Chapter 184: Escape Plan
Moana
After I saw the video of Edrick putting something in my coffee, I knew that I needed to get out.
It both broke my heart and made me sick to think about leaving. I had been falling deeply in love with Edrick, and yet this entire time it turned out that he was secretly plotting something against me; I didn’t know what it was exactly that he was planning, but whatever it was certainly wasn’t good.
I needed to get myself and my baby out of there, and I planned on returning Ella to her rightful mother, too. Even though I knew that taking Ella and returning her to her mother could land me in prison, I was willing to take that risk for the sake of getting little Ella out of a household with a father who was dangerous and up to no good.
That afternoon, during my lunch break, I made my escape plan. I called Olivia as soon as I could and explained everything.
“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath after I had told her all about the video evidence I had. “We’ll get you out of there.”
“And Ella, too,” I said.
Olivia fell silent. I thought I heard her sniff, and it made me wonder if she was crying. When she responded, she didn’t mention anything but her voice was shaking.
“Okay… Okay.” She was repeating herself, like she was thinking deeply. Then, after a few more moments of silence, she seemed to have come up with something. “Here’s what we’ll do…”
…
After work, Edrick picked Ella and I up again as usual. It pained me to see his smiling face as Ella ran up to him. He picked her up and put her on his shoulders, and as we began to walk home he slipped his arm around me. I felt myself instantly become tense under his touch.
“Are you sure we should do this?” my wolf asked, sounding unsure. “He is our mate, after all…”
I almost responded out loud on accident, but caught myself just in time. “Yes,” I replied. “It’s for the best. I’d rather be alone forever than put my baby in danger.”
“Alright.”
I could tell that Mina was horribly upset, but she was understanding of the situation. It was indeed for the best.
When we got home, I feigned sickness and went straight to my room. I locked my door and then spent the remainder of the afternoon planning, preparing, and packing.
Olivia had told me that she booked a hotel room for me and Ella all the way across town. Once Ella and I would get there late that night, the plan was to change our clothes, wait for a couple of hours, and then leave. After we left, there would be a black car with tinted windows waiting for us that would have Olivia inside. Together, the three of us would drive to the airport.
Olivia purchased three plane tickets to Europe. Apparently, when Olivia was first kicked out by Edrick she kept getting death threats and was being stalked by people who Edrick hired; she told me that she had changed her identity, purchased a fake ID, and that the “original” Olivia had essentially dropped off the face of the earth. She still called Edrick to check on her daughter, but she always called from different phones that would hide her number so she couldn’t be tracked.
Apparently, that was what was going to happen that night. I would withdraw all of my money, dump my phone and my wallet in the river on our way to the airport, and Olivia would give me a new ID. Once we were in Europe, I could convert all of my money and open a new bank account there under my new name.
Of course, I was putting a lot of trust in Olivia by planning all of this. My wolf kept reminding me of that. But I felt as though I had no other choice, and it was the only way to protect myself, my baby, and Ella. Edrick and his family were far too powerful and dangerous, and I was more willing to put my trust in a woman who I hardly knew at this point than to trust that Edrick’s intentions were good.
All day, I stayed in my room. Selina tried knocking on the door a few times, but each time I either pretended to be asleep or I said that I was too sick to come out. Finally, it seemed as though they had given up.
Eventually, I heard Edrick putting Ella to bed in her room next door. I stayed quiet, listening through the wall.
It pained me greatly to hear how sweet Ella was with Edrick, knowing that this was their last time that they would see each other. I listened tearfully as he read her a bedtime story.
“Goodnight, daddy,” Ella’s tiny voice said. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Princess.”
I heard the sound of Edrick’s footsteps leaving the room, followed by the sound of Ella’s bedroom door closing. There was a pause, and then his footsteps came over to my door.
I practically held my breath as I heard him walk up to my door and pause there. He didn’t move for a long time, but he didn’t knock or try the door. Something about it was almost terrifying, as though he was watching me through the door. But finally, he walked away and I didn’t hear anything after that.
It was hours that I waited in my room. I watched in silence as the hours ticked by; first ten o’clock, then eleven, then midnight. When one o’clock struck, I knew that it was time.
My bag was already packed. I didn’t pack much other than a few changes of clothes and some sentimental things. When I opened the door, I slowly looked around to see that the penthouse was completely dark before I quietly tiptoed over to Ella’s room.
While she slept, I quietly packed a bag for her; once again, just some changes of clothes and sentimental things. My eyes were filled with tears the entire time, especially as I picked up pictures of Ella and Edrick that were placed in picture frames around the room. There was one picture of all three of us, taken by Selina one day while we were all playing in the living room. I had framed it a while back, thinking that I would be here forever; but now, I knew that the smiling Edrick in that photograph was nothing but a facade. However, I didn’t want Ella to forget her father regardless of what he had done, so I tucked the photo away into her bag.
Once I was finished, I gently shook Ella to wake her up. I placed my finger over my lips as soon as her eyes opened, indicating for her to stay quiet.
“Moana?” she whispered, yawning sleepily. “Did you have a bad dream?”
“No, love,” I responded. I gently pulled the covers off of her, blinking my own tears away. “You and I have to go somewhere.”
Ella sat up, looking confused. “Where are we going?”
I sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her little ear. “I’m going to take you to meet your real mommy,” I whispered.
Ella’s eyes widened. I held out my hand for her, and she took it.
