color that no one would take notice of. I was going to be a wallflower and blend in so I didn’t attract attention. I didn’t want to leave New York so soon. I felt a connection here, and I was going to make it work.

I checked my phone – it was just 1 a.m. I yawned – it was way too early to be awake. I had just two hours of sleep. I felt tired. I tried to play games on my phone to kill time, but I was not interested in any of the games. They normally helped when I was down, but now my body was alert and filled with fear and anxiety from both the dream and my life.

I was just scrolling through my phone when the thought occurred to me – how did he find me so fast? It felt like he knew every city I was in and waited long enough to make me forget that he was here before moving in for the kill. I checked the phone – maybe there was a tracking device he used?

I didn’t want to be found again. He might already be in New York waiting for me. I nodded my head as I figured out what to do this time. I’m not going to act on fear anymore, I’m going to be smart and alert. He won’t be taking me unaware again.

He doesn’t get to drive me from this city, a city that was once my dream. No way will I allow him to win this round when the day breaks. I’m going to look for a way to get out of his claws. It’s one thing to become invisible, but it’s another thing to stay invisible. I can’t slip this time.

Not even a little bit, the plan was simple for me.

Dye the hair. Get a job and stay incognito for the time being.

I checked the list in my head, satisfied that the feeling of this time being different was real for me. Antonio won’t see what hits him.

I lay back on the bed, slowly counting the seconds till people started moving around. That was enough time for me to set my plans in motion.