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.

I was almost tasting freedom on my tongue, however, I was aware beasts lurked in the waters that had forcefully become my dwelling. They were always looking for an opening to attack, and my defenses were already tearing at the seams, though I was adamant not to let my impuissance ruin me any more than it already had.

I reached Tori's crib first and took her in my arms, soothing her when she stirred a little in her sleep. I forgot to breathe, praying that she wouldn't wake up crying, and when she didn't, I quickly made my way down back to the car and strapped her inside her car seat I'd barely managed to step inside the cold cottage again, and was almost up the stairs to get Riccardo and leave, when a hand caught in my hair and pushed me back towards the wall. My back collided with the bricked wall, and a sharp pain shot through my spine and thigh as the knife in my waistband nipped my skin. I squeezed my lips shit in hopes of not screaming and alerting Carlo of the only arsenal I had. Carlo didn't notice the bleeding on my leg as he got in my face, suddenly taller than he was.

"What have I not done for you, Andrea?" He hissed, the alcohol on his breath apparent as I turned my face away from him.

"I told you the last time, you can't get out of this alive. Do you think that fucking husband of yours will believe you? It was your face he saw before he dropped down."

I closed my eyes, reassuring myself that it wasn't the time for me to let Carlo get inside my head. If Lorenzo wanted to punish me for what I'd done, I'd take it, but even I knew better than to think he would kill me without a second thought because Lorenzo Santini was many things, impulsive he was not.

"Answer. Me" Carlo spat in my face, his fingers digging into my jaw as he forced me to look at him.

"Whatever he does to me is none of your business," I whispered, my voice too low for him to feel the bark in my words.

"Andrea you're pushing me. I'm making enemies here trying to keep you safe!" I flinched as he screamed, and tried getting away, but his hold on me kept me pinned to the wall.

"You know what? I'm done. I warned you the last time I caught you. If you try to run, I won't harm you, but I have two more bodies to extract punishment from."

My eyes widened, surely, he couldn't mean harming my children. They were babies, not even a year old. My vision blacked out as he shoved me aside and my foot got caught on a step, making me stumble down the staircase. I felt every step against my spine, all of the scrapes on my skin as I came to a stop. My limbs were a mess, and every part of me hurt. I gasped when I tried getting up, but failed to, my own body abandoning me in this moment of need. I heard Riccardo's cries from my position on the ground and realized that if anything, this was the last chance I'd ever get to leave this hellhole.

Through arduous breaths and slipping vision, I pulled myself up, holding onto the railing. My head swayed and black threatened to take over my vision, but I shook my head, my fingers seeking the knife I'd stuck in my waistband earlier. Once I had the knife secured between my fingers, I tried my hardest to go up the stairs as fast as I could, neglecting the moans and groans of my muscles as fear sank into the marrow of my bones. The tremble in my feet slowly subsided as I made my way up, hyperaware that my child was crying in a room with someone who wanted to harm him at best and kill him at worst.

Once I saw Carlo standing over the crib with a lighter in his hands, I broke into a sprint and rammed the knife into his back. He groaned, however, that didn't stop me from twisting the knife inside him. Perhaps this made me a murderer, but at this point, I didn't care. I pulled the knife out, and plunged it back inside his back, in a different place this time.
I couldn't see past my rage and resentment, but at that moment with blood on my hands, I also felt a little free. This apprehending nightmare might haunt me for the rest of my life, but for that one minute, I knew I was free.

Riccardo's cry pulled me from my bloody haze and I stumbled to my knees, picking him up, my eyes frantically searching him for any injury. The only thing I could see was a burnt corner of his overalls, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I brushed my fingers against the burned fabric.

Even in the midst of the chaos, I'd created, I knew better than to leave a weapon with my fingerprints in this place. Tears stung my eyes as I pulled the knife out, and Carlo moaned in pain. I wrapped the knife in a blanket and held it in my hand. I allowed the tears to fall as I mourned the friend I once had. The friend I killed turned around to walk away, trying not to think about the blood on my hands or the slight trembling in my fingers
I was already aware that his car didn't have any trackers, and he kept no phone on him ever since he'd caught me trying to call Alex. Once I'd calmed Rick down and strapped him in the car, I pulled my shoes on, and for the first time in months sat behind a steering wheel. The engine buzzed under my fingers as I started the car, and when I finally floored the accelerator, did I breathe out a sigh of relief.

I didn't know where I was heading, except I turned to follow the pathway with existing tire tracks that I'd assumed Carlo was used to getting here. I'd only know more once I was on a highway, and could find a motel, shady enough to not question my injuries and call Alex. The trees started thinning as I drove further and further away from the hell I knew, with no idea of where I was going next. 

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