Page 47 of Bought By the Bratva

I cried until I had no more tears. I had to get out. If I wanted my child to have a life, I had to leave. I washed and collected my things from the bathroom. Sneaking back to my room, I locked the door. Grabbing my suitcase, I packed only the bare necessities. I only took what I couldn’t live without.

The less I carried, the faster I could move, and I knew I had to hurry. I needed to find my own feet and become who I wanted to be. Not who I was told to be. This was my baby. My choice, and I wanted to keep the child. I wasn’t doing it just to spite them. The child was a part of me.

Opening the window softly, I dropped my bag and climbed out. It was time to cut all ties to this horrible family. I moved slowly towards the corner of the house. Peeking around it, I heard them in the kitchen. They were most likely drinking again and trying to decide what to do with me next.

I climbed over the corner of the fence. I wasn’t going to go out the front and take a chance of them seeing or hearing me. As I ran up the street, I looked back a couple of times just to be sure they weren’t coming after me.

Heaving and out of breath, I reached the bus stop as the bus pulled in. Getting on, the driver looked at me. “You in a hurry, hun?” he asked in a deep voice.

“I was scared I wouldn’t make it,” I replied, smiling at him.

He nodded as I dropped my coins into the slot and moved to the back. The bus was still very empty. But it was early, and this stop was one of the first ones this bus made. According to the schedule on the bus stand.

It would take me two towns over if I stayed all the way. Taking a seat near the back, I was sure two towns would be space enough. The driver stopped at a filling station about halfway to where I was heading. I got off and grabbed something to eat. As I got back on, he grinned at me. “Ya runnin?” he asked in the same deep tone.

“Kind of,” I replied, moving back to my seat. By the time we neared the small little town where he stopped for the last time, I had moved to the front of the now-empty bus.

“Well then, child,” he said, pulling into the last stop. “Ya be safe, ya hear.”

“Thank you,” I replied, nodding at him before stepping off. The drive was long and gave me too much time to think. My mind kept wandering off to what Abram was doing. It made me sad and happy at the same time. I wanted to let him know but felt unsure. The way I left, the things he said. It was all too much.

Looking around, I noticed a diner on the next corner. My stomach growled as I headed towards it. The pack of chips I bought on the way wasn’t enough. I entered, looking around. The place wasn’t very big but then it was a small town. There was an elderly lady behind the long counter.

Smiling at me she waved as she spoke. “Hi, ya, comin in?”

Her dialect was very similar to the bus driver, and I wondered if he lived around here. As I sat down, she poured me a steaming cup of coffee. “Ya, new,” she said, placing the coffee pot down.

“Thank you,” I replied, taking a sip. “Yes, I’m actually looking for work and a place to stay if you may know where I could look.”

“Oh, ma soul,” she said, placing her hands over her mouth. “I need un, if ya interested.”

“You mean you have work?” I questioned, finding it strange that I could simply walk into such luck.

She nodded profusely as she handed me a muffin from a round display bowl on the counter's edge. “Have ya etin?” she questioned. “Have un.”

“Thank you so much,” I said, taking it from her.

“Out back is smul room, if ya wan,” she added beaming.

I sighed as she handed me a key. It felt like I had entered another world. “Nadia,” I said, holding out my hand. As she took my hand into both of hers, I thought back to my mother. I wondered if she would have accumulated wrinkles like these soft hands had.

“Emma,” the old lady responded as she went to the kitchen. Returning, she brought me a plate of food.

“Oh, no, I can’t,” I said, shaking my hands.

She placed it down before me and folded her arms. “Eat,” she huffed, grinning. This was the way my mother acted if I didn’t want to eat. Smiling at Emma, I felt at home suddenly.

My stomach growled again. I decided I would have to, seeing that I was now not only feeding myself. Once I was done, Emma took me out to the back and showed me the room. Stepping inside, I couldn’t believe it. She grinned, closed the door, and left.

I placed my bag on the floor and sat down on the bed. “There is hope for me and you,” I said out loud as I rubbed my stomach. I was sad that I had to leave Abram. I could see spending my life with him. However, I didn’t know if we would ever get past the betrayal.

There was a lot of manipulation as well, but I was positive I had seen glimpses of the real him now and then. There was a decent, loving man beneath all the bullshit. Thinking of all the good times and how he pulled me through some rough patches, I couldn’t believe he felt nothing.

I would hold onto those fond memories; they would become my safe haven. Looking as night seemed to appear out of nowhere, I smiled. The scenery from my window only included trees but it was enough. I was free to live my life as I wanted. No judgment, no orders, just me.

Looking down, I placed my hand on my belly again. “Just you and me, little one,” I whispered. “I promise I will keep you safe from the world out there no matter what happens, you will be loved.”

After unpacking my few belongings, I went to bed. It was a little bumpy. But it was the best sleep I have had in a long time. I rose early and joined Emma in the diner where I now worked.

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