I Won't Fall For You | ✔️

▪︎\\Chapter Fifty Nine

VANESSA COLLINS

I forced my breath slow and steady, counting each inhale as if it could buy me a second. I took the left and slid down the corridor, every footstep measured and careful. Fear sat heavy in my stomach.

If I was caught now there would be no second chance.

The place gave off a weak, sickly light that barely touched the edges of the hall. Shadows pooled like water and sound seemed to travel forever.

I moved through the dark with my senses stretched thin, eyes scanning every shape, ears straining for the smallest note of movement. My heart beat loud enough to hear.

A spill of light leaked from under a door ahead and with it came the soft rustle of paper. I crept closer, breath held, and peered through the crack. He stood at a cluttered desk, his back to me, rifling through files.

A glint on the desk caught my eye. His car keys lay within easy reach, the metal flashing as he moved.

He shifted, and panic sharp as cold steel pushed me into motion. I darted back to the small room I had passed and slipped inside, pressing myself against the wall as his footsteps drew near.

They slowed at the door and then moved past, the scrape of soles on concrete loud in the silence that followed. The room was pitch black. I could not see a thing, could not tell if it was an office or a closet. I waited until his breath faded down the hall before I eased the door open and peered out.

The coast seemed clear. I slipped into the office with the careful speed of someone who knows one wrong move ends everything. My fingers closed on the cold rings of the keys.

For a second the world narrowed to that small weight in my hand. I did not linger. I bolted from the room and ran, every second a drumbeat driving me farther from him and closer to whatever I could only pray was safety.

I made my way down the huge stack of stairs before heading towards the door. It was locked but not with any regular lock. It required a password to open. I cursed before heading towards the other direction.

"VANESSA!"

His voice echoed through the house and that's when my fear kicked in. I stopped when I reached where the kitchen was and searched the drawers for any weapon.

I took out a chef knife and held it to my chest. I heard his footsteps getting louder and louder before he appeared.

"Vanessa, you're beginning to piss me off. I thought I explained everything to you already. YOU'RE MINE!" he shouted as he glared at me.

My heart was beating rapidly as I gripped the knife in my hands. His expression was deadly but I wasn't going to surrender just like that. The kitchen light was way too bright and was beginning to hurt my eyes.

"Vanessa, give me the knife," he said as he started coming towards me. He was taking small steps as he held his hand out for the knife. I moved away from him which each step making him more angry.

"Fuck! Vanessa put down the knife. What are you gonna do with it? Kill me?" He started laughing before catching me off guard and coming towards me. I ran from the kitchen, heart beating faster as I heard his footsteps close behind me.