A dead silence consumed the vast bedroom. The only sounds were the faint hum of the air conditioning and the rhythmic breathing of the man lying beside me.
I lay awake in the pitch-black darkness. I controlled my breathing, terrified of disturbing the master of my life.
Ren was fast asleep. Yet, his heavy arm remained draped over my waist, an instinctive display of ownership, even in his slumber.
I carefully slipped out of his embrace. Every movement was calculated, more perilous than defusing a ticking bomb. If he woke up now... it was all over.
I eased myself off the mattress. Barefoot, I crept toward the laundry basket in the corner. My trembling hand reached into my discarded left sock.
There. The freezing touch of metal sent my heart racing. Clenching the tiny phone, I slipped into the bathroom and locked the door.
I sank onto the toilet lid. My hands shook so badly I nearly dropped the device. The soft glow of the screen pierced the darkness, forcing me to squint.
There were unread messages. Sent hours ago.
My Savior > 'Does your ankle hurt? I saw you limping when you left the room.'
My Savior > 'I apologize for putting you at risk. But you did incredibly well, Yurin.'
He knew. He had been watching me the entire time. That microscopic detail breathed life into my barren heart like a drop of rain in a wasteland.
I scrolled down. The most recent messages were sent an hour ago. And they were the words that changed my life forever.
My Savior > 'Yurin. I have something important to tell you.'
My Savior > 'In exactly two weeks, Ren will host his official engagement gala at the riverside hotel.'
My Savior: 'It will be crowded. The media will be swarming, and the security will be stretched thin.'
My Savior > 'It is our only window of opportunity.'
I held my breath. The letters blurred and trembled on the screen as I read the next lines.
My Savior > 'I have prepared everything. Flight tickets, a forged passport, and a safe house.'
My Savior: 'Just say the word. I will pull you out that night.'
My Savior > 'I will take you away. We can start over in a place where no one will ever hurt you again.'
I will take you away. The promise echoed endlessly in my mind. Tears spilled down my cheeks. This wasn't a delusion. It was a tangible reality.
My ticket to Zurich had been shredded to pieces. But now, someone was handing me a new one. A ticket infinitely more valuable, tethered to a promise of absolute protection.
I typed my reply with shaking fingers.
Me: 'I... I am scared.'
Me: 'If he catches us, he will kill me. He threatened to...' [Backspace. Delete.]
Within a fraction of a second, a new message popped up. As if he had been waiting right at the screen.
My Savior > 'Trust me.'
My Savior > 'I will never allow him to lay a single finger on you again.'
My Savior > 'Do we have a deal? Let us escape together.'
I stared at the screen through my tears. Flashes of Ren's brutality hijacked my vision. The beatings. The violations. The absolute annihilation of my dignity.
Enough. I would not endure this hell a second longer.
I drew in a deep breath. I typed the answer that gambled my entire life.
Me: 'I agree.'
Me: 'Please. Take me away from here.'
The second I hit send, the status shifted to Read. Followed instantly by an emoji: an Unlocked Padlock.
I locked the screen and pressed the phone to my chest. I wept in absolute silence.
The dying ember of hope erupted into a blazing inferno.
Two weeks. Only fourteen days left.
I would endure. I would play the role of his perfect, obedient wind-up doll. I just had to wait for that night. The night I would finally be free.
Knock! Knock!
The soft sound against the bathroom door nearly ripped my soul from my body.
"Yurin..." Ren's groggy voice drifted through the woods. "What the hell is taking so long? I need to piss."
I jolted. Frantically, I shoved the phone deep into the waistband of my pajama pants. I splashed water on my face to mask the tears, then swung the door open.
Ren stood in the doorway, his hair a disheveled mess. He glanced at my face, but his heavy sleepiness blinded him to the truth.
"Stomachache?" he mumbled.
"Y-Yes. Upset stomach. It must be from the antibiotics."
"Yeah. Go back to sleep. We have to be up early."
He brushed past my shoulder into the bathroom. I let out a frail breath. My legs turned to jelly, threatening to collapse. I survived.
I walked back to the bed and lay down. I stared up at the pitch-black ceiling, yet my heart blazed with an unprecedented, blinding light.
Fourteen more days, Ren... Enjoy torturing me while you can. Because after your engagement party, you will never see my face again.