Chapter 5

Lucia's POV

Julia bit her lip, her eyes red, tears welling up and threatening to spill over.

She looked down at me on the floor, then looked at Xavier, and finally said nothing. She turned and ran out.

Xavier watched her go, silent for a few seconds, then looked down at me.

I stared back at him, my eyes full of contempt. "You two really are made for each other."

Xavier didn't respond. He put his clothes on and left the room.

I thought that was the end of it. But the next night, a child's crying jolted me awake.

It was Theo's voice.

I shot up and rushed to the door, pressing my ear against it to listen.

The crying was coming from next door. I could faintly make out Julia's voice too.

"Stop your crying! You think that slut mother of yours is coming to save you? She can't even save herself!"

Then came the crack of a whip, followed by Theo's gut-wrenching screams.

"Stop... please... stop hitting me..."

It hit me like a lightning bolt. My whole body shook.

Julia was beating him. She was taking every bit of her rage at Xavier out on Theo.

I pounded on the door like a madwoman, screaming, "Open the door! Open it now! You can't do this to him! He's just a child!"

No one answered.

The guards stood outside, completely still.

I beat on the door until my hands bled, but it didn't budge.

Theo's cries grew weaker, fading into quiet sobbing.

I sank to the floor, tears streaming down my face, my heart feeling like it was being torn apart.

'Theo, I'm so sorry. I'm useless. Mom can't save you.'

I don't know how much time passed before the noise next door finally stopped.

I curled up against the door, my whole body stiff, ear pressed flat against the wood, straining to hear anything.

Footsteps approached. A door opened. Then something was thrown hard onto the floor.

"Toss him in there! I don't want to see him!"

Julia's voice was sharp and shrill, with a satisfied edge to it, like she'd gotten what she needed.

The door swung open. I watched a guard drag Theo in and drop him on the floor like a piece of trash.

"You—" I rushed forward to grab Theo, but the guard shoved me back.

He gave me a cold look, turned around, and left. The door locked behind him.

I stumbled over and crouched down beside Theo, reaching out to pick him up.

But when I saw what he looked like, I froze.

Theo was curled up on the floor, covered in wounds.

His little face was streaked with dried tears. There was blood at the corner of his mouth. The bruises on his arms and legs were worse than before, some of them swollen. His clothes were torn, and the skin underneath was covered in whip marks. In some places the skin had broken open, and blood was seeping through.

"Theo... Theo..."

My hands trembled as I reached for him, not knowing where to touch him, terrified of causing him more pain.

Theo slowly opened his eyes. When he saw me, fear flashed across his face, then quickly turned to disgust.

"Get away... bad woman..."

His voice was so weak it was barely there, but every word came through sharp and clear.

It felt like a knife straight to the heart. Tears poured down my face. "Theo, it's me. I'm your mom..."

"No you're not..." Theo shook his head with great effort, tears running down his face too.

"It's because of you... she hit me because of you... she said if I don't behave, she'll hit me... she said it's all your fault..."

"What?" I went still.

"She said... she said if I don't listen, she'll hurt me... she said it's all because of you..." Theo sobbed, his voice breaking apart. "It's all your fault... all your fault..."

It was like ice water poured over me from head to toe.

Julia was using me as an excuse. She was blaming everything she did to Theo on me.

She wanted Theo to believe that he got hurt because of me. That I was the one who'd done this to him.

That way, Theo would hate me. He'd want nothing to do with me.

"That's not true, Theo..." I cried, trying to explain, but he wouldn't listen.

"Go away! I don't want to see you!"

Theo struggled to push me away, but he was too weak. Every movement made him gasp in pain.

I didn't dare get any closer. I just knelt there beside him, tears falling without stopping.

Theo cried for a little while, then went quiet, probably too exhausted to keep going. He lay curled up on the floor, his body still trembling slightly, murmuring something under his breath.

I leaned in close to hear him.

"Mommy... Mommy..."

He was calling for his mom.

Not Julia. He was calling for his real mom.

In that moment, my heart shattered.

I gently wrapped my arms around him. This time he didn't push me away.

He didn't have the strength to.

"Mom's here... Mom's right here..." I whispered, my tears falling onto his face.

Theo's eyes fluttered open. He looked at me, and the corner of his mouth lifted just slightly. Then his eyes closed again.

He didn't know that the person holding him was his real mother.

I stroked his hair softly, tears running down without end.

This couldn't go on.

I had to get him out of here.

I got up and went to the door, banging on it hard. "Open up! Open the door! Theo is badly hurt. He needs a doctor!"

Silence from the other side.

I hit the door again. "Please! He's just a child! He could die!"

Still nothing.

I kept pounding until my hands were bleeding. Finally, one of the guards responded.

"Stop banging. The mistress said the door stays locked."

"He's a child! He could die!" I screamed. "Can't you see that? He needs a doctor!"

"The mistress says you brought this on yourself." The guard's voice was flat and cold. "You shouldn't have kept getting involved with the boy."

I stood there stunned, then a wave of fury rose up inside me.

Julia was trying to let Theo die.

I spun around and grabbed the lamp off the table, ready to smash it against the door.

But right then, I heard footsteps moving away outside.

I pressed my ear to the door and listened carefully. The hallway had gone quiet.

I tried pushing the door. Still locked.

But the guards... it seemed like they'd left.

A small flicker of hope rose in my chest, then quickly sank again.

Even if the guards were gone, the door was still locked. I wasn't going anywhere.

I leaned against the door in despair, my eyes drifting to the window across the room.

Below the window was a garden. Beyond the garden was the outer wall.

If I could somehow get down from the window...

I looked at the bedsheets. I'd used them once before, but the guards had taken them away afterward.

There was nothing left in the room. There was no way down.

I crouched on the floor, head in my hands, desperately trying to think of something.

Then I heard a faint sound at the door.

A key turning in the lock.

My head snapped up. The door opened a crack, and an old, wrinkled hand slipped through, holding a key.

It was Caleb, the head butler.

"Go. Now." Caleb's voice was barely above a whisper, and it trembled slightly. "Julia left with the guards. Xavier isn't here either. You have to go. Right now."

I stared at him, unable to believe what I was seeing.

Caleb had worked at the Davis Estate his whole life. He'd been there when I first came to this house. He'd always been kind to me, even if he never dared go against Xavier's orders.

"Thank you..." I choked out.

"No time for that. Take Theo and go." Caleb pressed the key into my hand. "The back door isn't being watched. Get out that way."

I nodded and ran back to Theo. I carefully lifted him into my arms.

He let out a small whimper of pain.