Chapter 27
Hazel
I stood at the manor's front entrance, watching the black sedan roll through the gates.
Today was the day Anya came home.
Ever since that phone call a week ago, I'd been dying a little more each day. Like a prisoner stranded on an island, surrounded by endless dark and silence.
Only Anya's return finally gave me something to feel again. Hope. Joy. Something.
The car stopped. The back door flew open.
Anya didn't even wait for the driver. She jumped out, grabbed her skirt, and ran straight at me.
"Hazel!"
Her voice cracked. She slammed into me, arms locking around my waist like she was afraid I'd vanish.
She held on tight.
"I heard everything." Her breath was hot against my ear. "Jack told me what happened while I was gone. Jesus Christ, I can't believe what you've been through."
Before I could answer, she pulled back and started cursing Valentina's name.
"That psycho's behind this. I know it. I've known her since I was a kid. She's been obsessed with my dad since she was nineteen. Any woman who gets close to Viktor, she destroys. Every single time."
Her voice got louder, sharper, almost a shout.
The staff and guards stopped what they were doing. Stared. But Anya didn't care. She just squeezed my hand harder.
"I won't let her win. I'll make this right, Hazel. I swear."
I looked at her flushed face, her blazing eyes, that fierce determination.
And I felt so hollow.
Anya was still so pure. So good. She still believed in fairness. Justice.
But she didn't know. In the two weeks she'd been gone, some things had broken beyond repair.
Viktor had made his choice.
And so had I.
"Anya." I patted her hand, forced a smile. "Thank you. But... let it go."
"Let it go?" She stared at me like I'd lost my mind.
I shook my head. Changed the subject.
"How was your grandmother's funeral?" I kept my voice soft. "Are you okay? I heard it was sudden. You must be devastated."
Anya blinked. Caught off guard.
She took a breath, trying to steady herself.
"Grandmother went peacefully." Her voice still shook. "In her sleep. The doctor said she didn't suffer."
She paused. Her eyes got complicated.
"One less person in my family now."
"Don't think about that." I patted her hand again. "You just got back from Europe. You must be exhausted. Go rest. We'll talk later."
Anya looked at me. Her eyes full of hurt and confusion.
She wanted to say something. But she didn't. She just turned and walked into the manor.
I stood there watching her disappear through the door.
And finally let myself cry.
I'm sorry, Anya.
I can't tell you I've already decided to leave.
Even if I stayed, Viktor was sending me away anyway. He didn't want me anywhere near Valentina anymore. He'd just ship me off somewhere out of sight to have the baby.
Which sounded exactly like the original deal.
If I'd never fallen for Viktor, if I'd always seen this pregnancy as just a transaction, a job, something I was doing for money—maybe it wouldn't hurt so much.
Maybe I could accept the arrangement. Take the money. Start over somewhere no one knew me.
But I couldn't accept it now.
Because I loved him.
And loving him made me love this baby too.
This baby was mine. Ours. The proof of what we had. A life I'd carried for ten months. Someone I'd die to protect.
I couldn't imagine someone ripping him from my arms after he was born. Couldn't imagine never seeing him again.
Couldn't imagine my child growing up with Valentina, calling another woman mom, thinking I never existed.
I couldn't accept that.
So I had to leave. Take the baby and run.
At one p.m., I went to see Valentina.
She'd been moved from the ICU to a regular room.
Top floor. VIP suite. More like a luxury hotel than a hospital—massive space, expensive decor, flowers and fruit baskets everywhere. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the entire city, the coastline in the distance.
Valentina was propped up against a mountain of pillows, reading a French fashion magazine.
Still pale. But better.
She looked up when I walked in. Smiled.
"Well, well." She closed the magazine slowly, studying me. "Hazel Brooks. What brings you here? Aren't you afraid I'll tell Viktor you came to threaten me? Afraid those guards will drag you out?"
Pure mockery in her voice. Satisfaction.
I stood by the bed. Stayed calm.
"I came to tell you something. I've decided to leave. Can you help me?"
Valentina raised an eyebrow. Surprised.
She sat up straighter, ignoring the pain from her wound, and studied me carefully.
"That's the smartest thing you've done in weeks." She sounded almost genuine. "Looks like you finally get it, Hazel."
She tapped her phone. A big guard walked in.
"Make the arrangements." Her tone left no room for argument. "The emergency extraction plan we discussed."
The guard nodded and left.
Valentina turned back to me. Her eyes sharpened.
"I'll have people help you," she said. "Five p.m. today.
A food delivery truck will be waiting at the kitchen entrance.
Follow the route I'm giving you. Don't deviate.
Don't get caught. Once you're through the gates, the driver takes you to Long Beach Marina.
There's a cargo ship leaving for Mexico. Get on it, and you're safe."
I froze.
"Today?"
Valentina's expression hardened.
"The sooner the better." Cold. Flat. "Viktor's already planning to move you. You think he'll let you stay at the manor? He's just waiting for the right moment to ship you off somewhere he's set up. Somewhere you'll wait until the baby comes."
Anya just got back. I thought I'd have two more days with her.
I bit my lip. My chest ached.
"This is your last chance." Valentina snapped. "Let Viktor take you, and you'll never see your baby again."
Her words cut deep.
She was right.
I nodded.
"Okay. Today then."
She paused. Pulled a paper from the nightstand drawer. Handed it to me.
A detailed route map. Every turn marked. Every checkpoint noted.
"Memorize this route," Valentina said. "And never come back."
I took the map. Folded it carefully.
"If you come back," Valentina added coldly, "you'll lose everything. The baby. Your life. Everything."
I nodded. Tucked the paper in my pocket.
At four-thirty that afternoon, I packed everything. Ready to run.
My small canvas bag held all I owned—a few old clothes, some cash. Nothing else. Not even the ring Viktor gave me when he proposed.
I was the one breaking the deal. I had no right to take anything of his.
I stood at the bedroom door. One last look.
The room I'd lived in for six months. The room that witnessed every sweet moment with Viktor.
The room I thought would be my home forever.
I took a breath. Left. Closed the door softly.
I followed Valentina's route down the service stairs. The kitchen was changing shifts, just like she said.
A few kitchen workers squatted outside the back door smoking, gossiping about the menu, tomorrow's grocery run, who was sleeping with who.
A guard stood at the checkpoint. The same one who'd stopped me in front of Valentina before. Expressionless. Like a statue.
He saw me. Our eyes met for one second.
Then he stepped aside without a word.
I took a breath. Walked forward.
The delivery truck sat outside the back door, rear hatch half-open, empty vegetable crates inside.
I walked fast. Looked around. No one noticed.
I grabbed the hatch. Pulled myself up with everything I had.
Seven months pregnant made it brutal. But I did it. Crawled in. Crouched behind the crates. Made myself as small as possible.
Darkness swallowed me.
The truck smelled like mold and rotting vegetables mixed with harsh disinfectant. I gagged.
But just as the door started to close, a hand grabbed the edge.
My heart stopped.
The door flew open. Blinding sunlight poured in.
Anya stood there, looking down at me curled up behind the crates.
Her eyes were huge. Her face twisted with pain.
We stared at each other.
I opened my mouth. Wanted to explain. Make an excuse. Say something.
But nothing came out.
I just looked at her. Tears streaming down my face. One drop. Two. Then a flood.
"You're leaving?"
I bit my lip. Nodded hard. Didn't dare make a sound. If I spoke, I'd shatter.
"You've decided, haven't you?" Her voice shook. "No matter what I say, you're going. Aren't you?"
I nodded again.
Anya closed her eyes. Tears fell.
But she didn't try to stop me.
She just bit down hard, looked around to make sure no one was watching, then reached up and unclasped her necklace.
A diamond necklace. Expensive. Glittering in the sun.
Viktor's gift on her eighteenth birthday. One of her most precious things.
She pressed it into my palm. Squeezed my hand so hard it hurt.
"Take it." She choked out. "A gift for the baby. Sell it when you get out. It'll last you and the baby a long time. Find somewhere safe. Take care of yourself. Take care of the baby."
"Anya..." I finally found my voice. But only her name.
"Don't talk." She shook her head hard, tears pouring. "Please, Hazel. Don't say anything. If you talk now, I'll break."
Then Viktor's voice came from the kitchen.
"Anya? Have you seen Hazel?"
I closed my eyes in the dark. My whole body shook.
Anya slammed the truck door shut with all her strength.
"I think I saw Hazel heading toward the garden."
Viktor believed her. Their voices faded away. The truck engine started.
I huddled in the dark cargo hold, hands wrapped around my belly, feeling every bump, hearing the manor sounds grow distant, then disappear completely into the wind.
I didn't look back.
I couldn't.
Because if I did, I'd never leave.
The truck rolled through the manor's side gate. Hit the highway. Headed toward an unknown future.
I clutched the necklace Anya had given me. Felt its weight and warmth.
The diamond edges dug into my palm. It hurt. But I couldn't let go.
Goodbye, Viktor.
Goodbye, Anya.