"So you tried running away, huh?" She heard the voice that had always scared her. When she looked up, she saw her uncle beaming evilly and Claudia smiling behind him. She knew that what she had done was bad.
"Sir, huh? Gavin? I didn't." Tears clouded her eyes as she stammered. She sprang to her feet fast and put her hands around her chest.
"You did, of course. It's true, Daddy. I observed her climbing through the wall when I was in the garden. She fell because she wasn't agile enough, but she chose to climb again, and I managed to catch her. Dad, you can look at the CCTV cameras." She grinned.
"Well, my darling, I never asked, but I do like your enthusiasm. Sweetheart, please excuse us," he said; his deep, husky voice was surprisingly soft. She gave me a snide nod and turned away.
"But you promised me..." Lana was speechless. With a shudder running down her spine, she turned her attention back to Gavin and watched as he stepped closer to her.
"Uncle Gavin, I did not mean to..." she stammered as she felt his palm firmly brush against her cheek. Her eyes began to well up with tears as she let out a loud hiss.
"You ungrateful thing, by keeping you alive, I did you a favor. And your only desire was to flee?" He grabbed her arms, smirking evilly.
"I am sorry; I promise not to do it again." While trying to break free of his awful grip on her arm, she wept. He held on to her more tightly, almost breaking her bones.
"You told me a few months ago about the time you tried to jump out of the car as we were leaving the hospital after getting sick. You told me you wouldn't do it again, and now you're making the same promise to me?"
"I'll teach you a lesson so that you never try it again, and I'll kill you the next time you try it. Understand?"
"Yes, sir Gavin!" Whispering, she wiped away her tears. "And again, no food and water for you in three days." With a grumble, he left the door locked, robbing her of her keys. Laura, who was hearing all of this, gasped.
Gavin noticed Laura as he emerged from Lana's room. With a sigh, he kept her to himself. "The reason why she's still alive is because of you, my love." He said something and kissed her.
"No food and water for three days?"
"Yes, my dear. That useless person believes she can escape." As he led Laura upstairs to their room, he said,. Laura was lost in contemplation; she had earlier gone to see a relative.
....
Laura took a car to visit her sister. When she got out of the car with her driver, Kira, her sister, saw her approaching. With haste, she dropped what she was doing and hurried to her.
"Laurie! You showed up. How unexpected!" Kira brought her inside the house after they exchanged greetings and hugs for a time. Laura grinned as she took in her stunning surroundings and the lovely scent of flowers filling the air.
"How about your husband?" Kira saw Laura's dejected expression as she asked with a smile.
"He isn't treating you well." Laura shook her head and pretended to grin when she asked.
"My husband is really taking good care of me. However, despite the fact that he is a terrible person, I still adore him." Laura sighed as she worked on her nails.
"How is he horrible when he is treating you well?" Kira posed the question, her expression bewildering. Laura gave her a hesitant gaze before taking a big breath.
"Do not discuss this with anyone, please. I've managed to get in touch with Hilda and her spouse in Miami. I informed her of everything my husband does to my niece." Kira looked at Laura questioningly as she beat about the bush.
"My dear, please proceed directly to the point. What did your husband do to his niece? She asked. Laura inhaled deeply before looking at her sister with beseeching eyes. "My husband killed Aaron, his brother, and Aaron's family. He also intended to kill Lana, but he had to take her away because of the police interference. He planned to kill her, but after I talked to him nicely, he decided to make her our maid instead. He kept her alive, yet he continues to abuse her." With regret, she said. With a bewildered shake of her head, Kira gently grasped Laura's hand.
"He hurt his own blood; why would he do that? What became of his moral compass?" Her mouth dropped open in shock. She grasped Laura's hands tightly as her gaze settled on her brown eyes.
"I'm about to send Lana on her way. I mentioned this to Hilda and her husband, and they promised to look after her." Kira grinned as she went on.
"That you're not like him pleases me. Why did you not confront him about killing his family members?" Kira enquired.
"He is a violent man; therefore, I have to be there for him in everything he does. That's the only thing I can do, or else he will kill me. Thus, I have to act as though I support Lana while inwardly hating her. I will not allow him to harm her." Laura spoke as she took a sip of her tea.
"You made a wise choice, Laurie, but what if he finds out about you sending Lana away?" Kira's question caused Laura to pause momentarily in contemplation before taking another deep breath.
"I've made sure everything happens as planned, so he won't find out. However, he'll lock me up and kill Lana if he discovers that I'm helping her." Laura talked melancholy as she considered the helpless young child whose childhood her husband had destroyed.
After spending a great deal of time together, Laura, who is reluctant to leave, had no choice but to head back home. Upon entering the house, she heard her spouse shouting from Lana's room.
Giving her bag to one of the maids, she hurried to Lana's room, where she was crying. "What's going on here?" Observing the sneer on Gavin's face, Laura questioned.
"This young brat made an attempt to escape. How ungrateful she is." She saw Lana shielding her face as he yelled, and he spat out in rage.
"Lana, really? Do you want to escape after receiving so much help? Perhaps I'll impart to you a life lesson that you won't soon forget." She spoke up, leaving Lana perplexed by her abrupt behavior shift.
She turned to face her husband and pleaded, "Please, could you just leave the two of us alone? I wish to impart a sense to this young girl." She put on a sly expression. The man kissed her temples and put his hand around her waist before turning to leave the room.
Laura needed to make sure her husband was out of the room or not waiting at the door. She rushed over to give Lana a big hug.
"How are you doing? Did he hurt you?" Her voice softening, she asked. Lana shook her head and began to cry softly.
"My love, you shouldn't have left without telling me. To set you free, I have a better idea." As Lana said it, her face lit up. With a quick wipe of her tears, she painted a small grin on her parched lips.
"Aunt Laura, really? Will you help me?" With a cracked voice, she asked quietly.
"Yes, honey, but don't do that once more. My husband shouldn't have any suspicions at all." She replied as she gave her another hug. She broke free from the hug, got off the bed, and spoke in a harsher tone. "The next time you try it, I'll make sure you regret the day you stepped here."
Saturday night, a week later.
Laura saw Gavin's three-day business trip as a chance to move forward with her plan to help Lana escape. She proceeded to the CCTV room and unplugged every camera in the home.
She took care to hide from view. She was a very intelligent woman with smooth, imperceptible movements. The guards at the gate were thrown into a deep sleep with drugs from the meal they were fed.
She grinned with satisfaction as she saw her plan come to pass. She received an anonymous text telling her that Hilda had pulled up at the back gate in a car.
She led Lana to the back of the mansion when she noticed the guards, who were meant to be on duty, sleeping.
Silently, she unlocked the back gate and put her hand on Lana's cheek, telling her to run till she came across a black Jeep. With a final embrace, Lana, who was determined to get away, said to Laura, "I'll use this opportunity to thank you for everything you've done for me. And I'll make sure to pursue justice for my family's death. I'll miss you, Aunt Laura. Thank you so much." Whispering, she rushed and waved at her till a black vehicle pulled over and two people got out to carry Lana away.
Silently locking the gate, Laura returned to the mansion. After noticing that the hallway had been emptied, she entered the CCTV room and connected the camera to turn it off.
…
Before starting the engine, Lana glanced at the couples who offered her a comforting smile. "You're safe with us, Lana; we'll hide you so that no one, including your uncle, won't find you." Says the woman occupying the passenger seat next to the driver's seat.