He laughed quietly.
“You think this is funny?!” I snapped, my voice laced with frustration.
“You tried to run away but ended up getting lost. Yeah, itiskinda funny,” he answered, his expression somewhere between anger and amusement.
“Well, I wouldn’t have tried to run away if you hadn’t….” My voice trailed off into silence.
He tilted his head slightly to the side, eyes squinting. “If I hadn’t what?”
“Never mind,” I said, locking my jaw.
“Fine,” he said. “Get in the car.”
My scowl deepened. “You get to order me around.”
“Don’t make me repeat myself,” he warned, his voice deep and husky.
“Or else what?” I looked right at his face. “You’ve ruined me already. What more can you do?”
Silence.
His lips parted as though he wanted to respond, but ended up saying nothing.
“In case you haven’t noticed, Artur, I’m not afraid of you anymore.”
“Good for you.” He hesitated for a moment. “Now, get in the car.” His tone left no room for further arguments.
Reluctantly, I walked over to his vehicle and got into the front passenger seat. I fastened my seatbelt. My face was set in a frown, with my arms crossed over my chest.
Without a word, he got into the car, started the engine, and drove back toward the estate.
Chapter 16 – Artur
The first chance she got, she tried to use it to escape me. Only a few people knew the exact route that led in and out of this forest. The road was a decoy designed to confuse anyone who tried to come unannounced or leave without permission.
The only reason those assassins were able to find my place was that it was an inside job. If that son of a bitch Mikhail hadn’t snitched on me, they never would’ve found me.
In her mind, she might think that I tricked her into running away—that I orchestrated the whole thing. But I didn’t. It so happened that she found the perfect loophole and would’ve gotten away with it if she’d known how.
Hilda, the housekeeper, was too tired the night before, and that’s why her keys were lying carelessly on the table. It almost never happened, but she forgot to lock the front door as well. The last person to drive also left the gate unlocked.
It was as though the universe was working in Celine’s favor that earlier morning. Some of the guards had dozed off while the others weren’t at their stations during the time of the escape.
Nothing about that whole scenario was planned. It was just some really weird coincidence. The chances of all these happening in one night were one in a million, and she was lucky to have even experienced it.
I couldn’t be mad at her for trying to leave. She was tired of being locked up in here and just needed her freedom. She saw a window, a rare opportunity, and she took it without hesitation. That was the attitude of a survivor. I respected that.
Each time I was alone, her words would echo in my head:Well, I never would’ve tried to run away if you hadn’t….
What did she mean by that?
Was she trying to say that something I’d done was the reason she tried to leave? If that were the case, then she must’ve been referring to my sudden withdrawal from her.
She also made another statement that proved my distance had influenced her need to escape.
You’ve ruined me already. What more can you do?
Even though she hadn’t confronted me about my actions, it was obvious that she hated it. She thought that I used and dumped her. That was why she’d tried to escape.