Kaspy's words lingered in the air like a promise she had been waiting to hear all her life.
Ana stood in his dimly lit bedroom, her heart racing, watching him move with urgency as he gathered a small bag. The peeling paint on the walls, the uneven floorboards, the faint scent of cigarette smoke from the neighbors—all of it was a far cry from the marble floors and crystal chandeliers of her family's mansion. And yet, here, in this modest, imperfect space, she felt safer than she ever had in her gilded prison.
The weight of her decision pressed against her chest, but the warmth in Kaspy's eyes erased every trace of doubt.
"We'll have to move fast," he said, stuffing clothes into his bag. "If your family is as powerful as you say, they'll send people looking. And they'll find us if we stay here."
Ana nodded, stepping closer. "I don't care where we go. As long as I'm with you."
Her voice trembled—not from fear, but from the raw, intoxicating freedom blooming inside her.
Kaspy froze for a moment, as though those words hit something deep inside him. His hand reached for hers, calloused fingers closing over her delicate ones. "Ana, this life… it's not easy. You're used to safety, to comfort—"
"I'm used to cages," she cut him off. "And I'm done living in one."
A flicker of admiration—mixed with something more dangerous—crossed his face. "Then you're mine now. No going back."
She smiled faintly, but her chest tightened as reality clawed its way into her mind. Leaving her family meant severing the only safety net she had, the only shield against the men who had once broken her. But staying meant losing Kaspy… and herself.
They moved together in silence, gathering essentials. Kaspy went to check on his son, lifting the small, sleeping bundle from the crib. Ana's gaze softened as she stepped closer. The baby's tiny chest rose and fell, his face peaceful, unaware of the storm about to change all their lives.
"What's his name?" she whispered.
"Elias," Kaspy said, the name heavy with both love and responsibility.
Something inside Ana shifted. This wasn't just about her anymore—choosing Kaspy meant choosing Elias, too. She wasn't running into romance; she was stepping into a family.
A knock at the door made both of them stiffen.
Kaspy set Elias gently back in the crib and grabbed a worn leather jacket from the chair. "It's just Mara," he murmured after peeking through the curtain. "She'll help us."
The older woman stepped inside, her eyes flicking from Ana to the baby. "You're leaving tonight, aren't you?"
Kaspy's jaw tightened. "It's the only way."
Mara nodded once, then pressed a folded piece of paper into Ana's hand. "An address. Someone I know. Far away from here. If you get there, you'll be safe."
Ana's fingers closed around the paper, her throat tightening. "Thank you."
"You don't need to thank me, child," Mara said softly. "Just don't let them take you back."
Within minutes, they were outside, the bitter night air biting at Ana's skin. The city's neon lights glimmered in the distance, but around them, the streets were empty, silent, dangerous in a way that thrilled and frightened her at once.
Kaspy placed a hand on her back, guiding her toward the small, battered car parked a block away. "From now on, we go wherever I take you. No questions, no hesitation. Do you understand?"
Ana met his gaze, her pulse pounding. "Wherever you take me."
And with that, they slipped into the shadows, leaving behind the world that had caged her, and stepping into a future as uncertain as it was intoxicating.