Chapter Five
Romy
S eth is suspicious.
I’m doing my best to feed him the “perfect wife” lie I’ve been living, but he’s no fool. With every narrowed glance my way, I know he’s working out if I’m being genuine or not.
Truth is, I’m freaking out.
I’m stuck in this warped world where I’m supposed to be happy, living a brainwashed life. In reality, I’m nothing more than a lightning bug caught in a jar to be observed endlessly, slowly suffocating in captivity until my light eventually goes out forever.
“I was thinking of trying my hand at making orange sconces,” I say to Seth as I wipe out the inside of the microwave. “I haven’t had them since I lived in the city. I think you and Kaitlyn would love them.”
I can’t meet his gaze when I lie to him.
He’ll see. He’s too observant not to.
What I really need is access to the internet.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he says from too close behind me.
Why is he hovering over me so much? Does he always do this? Did I stupidly mistake it as love and adoration when my brain was in its fog?
I force a confused look on my face and then turn to look at my freckly faced captor. “Why not?”
He scrutinizes my doe-eyed expression and it’s difficult not to flinch under his intensity. Then he raises a hand to brush a strand of hair away from my face. “Because I said so, love.”
The endearment has my insides shriveling up.
It’s then I realize it was never his to call me.
It belongs to someone else.
Goose bumps flash across my skin as I recall lips on my neck and a strong, firm body pressing me into the mattress. A man, much larger and powerful, drives into me with possessive need. The fragment of a memory consumes me.
Love.
It has to be Caius.
I’m his love, not Seth’s.
But because I can’t reveal my hand to this monster masquerading as a good father, loving husband, and successful doctor, I don’t challenge him. The real Romy would argue her case. This plastic version of her knows her place.
“Okay. I’m sure I can make chocolate chip cookies again since that’s your favorite.”
He nods, pleased at my acquiescence. “Thank you.”
I close my eyes when he kisses me, trying not to gag at the way his tongue rapes my mouth. Bile creeps up my throat and I wonder if he’ll take it personally if I puke on him. I could always blame morning sickness.
Thankfully, he pulls away and gives me a gentle smile I once trusted. I’m now fully aware of the evil that lurks beneath.
“Daddy, can you push me on the swing?” Kaitlyn asks when she bounds into the kitchen, full of life and energy.
Is he really her father?
I don’t believe that.
Is Caius her father?
“Mommy needs my attention today, sweetheart,” Seth says. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m fine,” I say quickly. “About to start dinner. Go ahead. It’s stopped raining. Who knows when we’ll get a break from the weather again.”
I make the mistake of glancing at his phone sitting on the bar. His eyes burn into me. I’ve been caught.
“I don’t think Mommy is feeling well,” Seth explains to her. “I think the baby might be sick. Why don’t you get your matching game and we can play that?”
Kaitlyn, bless her, crosses her arms over her chest and pouts. “I want to swing, though, Daddy. It’s been raining forever.”
She’s too adorable to tell no, and I’m praying he caves. With a soft sigh, he relaxes his shoulders and nods.
“Go grab your rain boots,” he instructs. “Sunshine stays inside, though. I’m not giving that dog another bath this week.”
Sunshine, from her spot on the floor by the back door, lifts her head and her ears perk up.
“I’ll bathe you if you get dirty,” I say to our dog.
Kaitlyn runs off to grab her boots and Sunshine scrambles to her feet to chase after her. Everyone in this house knows that dog goes wherever she goes. Even in the mud. Even when Daddy says no.
I inwardly cringe.
He’s not her daddy.
Caius is.
I think.
As soon as she’s gone, Seth prowls over to me. He cups my cheeks and tilts my head up to look at him. His eyes bore into me, probing the depths of my troubled mind as if he has VIP access.
“Tomorrow, we should head to the lab.”
The scowl that crosses over my features is instant and I can’t even fake a neutral expression. Again, I’m caught. He misses nothing.
“You don’t like that?” He arches up an auburn eyebrow. “Why’s that, love?”
I want to crawl out of my own skin every time he calls me love.
“Would you like getting poked and prodded?” I ask in a forced, teasing voice. “I already have one on the inside doing that to me.” I sigh heavily. “I think this pregnancy is just getting to me. I’m sorry if I’m being grumpy.”
He relaxes at my words. “You’re growing our daughter inside you. You’re allowed to have off days.”
Not your daughter.
Mine.
Alarm bells clang inside my skull as if to say, “Winner! Winner! Winner!” I know he’s not the father. The knowledge is there, if only just a feeling at the moment, but it’s there. I don’t know all the details yet, but I know I’m getting closer.
Seth kneels to talk to my belly. It’s something he’s done a lot, but it never bothered me until now. Before, I thought it was endearing. That he was a doting father. I’m disgusted by his actions. I want him far away from me and this baby.
“My grandmother’s name was Trudy. You like the name Trudy, Trudy?”
To think I was almost set on letting him name my baby that.
I’ll be long gone before this baby is born and she will not be called Trudy.
“It’s a cute name.” I pat his gelled hair to assure him I think he’s delightful and that I love him. I’m a liar.
He stands upright again and brushes a kiss over my lips. “I think I need to take care of your needs better. Is that what you need, love? My big cock inside you?”
We have entirely different ideas of what the word “big” means.
“Looking forward to it,” I purr, grinning saucily at him. “Now go before you start something we can’t finish.”
Satisfied with my answer, he leaves the kitchen to go seek out Kaitlyn. When he takes her outside, I’ll only have twenty minutes or so alone.
What can I do to plan our escape from this man?
I need to see if Eva responded to my newly made social media account. Maybe I can have her find me somehow. Trouble is, I don’t even know where I’m at.
As I put on a pot of water to boil for noodles, I hear commotion as Kaitlyn, Seth, and Sunshine go outside. The clouds are ominous, threatening more storms to roll in at any moment.
Time is of the essence.
Think, Romy.
I’m unable to access his computer and he took his phone with him. Without internet or a way to communicate with the outside world, I’m at a loss.
The television.
My heart rate hammers in my chest. I’ve seen him use a small keyboard in the entertainment center cabinet to type in information to access certain apps for shows. But you don’t need a passcode to get to the internet. Kaitlyn even knows how to use it when she wants to put a YouTube show on the big screen.
I race, as fast as a pregnant woman can go, over to the cabinet in the living room. After whipping out the keyboard, I use the remotes to turn on the TV. It loads with agonizing slowness. While it spins, I hurry to the window to peek out.
Sunshine is rolling in the grass behind where Seth pushes Kaitlyn on the swing. I’m doing okay on time. I quickly make my way back over to the TV.
“Come on,” I mutter under my breath.
It finally turns completely on and shows me a menu screen of all our apps. I use the remote to mash the button for the internet browser and then toss it onto the sofa. With the keyboard in one hand, I use my other to type the social media site in the search bar. All of this is so tedious and time-consuming.
After an eternity, it loads the social media site. It asks me if I want to download the app to make things easier, but that will be noticed and leave a trail. I bypass the question, enter in my new credentials, and open my account.
One unread message.
Eva.
Tears blur my vision as I open the inbox. To my great relief, she’s responded to me.
Eva: Where are you? Tell me so I can come get you. God, I’m so worried, Romy. Please. Your father tells me nothing.
A tear races down my cheek. She’s my stepmom but the realest family I have right now.
Me: I don’t know where I’m at. Seth Portman. Find him and you’ll find me. I’m going to try to escape. Here against my will. Kaitlyn too. Please help me, Eva!
Kaitlyn’s squeal has me jolting. It’s close.
I hit send on the message and a dial spins as if the internet has gone down. That’d just be my luck. I don’t have time to see if it sends and am forced to close out the social media window. Once I delete the browsing history, I exit the internet and go back to the app screen. I’m just opening Netflix when the back door opens.
The keyboard clatters when I shove it into the cabinet. I fling the door shut and then snatch up the remote, feigning confusion.
“Back so early?” I ask absently, staring at the remote as if I’m trying to figure out how to make it work.
“It started raining,” Kaitlyn grumbles. “Daddy said we had to go back in, but Sunshine has to stay out until after dinner since she’s all muddy.”
I tear my gaze from the remote to see Kaitlyn ripping off her boots in the doorway. Seth towers over her. A fierce glare on his face is aimed my way.
“What?” I chew on my bottom lip. “I was looking for music to play while I cook, but I don’t know how to work this thing.”
Kaitlyn, too smart for her own good, rushes over to me and yanks the remote out of my hand. With a few mashes of buttons, she has a music app open and is scrolling through the trending hits.
“Kaitlyn,” Seth says, voice low and sharp, “go get changed out of those wet clothes.”
“Thank you,” I whisper to her, patting her damp hair. “You’re good to your mommy.”
She gives me and the baby a wet hug before leaving for her room. I’m unable to move as Seth prowls over to me, tracking muddy footprints across the floor. The brainwashed me cringes at the cleanup she’ll have to do later. The real me knows she’s not cleaning that crap up ever again.
Thunder rumbles, close enough to make our windows rattle, and I shiver. Seth’s eyebrows furl together for a moment as if something’s just come to him.
“Wi-Fi,” he mutters. “Storms always make it spotty.” He taps his jaw thoughtfully. “You know, that may be why…”
He pulls out his phone and chuckles under his breath.
Is that why his stupid app doesn’t work on me right now?
Because the internet is not working correctly?
If that’s the case, my time is even more critical than before. As soon as this storm passes, I might go right back to being his mind slave.
Hell no.
I have to get out of here.
“Tomorrow morning, we’re going to the lab. I’m going to check some things. You girls are going with me. No arguments, you hear?”
“Of course,” I say, beaming at him. “I need to get back to making dinner.”
I skirt away from him, eager to not be suffocating on his cloying cologne that now makes me nauseous. The water is boiling, so I add spaghetti noodles to it and then get started on browning the hamburger meat for the sauce. Hopefully, everything appears “business as usual.”
He thinks he’s going to take me to the lab and fix my glitch.
Joke’s on him.
While at the lab, I’m going to make my escape.