C2 – NEW LIFE

Lucy drove at breakneck speed, her hands shaking on the steering wheel as she checked the rearview mirror again and again. Every shadow, every car she spotted in the distance, made her heart race.

She couldn't shake the image of Ezra from her mind. His cold smile, the way his eyes would harden when he taunted her, telling her she'd never escape him. But she would try—even if it was the last thing she ever did.

"I won't stop," she muttered. "I can't go back... I can't..."

Suddenly, reality hit her. She needed to get to France, but her money was limited, and she knew she couldn't use her accounts or cards. Ezra would track every move.

Then she looked at her left hand, where her wedding ring sat—a symbol of the prison she'd been living in.

She had to get rid of it.

Not just because of what it represented, but because it was her only option for getting more cash.

An hour later, a pawn shop sign appeared on the side of the road. Lucy took a deep breath before stepping inside. The owner—a man with a graying beard and sharp eyes—looked up from the newspaper he was reading.

"Can I help you?" he asked in a raspy voice.

She tried to stay calm, but every fiber of her being was screaming with nerves.

"Uh... yeah," she swallowed hard and held out the wedding ring. "I want to sell this."

The man raised an eyebrow and took the ring. He examined it carefully, his calloused fingers turning it over as he inspected it under the light. The atmosphere grew more suffocating by the second, and Lucy could feel the man's gaze on her—sizing her up, getting suspicious.

"It's a good ring," he murmured, studying the piece closely. "You sure you want to sell it?"

She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She knew what he was thinking. She didn't belong in a place like this, not with a ring this expensive. She must have looked suspicious to him—someone on the run. And she was.

"Yes," she answered, determined. "I need the money."

The man studied her in silence for a few seconds, then turned to pull some bills from the drawer. Lucy couldn't stop staring at his hands, willing him to hurry up. She felt like at any moment, the door would burst open and Ezra would appear to drag her back. Or maybe the man would call the cops, and they'd hand her over to Ezra—because he controlled the city and just about everything in it.

"Here you go," the owner said, sliding a stack of cash across the counter. Then, in a calm but pointed tone, he added: "Watch your step. The world isn't kind to those who are alone."

Her heart stopped for a moment. She grabbed the money and muttered a rushed "thanks" before walking out of the shop, feeling the man's eyes boring into her back as she crossed through the door.

Once in the car, she let herself exhale.

Her hands were trembling uncontrollably, and suddenly, she broke down. She let out everything she'd been holding in.

She was alone. Desperately alone.

That night, she found a cheap hotel on the outskirts of the city. It wasn't the most comfortable or welcoming place, but at least it offered her a temporary refuge. Luckily, she'd brought her passport, which would allow her to catch the flight she'd booked for the next morning.

As she closed the hotel room door, she curled up on the bed, wrapping her arms around herself as she shut her eyes, trying to choke back the tears.

She'd considered calling her family, but she knew she couldn't. If she did, her grandfather would find out—and that meant they'd send her back to Ezra.

Just the thought made her shudder.

She briefly thought about Aaron, her brother, but she couldn't risk involving him either. Her grandfather was a powerful man who controlled everyone in his family, and she had no doubt he'd find a way to use Aaron to drag her back to Ezra.

She pressed her lips together, remembering how it all started.

But nothing had been like that.

Her wedding night was the beginning of her nightmare. Her new husband, frustrated that he couldn't consummate the marriage the way he wanted, hit her for the first time.

"This is your fault. The Stantons gave me a defective woman. You're useless!"

Paralyzed with fear, she could barely react when he took what he wanted in the cruelest, most inhuman way possible.

And that night, her world shattered into a thousand pieces. The man she'd promised to share her life with turned out to be a monster—and the person who was supposed to protect her had handed her over to him without a second thought.

With her heart full of fear and pain, she tried to calm down, but the memories were suffocating her. Eventually, exhaustion overtook her, and she fell asleep.

But suddenly, a noise jolted her awake.

The door burst open, and her face went pale instantly. There was Ezra. His face was bloody and he was limping, his gaze dark and evil—and beside him stood the man who'd rented her the room.

She scrambled back on the bed, trembling.

"E-Ezra..." she stammered.

He stepped forward, a cruel smile curving his lips.

"You thought you could get away from me, you bitch?" he spat coldly. "Well, you were wrong. You're never leaving me, Lucy. Never! You're mine until the day you die!"

And before she could react, he lunged at her.

Lucy's eyes flew open, gasping. Her body was drenched in sweat, and her heart was pounding out of control. She looked around, realizing she was still in the hotel room.

No one else was there but her. She swallowed, trying to steady herself.

"It was just a dream..." she whispered to herself, though the fear still lingered in her chest.

She got out of bed on shaky legs and glanced at the clock.

"I need to hurry," she said as she started getting ready.

It was time to leave it all behind and catch that flight to her new life. A life that she hoped would take her far away from Ezra—and from the hell he represented—forever.