Page 30 of Betraying Family Vows
"Walk."
I stumble, then catch myself.
Without thinking, I say, "You're pretty shitty at tying people up, you know."
The words pour out of me as my nerves force me to make a joke.
His expression doesn't change.
Then he laughs. It's rough and low. "You think that was an accident?"
I stop and look at him. "You're saying you let me escape?"
He comes up to me. "You thought I was being nice when I tied you up, Alepoudítsa?" He leans closer, his breath warm against my ear. "Letting the restraints be loose wasn't for you. It was to see what you'd do."
"Oh, a fucked-up test."
"Keep walking."
"Did I pass, Sir?" I say sarcastically as I start my pace back to the house.
"Barely."
"Lucky me," I say under my breath.
But I feel it.
The shift.
He didn't kill me. He had every reason to, but he didn't.
And I'm still mad. I still hate him. I still think he's a monster.
But deep down, in the part of me I've buried beneath bitterness and grief, I'm glad he caught me.
Because for the first time in years, being caught feels like clarity.
And I don't know what that says about me, but I'm not ready to run again.
Not yet.
11
ATHENA
Dimitri marched me back to the house and told me we were leaving. I told him I had to pee, to which he made me go with the door open. I thought to fight him on it, but I was more happy just to be able to go.
He grabbed some things, and out we went, back into the night.
But this time, he was driving.
And that's been the extent of our interactions since he caught me.
He hasn't spoken since he shoved me into the passenger seat and we left. Not a word. His eyes are fixed on the road, save for the occasional glances in the rearview mirrors.
I will say Dimitri's driving is as forceful as everything else about him. He takes each turn aggressively, throwing me against the passenger door. My bare feet throb, stinging with cuts and scrapes from my escape attempt.
I pull the borrowed sweatshirt tighter around me, as if it might shield me.
