The night passed quicker than it should have, mostly because I spent hours lying awake, wondering how I could free myself from this so-called marriage. I would have given this a real chance if Vincent had shown even the smallest effort, but he didn't seem interested at all. Not in me, not in us and certainly not in trying.
With a lazy stretch, I got out of bed and walked to the small cabinet where I kept my laptop. I picked it up and returned to the bed, sinking into the pillows as I stared at Vivian's name on the screen. I hesitated for a long moment. Calling her would drag her into my problems, and I didn't want to get her into trouble. But she was the only person I trusted. The only person who would come for me if I needed her.
I needed someone who could help me leave this place without the guards noticing. It would be difficult, almost impossible, but, ' where there is will, there is a way.
I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and finally pressed the call button. Vivian picked up almost immediately.
Just like me, she seemed to have just woken up. The look on her face almost made me laugh. Her hair was wild, her eyeliner smudged from the night before. She looked like a complete mess.
"Another drunken night?" I asked. Vivian rarely missed her parties, and she was lucky enough to control her own work schedule since she was an author. A successful one at that.
"Yes. Is it that noticeable?" she asked, then quickly added, "You've already started having that pregnancy glow." She smiled as she gathered her hair into a loose, messy bun.
I rolled my eyes softly and replied, "You think?."
"I have already started coming up with names," she continued as if she hadn't heard me. "What do you think of Lyra if it's a girl or Mark if it's a boy? Oh wait, how about Leon?"
I couldn't help smiling at her excitement. She was practically buzzing with joy. I was excited too, but worry weighed heavier on my chest than anything else. I knew nothing about being pregnant, nothing about motherhood, and it had already been more than two weeks since I found out. Yet I had still said nothing to Vincent.
At this point, I wasn't even sure it was a good idea. What if he asked me to get rid of it? What if he asked me to keep it but left afterward and took the baby with him? There were too many possibilities, too many things that could go wrong. Even the small amount of money in my account wouldn't help if Vincent decided to take control of everything.
"Did you talk to Vincent?" Vivian asked. I pressed my lips together before shaking my head.
"Ell, he needs to know." She gave me a firm look.
"I know, but I don't think it would be a good idea. He isn't interested in me or… any of this," I said. I let out a breath I had been holding for too long. "I just want to leave."
"Girl, I wish I was there to hug you right now," she said with all seriousness, and I couldn't agree more. I desperately needed that hug and the assurance that everything would somehow fall into place.
"You should ask him for a divorce. There's no point in you living there like a trophy wife who's gaining nothing from that relationship."
"I don't think he wants that," I admitted. "I can barely go anywhere without guards following me, and the house is always secured. It's like I'm in a prison, and I just… I want to escape it so badly."
Vivian grew quiet. Too quiet. When she finally spoke, her words were the last thing I wanted to hear.
"It would be almost impossible for you to escape him now that he's marked you."
Her voice was soft, almost apologetic, but the weight of those words crushed me all the same.
Despite our bond being a weak one, he would still be able to locate me easily with the help of a witch. But if there was one thing I was certain about, it was that everything had a loophole.
After doing my own research, I had discovered that there was a spell capable of making it impossible for any witch to trace me. The problem was that I couldn't just walk around and find someone willing to perform such magic on me. Witches didn't trust strangers and they were also rare to find.
That was why I had almost given up on the idea entirely.
The silence between us stretched, each one of us trying to contemplate on what to do in this situation. It was Vivian who finally broke the quiet.
"You shouldn't stress yourself too much, we will find a way."
I fixed her with a long, unwavering stare. I knew Vivian too well to mistake false comfort for genuine hope, especially given her own experience and my current situation. She never offered encouragement unless she had a tangible idea.
"Vivian? What are you thinking?" I asked, my tone firm.
She paused, drawing a deep breath before letting out a soft sigh. Then, she met my eyes and finally relayed what was in her head.
"Nanny Clara comes from a family of witches. I don't know if she would be willing to help, but I have to try. I just hope she will hear me out so we can attempt to cloak you from him locating you through the soul bond."
"Vivian.._" I started, ready to disagree with the idea that she was coming up with but she quickly interrupted me.
"You don't have to worry about that. If we don't manage to get a good witch, we will figure out an escape for you and then we can come up with another solution once you're out of that jail of a house."
I parted my lips again. Still against the idea of her trying to make deals with a witch knowing how canning the witches were but she again hushed me.
"Just trust me... Okay?"
I reluctantly nodded knowing too well I wouldn't go with that plan. It was far too risky and I didn't want her to end up in a situation where I would lose her.
We talked for a short while before disconnecting the call and I once again continued to stare at the wall. I had to do the only safe and almost impossible thing I could manage to do in order to leave this house and to never be found by Vincent.