Sold To Mr. Milano - Daniella Wright Page 0,31

I could have kept burying my hatred for him beneath the feeling of his skin against mine? I guess it didn’t matter. He wasn’t there. He didn’t even have the decency to put me back in a room. He took what he wanted and then left me here, still a prisoner.

I didn’t want to know what would have come out of it if he had stayed with me through the night, or been kind enough to offer to let me go in the morning. This was the reminder I needed of who he really was. He was not decent or kind or loving, no matter how well he faked it while he was bringing me pleasure. He was a monster, and while I may have been fooled by him for a moment, I would not let it happen again.

I finally let the harsh cold cut into my body as I yanked away the sheets. My old gown was unsalvageable, so I would have to figure out something else. I grabbed one of the sheets and began ripping and tying until I had formed a slip to put on. I didn’t leave it at that. I needed something sturdy with trousers. I was not dressing to keep laying around in this hole. I had to get out of here, and I needed clothes worthy of an escape mission.

I kept shredded, tying, and braiding the fabric until I had formed an undersuit with shorts that at least went down to my knees. Then I fashioned a sort of jacket and wrapped up the soles of my feet with several layers of cushion. It was not the most protective outfit, but it would have to do.

With my makeshift clothing on, I grabbed one of the empty buckets, hating the memory of how the ice water felt as it splashed over me. It was flimsy enough that I could flatten and warp it into a tin shield. I had formed the best weapon I could with what was available to me, so I rushed over to the door and started screaming bloody murder.

I screamed over and over again until finally, I heard footsteps running down the hall. There were muffled sounds of them asking something, or maybe yelling at me, from the other side of the door, but I didn’t stop screaming long enough to make out their words. They had no choice but to open the door, and the moment the guard did, I slammed the metal shield across his head as hard as I could.

It wasn’t enough to knock him out, but it was enough to send him flying into the stonewall of the hallway. He slammed his head against the rock behind him and slid down to the floor. I knew it was only a matter of seconds before other guards probably came to see what happened. There was no time to hesitate.

I dashed past his half-unconscious body and ran as fast as I could, pausing around each corner to make sure I wasn’t running straight into the arms of another guard. I ran towards the first glint of blue light from outside that I could find. The first beam of light led to a window that was too high to climb to, and too small to get out of anyway. That’s when a group of guards went running past, and I had to duck behind a rack of uniforms to hide.

When the halls grew mostly silent again, I raced for the next sign of light. This time it was a door that I was able to quietly sneak through. Finally, I was outside. It felt like I was free again, and the refreshing relief only fueled me to run faster. I hadn’t felt the grass beneath my feet since the night I was thrown from the horse and my secret was revealed.

And now here I was running right back to the same stables. I may not have been an experienced horseback rider, but traveling by horse was the only way to navigate the woods on the property well enough to stand any chance of escaping. I picked a horse that was smaller than before, and he seemed a little bit calmer. I worried he might not be fast enough, but speed didn’t matter if I was only going to get thrown off again.

I saddled him up and checked to see if the coast was clear. Lights were flickering on throughout the manor, as I imagined my escape had already been