Chapter 2 Back In Hell

Chapter Two

Mia sat on the floor crying. She had lived with José for two years-she knew he wasn't a man who bluffed. He was even more ruthless than his father, a devil no one dared cross. How on earth did she ever think she could escape him?

This wasn't the time to think-she needed to act. It was already a blessing that José hadn't mentioned Henry. If he knew she had a son, Henry would have been his first target. She wasn't going to wait around to see his next move. She had to move fast.

She picked up her phone and called Kate.

"I need you here. Now," she said, pacing the room in a towel, water still dripping from her body.

"Okay, I'll be there in thirty minutes," Kate replied from the other end. I need to go to the police and report this.

"I don't have thirty minutes," Mia replied, almost yelling. You need to come home now. The police would do us no good.

She knew the police weren't going to help in this case. It was way above them.

"Calm down, Mia," Kate said gently. "I know we're going through a lot, but Steve will be fine, and everything-"

"You don't understand, Kate. YOU NEED TO COME NOW!"

Kate left the hospital in a hurry. Something was seriously wrong. She flung open the door to find a distraught Mia pacing back and forth.

"What is it?" Kate asked the moment she entered.

"I need you to listen to me very carefully," Mia said, leading her to sit. "I'm leaving now. I have to-for everyone's safety."

"What?! Why?" Kate asked, confused.

"You have to believe me," Mia pleaded. "I don't have time to explain everything, but your lives are in danger. The people who attacked Steve... they're very dangerous. They won't stop until they get what they want."

"Wait... what do they want?" Kate asked, trying to make sense of it all.

"Me. They want me," Mia replied.

"But... why?" Kate asked.

"My ex-husband is a ruthless mafia boss. I ran from him, but he's found me. He won't stop until I go back to him or he takes everything from me."

"What? Your ex-husband? How? I don't understand... I'm lost," Kate said, standing up in panic.

"I can't explain it all now," Mia said, trying to calm her. "I'm sorry. I never wanted this. I tried to protect you all from my past, but I failed. This is why I never wanted to marry Steve in the first place."

"What about Henry?" Kate asked.

"I don't think they know about him yet. So for now, he's safe." Mia's voice broke. "Kate, I'm so sorry for all of this. But I need you to promise me-if Steve doesn't make it, you'll take care of Henry. Please. No one should come looking for me. Don't ask questions-the answers will only bring more pain. I'm sorry."

Kate watched as Mia put on some clothes, kissed the picture of Henry on the table, then left with nothing-not even a bag or her phone.

_______

Eileen walked across the field where the jet was waiting. José's thugs were already there, dressed in black suits, giving her cold, threatening stares. One of them opened the door for her-a man with a scar on his face.

She recognized him. It was Mike.

She had given him that scar. If she hadn't been José's wife, she was sure he would've slit her throat the second he saw her. But he deserved it. He deserved more-for ruining her escape, for separating her from her son. As the jet ascended, the memories of that night flooded her mind.

The memories of how she risked it all to flee from Josè.

She had planned her escape for months. It wasn't easy. Apart from the constant guards, there were cameras in every room of the house. She hated those cameras. Josh was only a year old when he came down with measles. At the hospital, accompanied by a few guards, Mia knew this was her only chance.

The night they were discharged, Mike was the guard assigned to them. She asked him to go pack their belongings into the car while she had a few questions for the doctor. As soon as he left, she picked up Josh and rushed toward the other exit at the end of the hallway.

When Mike returned and saw the empty room, he knew immediately-she had fled.

Within minutes, the hospital was on lockdown. Every guard was looking for her. She managed to slip out and into a taxi, but unknown to her, Mike had seen them. He followed them to the train station.

She tried to hide, but Josh was crying and couldn't be hushed. Mike followed the sound of his cries and found her. She tried to run, but he caught her. He took Josh from her and dragged her by her hair back toward the jeep.

Then she saw the signal-the train was arriving.

She reached into her pocket and grabbed the small apple knife she had hidden. She stabbed him just below his left eye. He screamed and let go. She tried to take Josh from him, but Mike held on tight.

She kicked and punched, but he wouldn't let go. She could see the other guards running toward them. She knew José might kill her that night. So she made the impossible decision-she ran to the train before the doors closed, leaving Josh behind.

That decision haunted her for years.

But she had been young and powerless. José's family had powerful connections-with police, judges, governors. No one dared challenge the Santiago family.

_______

Hours later, they were back in the U.S.

Eileen's heart sank as she walked into the Santiago mansion. It might have looked like home to others, but to her, it was hell. The front door opened, and she walked in.

Josh stood on a table, trying to reach a baseball bat hanging on the wall. He was nine now, but he looked older. Eileen walked up and threw her arms around him.

"Josh, I've missed you," she whispered through her tears.

It was the first thing she'd said since leaving Kate.

"I've missed you... I'm happy to see you."

Josh pulled away.

"Leave me alone!" he yelled. "You might be happy, but I'm mad to see you. Bitch."

He grabbed the bat, jumped down from the table, and stormed out.

Eileen stood frozen. She had expected some resentment, but not this much. José had filled his head with poison. There was no love in his eyes-only hatred.

The maids passed her with pity in their gaze.

"That's what you get for abandoning your one-year-old son," came a voice from the top of the stairs.

Even though the chandelier blocked her view, she didn't need to see him.

She knew who it was.

José Santiago. The devil himself.