Chapter 6 A Boy Broken Heart

Rachel POV

I didn't sleep

How could I?

Locked in this room, guards posted outside my door, my phone taken... every choice had been ripped from my hands.

By sunrise, I sat curled beside the window, staring at the horizon as tears slid silently down my cheeks. I kept wiping them away, as if hiding them would lessen the ache.

I had truly sold myself to the Devil.

And now I was trapped.

A soft knock broke through my thoughts.

"...Mama?"

I turned.

Leo peeked from the doorway, dressed in his blue pyjamas, a shy smile on his face. He slipped inside, his tiny hands twisting nervously.

His eyes lifted to mine, wide and worried.

"Did Papa make you sad?"

The question cut straight through me. I walked toward him and knelt, pulling him into my arms.

"No, sweetheart," I whispered, a lie that my tears betrayed.

He hugged me tighter, as if afraid letting go would make me disappear.

After a moment, he tugged on my sleeve.

"Do you want to go to the garden with me? Just me and you. Please?"

I froze.

Damien's rule echoed in my mind: "You won't leave this room unless Leo asks for you personally."

If Leo took me out... the guards would obey.

I could get past them

I could run.

Maybe call my brother. Have him buy us tickets to another continent. Anywhere far from Damien.

My breath caught.

This was my chance.

"Alright," I whispered.

Leo clapped, smiling brightly as he grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door.

The guards straightened immediately, then relaxed when they saw Leo leading me.

We walked down the hall, and my heart hammered with every step.

Ahead, several staff members were busy carrying trays and folders toward the east wing.

At the corner, a maid passed with a basket of folded laundry.

"Miss Anita," I said softly. "Could you take Leo to get some juice? He's hungry."

She bowed slightly. "Yes, Mrs. Montrel."

Leo blinked up at me, confused. "But we're going to the gar-"

"It's okay, baby," I cut in gently. "I'll be right behind you. I just need to grab something."

Leo hesitated but obeyed, taking Anita's hand as she led him away.

The second they turned the corner, my chest squeezed painfully.

This was it.

I turned and walked as fast as I could-not running, not yet-down the hallway.

I slipped past the west wing, through the

general sitting area, trying to look natural.

My pulse thundered as I spotted more men by the front door.

One of them narrowed his eyes at me. "Mrs. Montrel, you're out of your room? Where is Leo?" he asked, his voice polite but his eyes suspicious.

My voice remained soft and steady. "Leo is in the kitchen. He forgot his toys in the courtyard. I'm just going to fetch them."

He studied me for a long moment, then nodded. "My apologies, ma'am. You may go."

I forced a tense smile and walked past him through the door before my legs gave out.

I reached the back of the manor and slipped through the servants' path into the backyard.

A stone wall loomed ahead-high, cold, and covered in thick, green vines.

I stared up at it, my breath shaking.

This is it. Do it now or die here.

I grabbed the vines. They held.

Good enough.

Hand over hand, foot over foot, I climbed. My palms burned, and my arms shook under my weight. The vines dug into my skin, scraping it raw and red.

By some miracle, I reached the top.

I swung my leg over and dropped.

The impact shot pain up my back, knocking the breath from my chest.

But I didn't care.

I scrambled to my feet. The open world lay before me.

"I did it," I whispered. "I'm free."

Then I heard shouting.

Voices. Men calling out from the manor. Footsteps rushing toward the outer gate.

They heard my fall.

Shit.

Panic jolted through me. I bolted into the trees, feet pounding the earth, branches slapping against my face and arms.

I ran.

And ran.

Never once turning back.

Leo POV

Leo hummed as he sat on the kitchen counter, swinging his legs while sipping apple juice. The workers moved around him, cooking breakfast and laughing softly.

He kept glancing at the doorway.

Waiting.

Mama should have been here by now.

He frowned, sliding off the counter with a soft thud.

"Where is she...?" he whispered.

He walked out of the kitchen, his little slippers tapping quickly against the marble floor.

"Mama?" he called, peeking around the corner.

No answer.

He checked the sitting room next.

Empty.

"Mama...?" His voice grew smaller.

He ran down the hallway, checking room after room.

The staircase.

The guest rooms.

The hallway outside her bedroom door.

Still nothing.

He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, sniffing.

"Maybe she's hiding..." he whispered, though his voice cracked.

He ran toward the courtyard, hope rising for a second.

But the courtyard was quiet.

Wind moved the leaves.

That was all.

Leo's throat tightened as he hugged himself.

"Mama... did I do something?" His voice shook. "Are you mad at me...?"

He took one slow step forward and stopped when he heard rushed footsteps behind him.

Several guards hurried toward the courtyard, their faces tense. They paused when they saw Leo.

"Young Master?" one of them asked, confused.

Leo looked up at them with wet eyes.

"She... left," he said quietly. "Mama left."

The men's expressions changed instantly-shock, concern, fear.

Leo wiped his tears fast, embarrassed, shaking his head as more tears fell.

"She said she would be with me soon... but she's gone... I can't find her."

Another set of fast footsteps echoed from behind.

Mr. Vance appeared, breathing a little harder than usual, clearly warned about the noise near the back wall.

He stopped when he saw Leo's red eyes and trembling hands.

"Young Master...?" Vance crouched down. "What happened?"

Leo shook his head, voice breaking. "Mama didn't come back."

"I think she... she left us..."

Mr. Vance's face fell into deep, troubled silence.

Behind him, two men exchanged grim looks.

Everyone already knew what it meant:

Rachel had escaped.

And Damien was not going to take this well.

Damien POV

I was in my office reviewing reports when heavy footsteps rushed down the hallway.

Too fast.

Too loud.

Someone was panicking.

Before I could move, my door burst open.

Walker stood there, breath uneven.

"Sir-"

He hesitated.

Never a good sign.

I lifted my head slowly, coldly. "Where," I said, my voice low, "is my son?"

Walker swallowed. "He's safe. He's with Mr. Vance, but-"

"But what?"

A smaller pair of footsteps suddenly echoed behind him.

Leo.

He ran into the office, tears streaming down his cheeks.

I stood immediately. "Leo?" My voice softened for a second. "What happened?"

Leo threw himself into me, gripping my shirt with shaking hands. "Mama's gone!" he sobbed.

Everything inside me went still.

"...What?"

He cried harder, burying his face in my chest. "She left... she left without me. I looked everywhere. She's gone..."

My jaw tightened, a storm rising behind my eyes.

I crouched and held his face gently. "Leo, look at me," I said firmly. "Who told you she left?"

Leo sniffed. "I saw... she wasn't in the garden... she wasn't in her room... and the guards outside said they heard something by the back wall."

Walker stepped forward carefully. "There were signs of climbing, sir. Vines pulled down. Footprints outside the property line."

My eyes darkened. Anger burned low in my chest at her audacity-to leave and make my son cry after everything.

Vance arrived next, looking tired, concerned, and disappointed. "The girl escaped, sir," he confirmed.

Leo cried harder, shaking. "Papa... why would she leave me? Did I do something wrong?"

The question hit me like a blow.

"No," I said immediately, pulling him closer. "You did nothing wrong."

Leo kept crying into my shirt, his small shoulders trembling.

After a moment, I lifted my gaze to Vance. My voice turned to ice. "Why didn't anyone stop her?"

Vance met my stare, calm but firm. "We didn't notice, sir. We didn't think she would try escaping so soon."

My nostrils flared. "That girl had one job-"

"-to be a mother to Leo," Vance cut in, frowning. "Not a prisoner."

My eyes flickered-anger, then something else.

Vance continued quietly, "If you trap a young woman, you cannot expect her to stay. Or to be happy. Or to be good for the boy."

Leo's sobs softened, but he clung to me tighter.

"And," Vance added, his voice lower, "you forget your mother was once a young woman too. You know what isolation can do to someone."

Silence.

I froze completely.

The mention of my mother didn't anger me. It shut something down. Made me think.

Only for a second.

Then the coldness returned.

I stood, lifting Leo into my arms. "Vance," I said sharply, "assemble the cars."

He nodded.

"We're bringing her back," I growled. "Alive. Unhurt. No one touches her."

Walker stepped forward. "Yes, sir."

I turned my gaze to Vance, my voice cold and cutting. "Vance... when we bring her back, she won't be leaving her room again without my permission. This time, no mistakes."

Leo's head snapped up. "Papa, no!" he cried. "She'll be scared!"

That hit harder than it should have.

My jaw flexed before I forced myself to answer. "...Fine," I muttered. "We'll... talk to her first."

Leo's small shoulders loosened, and he rested his forehead against my collarbone.

I placed a hand on his back, once, steady.

Then the softness vanished.

My expression hardened again, shadows returning. "Move," I ordered.

The men scattered instantly, their footsteps disappearing down the hall as they prepared to launch the search.

Vance sighed, tired and troubled, but followed them, already giving quiet orders.

I held Leo tightly as we walked out of the office.

"Papa?" he whispered, voice weak and breaking. "You... you'll bring Mama home, right?"

My voice dropped low, gentle only for him. "Yes," I said. "I'll bring her home."

Leo exhaled in relief, clinging to me.

But as soon as he lowered his head again, the warmth in my voice died.

And the darkness returned to my eyes.