Chapter 4. Escaping

Lorraine

I was to be discharged today. It was supposed to be exciting news but here I was, making plans on how I would disappear from town and travel to another country until the heat died down.

As a knock sounded on the door, my heart skipped a beat, thumping hard while I gripped the sheets and waited for the visitor to come in.

"May I come in?" The voice of the nurse who had been taking care of me calmed my fear immediately as I nodded, merely mouthing that she had come inside.

She came in, her lips stretched in the soothing smile that I liked. I'd have made her my friend if I wasn't going to run away as soon as I left, the fear of having friends who could easily betray me had already enveloped me. The pain Iris caused me was still imprinted in my mind and I wasn't sure that I'd ever forget about it.

"How do you feel knowing that you will be discharged today?" She asked, handing me some new clothes which surprised me.

She took note of my arched brows and parted lips then chuckled. "The other dress you wore was torn and filled with blood so Mr Hemmingway decided to get you some new clothes."

I scoffed in anger. Surely, he'd do everything nice to look nice in front of everyone whereas he was nothing but a beast to me.

"Oh!" I muttered, flashing her a nervous smile. I motioned for her to come closer and she then sat beside me. "Have you seen him today?" She arched her brows in confusion, "Mr Hemmingway?"

"He hasn't been around for the past five days but he said that he'll be back whenever you are discharged. I guess Doctor Lucas has called him already." She informed me and a scream erupted from my lips.

How could the doctor do that? What kind of weird rules went against the will of a patient?

"Are you sure that he has called him already?" I croaked, my voice shrill with fear and anxiety. If he had been called, then I needed to find a way out of the hospital quickly before he caught up with me.

"I'm sure." She stood up and straightened her pair of light blue slacks. "Take care of yourself, alright?" She said sweetly and shut the door after her.

I got up abruptly, peeling off the annoying overall that had been my daily wear since I got admitted and quickly tossed on the red tank top and pair of dark skinny jeans she brought over.

My eyes darted around in search of my footwear, then I remembered that it could have been trashed as well. It didn't matter as I dashed out of the room, wearing the pair of flip-flops available.

Seeing that I might get noticed and stopped by the security, I tousled my hair and made sure that some of the strands covered the sides of my face. When they stopped me, I quickly formed a lie that I was a janitor sent on an errand.

"What's your mode of identification?" A huge man whose face was expressionless scrutinized me thoroughly while I kept my head bowed.

"Oh," I chuckled nervously though I tried to keep my voice calm, "My card? I left it inside. Just let me go, I don't want my boss to query me." I pleaded with him and after going through a series of back and forth with them, I was let out of the hospital gates.

With a sigh of relief, I walked down the street and when I was far from the hospital, I broke into a run, not stopping until I'd gotten to a bend that led to the house that Eden and I used to stay in. I surprised myself, running through such a long distance after an accident that caused my knees some pain, but I'd do anything to avoid getting married to Dexter.

He was still the same man that scarred me in High school and left without looking back. I couldn't allow him back into my life again. Never!

There was no feasible plan aside from taking the few things I could lay my hands on and escaping to the nearest hotel, then calling a colleague of mine who worked in the same office with me to help me out of town. Right now, he was the only one I could trust.

As I drew closer to my former house, a tinge of uncertainty mixed with fear grappled me. Knowing what Dexter was capable of, I knew that it would be risky to come back to the house but I shoved the discouraging thoughts aside and trudged on.

The house remained the way I left it but as I reached for the doorknob so that I could move in, a few male voices resonated from the backyard.

I'd lived alone in a small bungalow which had just two rooms and a living room. It wasn't the best of houses, but it was what Eden and I could afford—or thought we could afford until he took the debt. It was my haven, so remembering how he was eager to abandon me caused fresh slabs of anger.

"This house looks empty. I'm not sure she's back yet." A deep-sounding voice resonated.

Filled with curiosity, I took a quick peek while standing behind the wall and found him looking through my window. Fear gripped me tighter as I retreated to the gate.

My big toe tripped over a huge stone that I'd overlooked and a painful scream tore out from my lips. I quickly clamped my lips shut and placed my palm over my mouth, limping through the gate but I knew I couldn't make it far away. They'd catch up with me.

"She's over there!" A loud voice rang through, causing me to burst into a sprint even though I couldn't put my legs to good use out of exhaustion and hunger.

With no money on me, flagging down a taxi would prove difficult and I couldn't return to my previous workplace since I was being watched.

I made a move to cross over to the other side of the road when I felt strong hands on my arm, dragging me backward. No car was in sight which was quite worrisome because I wouldn't be able to scream for help.

A piece of cloth which had a distinct smell, causing immediate unrest in my stomach was placed over my nose as they dragged me towards a vehicle I could barely identify. My eyelids became heavy and my sight blurry.

The struggle to escape their tight grips turned futile as I felt my body collapsing onto a leather seat and as my head touched the head-rest, I lost consciousness.