I stared at Kacie, watching the color drain from her face. She couldn't be serious. She was literally feeding me to the wolves. Putting me in the same car as Stephanie was a call for disaster, and I would be the one paying for it.
Her hand closed over mine, her eyes pleading. "Please, Miss, you must go quickly." My stupid, traitorous heart softened, a wave of shame washing over me. I felt like shit.
Of course, it wasn't her fault. She was just following orders, and my hesitation was only putting her at risk. I yanked my hand from hers as if her touch had burned me. "Fine," I bit out.
I turned on my heel, my steps rushed. God, it was just one bad thing after another. Every single day. My hand shot out for the door handle, but the driver was faster, emerging from the car in a fluid motion.
"Allow me, Miss," he said, opening the door before my fingers could even brush the metal. It happened so fast I was left gaping, until a voice, sharp as a whip crack, sliced from the inside.
"Get in, cunt," Stephanie snapped.
My gaze found her. She sat with her hair pulled back into a braid, diamonds glittering at her ears and throat. Her lips were a slash of red, and her white strapless dress clung to her like a second skin. She looked every inch the wife of one of the three infamous bachelors.
And not me.
Her eyes traveled from my simple heels, up my floral dress, to my hastily tied hair. She scrunched her nose in disgust. "You know," her lips curved into a smirk that didn't reach her eyes, "I give it five minutes before someone mistakes you for the help and asks for a refill."
From the seat beside her, the blonde Ember watched. Her golden hair cascaded over the shoulders of a sleek black dress, an amused smile playing on her lips. My jaw clenched so tight it ached. Don't let her get to you, don't let her get to you, I chanted in my head, but her words still seeped into the tiny, insecure part of me.
I said nothing, swallowing the urge to fire back, sliding into the backseat. The door thudded shut, sealing me in. The driver pulled away, his voice a quiet instruction to put on my seatbelt before a thick silence filled the car.
Ember broke it, turning to Stephanie, "Did you see what Miah wore yesterday? I swear that bitch looked like a stuffed peacock." Ember sneered.
"At least her husband still fucks her," Stephanie said. "Beatrice, on the other hand..."
She didn't need to finish. Ember was already giggling. The sound of their laughter grated against my ears. I wanted to tear my head open just to make it stop. I turned to the window, blocking out the rest of their conversation.
The world outside passed in a blur. People walked their dogs, ducked in and out of shops. A mother pushed a stroller. It all looked so free, so happy. A city I could get lost in. The sight lit a desperate pulse in my chest. What am I doing? Sitting here, taking this crap. The car was moving, the world was passing me by. This was an opportunity. A chance I wouldn't get again. I couldn't let it slip through my fingers. I wouldn't.
I needed to think fast. What can I do, what can I do? Think, think, Amelia. I needed something to stop the car, give me an opportunity to get away. An idea, desperate and wild, popped into my head.
I let out a small, pained gasp, clutching my stomach. I bent forward, my shoulders hunching, but they hadn't noticed yet.
I did it again, louder. "Oh, god..." I moaned.
The driver's eyes flicked to me in the rearview mirror.
"I need a bathroom. Right now." I moaned, my voice strained, pretending to be in pain. That got their attention. Two heads swiveled toward me. "What is wrong with you?" Stephanie demanded, her nose wrinkled as if she smelled something bad. I paid her no mind. The target was the driver, who still hadn't stopped the car.
"I... I can't help it," I gasped, my act becoming more frantic. "I really need to go."
The driver's eyes met mine in the mirror again, his body tense. "Miss, there's a restroom at a store about five minutes away. I can drive-"
No. That wouldn't work. I needed him to stop now. A line of trees was passing by us. This was my only chance.
"No!" I cried out, my voice turning into a panicked scream. "That won't work! I can't hold it!" I pressed my face against the cool glass of the window, my breath fogging it up. A line of trees passed by us. "Please! Stop the car! I'll go in a bush, or I swear I'll do it right here in this car!"
The reaction was better than I could have hoped for. I was shocked I held back the laugh threatening to bubble up. Ember shrieked. "You disgusting bitch! Fucking stop the car right now! I am not riding with her if she's going to shit her pants!"
Panicked, the driver swerved, pulling over onto the gravel right by the treeline. The moment the car lurched to a halt, I fumbled for the handle and shoved the door open.
"I'm so sorry! Two minutes!" I choked out, the apology fake but my adrenaline spiked.
I had to get out of here.
I didn't look at them. I didn't need to. I could feel Stephanie's glare burning into the back of my skull, could hear her muttering what were probably not-so-nice things about me.
But I didn't care.
I had gotten what I wanted. I was free.
My feet hit the ground. I didn't run immediately. I took one step, then two, into the woods. Then, I plunged forward. My heels sank into the wet mud, but I kicked them off, leaving them behind. I ran. I didn't look back. Not at the car, not at the road, not at the life I was leaving behind. Branches scratched at my skin, but every sound was fading, all I could hear was the harsh, frantic pounding in my chest.
I sped up my pace, not knowing where I was going, only that I was getting away.
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