75. Tessa

75

Tessa

I t's been days, and aside from a few supervised visits, I've barely seen Chloe. Elena treats Chloe like she's her baby, and my presence is an irritating inconvenience.

I have spent most of my time in Sergei's house locked in my room with a guard stationed outside to make sure I do nothing crazy like pick the lock and attempt to escape. Twice a day, a member of staff brings me food. And if I'm really lucky, Elena stops by with Chloe.

It's impossible to tell if Chloe is OK. She seems fine, but I've heard her crying at night, which breaks my heart.

Being so near yet unable to comfort her is torture. I wish I understood what Sergei wants from me. His threats were too vague to make any sense of when I saw him in his office.

Outside, the sun is setting, painting the sky red. Elena came in earlier and left a dress on the bed. Sergei is back this evening and I'm expected to go down for dinner. If it wasn't for Chloe, I'd feign illness, but this is a chance to see her. Even if I have to watch psycho granny act like Chloe belongs to her.

There's nothing to do in this room other than sleep, lie on the bed and think, or pace around. I'm amazed the carpet isn't threadbare by now. Walking in circles is the only thing keeping me sane.

If I lie on the bed, I can't breathe. There are too many black thoughts swirling around in my head, trying to drag me down into the abyss.

Is Kade looking for me? Are Madden and Cin back from New York?

I miss Harry so much.

I miss the guys, too. Even grumpy dick Kade, with his scowling face and grunts in lieu of actual words.

I even miss Buttons. Never thought I'd say that after she chewed my favorite pair of socks and vomited them up on my bed.

Tears trickle down my cheeks as an endless array of images filter through my mind until my eyes are red and puffy and I feel dehydrated from crying so much. It's only when there's a sharp knock on my door that I realize time has passed and my guard is here to take me down to dinner.

And I'm still not dressed.

"You're late," Elena snaps before cooing at Chloe, who's sitting in a high chair wearing what looks like spaghetti in tomato sauce.

She shouts when she sees me. Her eyes well up with tears and she stretches out her arms toward me. "Mamama!"

"Hush now, you don't need your mother," Elena scolds. The waterworks open and Chloe's cries grow louder as Sergei strolls in with Aleks on his heels.

"Mama, shut the kid up."

" Da, synok ." Elena pulls Chloe from her chair and wipes her face, jiggling her to try and make her stop crying. It doesn't work. Her cries grow increasingly louder and snot dribbles down her face.

"I instructed the cook to make your favorite stew, just like babuskha used to make it back in the old country." Sergei nods with approval and Elena beams. "Sit down and I'll dish it up once I put the baby down."

"Let me have her," I say, jumping up. "I can settle her while you take care of your son." I'm careful to keep my voice neutral. Elena is apt to lash out if she thinks I'm not being cooperative. The bitch slapped me the other day when I talked back to her. Not especially hard, but it made me see how unstable she is - and how careful I must be when around her.

"Do it," Sergei says, rubbing his temples as Chloe's cries escalate. Elena hesitates, unwilling to give up Chloe, but Sergei snaps at her in Russian and she reluctantly hands her over.

"Be quick," she hisses. "Or you won't get any food."

Chloe settles the minute she's in my arms, her wails dying down to a few heartfelt sniffles. Her fingers grip my dress so tightly like she's afraid I'll disappear if she lets go of me.

The guard, a different one this time, leads me back upstairs toward the bedroom where Chloe sleeps. It's next to Elena's room, naturally. There's a mural of woodland animals painted on one wall and toys everywhere.

It's a lovely room. Under different circumstances, I'd appreciate the care that's gone into designing a bedroom a small child will adore, but Elena is a monster and all I can think about is how she's trying to remove me from my daughter's life.

Slowly and systematically.

It's like The Handmaid's Tale, where Serena Joy takes June's baby to raise her as her own while June is forced to watch from the sidelines, becoming increasingly resentful.

Right now, I can relate to June Osborne. Specifically, her homicidal urges.

Time passes as I sit on the floor with my daughter in my arms. After I changed her out of the food-stained dress and cleaned up her face, she fell asleep. I'm sure Elena expected me to put her in the crib and come back downstairs, but fuck that.

I'd rather forgo a meal than miss out on some time with my baby girl. Elena will probably punish me later, but I don't care. If, as I suspect from the things I've gleaned while stuck in this house, Sergei has plans for me that don't involve Chloe, I want to make the most of the time I have.

My father and Kade will find me eventually, but until then, I have to be strong. I refuse to give up hope.