Chapter 2

• Marlowe's POV
• I lay on the bed for a moment, my body sore and bruised.
• Then my eyes landed on the silver access card on the floor—the same key-card Salem uses to unlock every restricted door in the estate. It must have fallen to the floor when he took off his pants earlier.
• Slowly and carefully, I dragged my sore body out of bed. I was completely naked, my legs were still shaking.
• I crawled and picked up the silver card from the floor, double-checking the crest to make sure it was really the main estate key card.
• Before I could even process what this meant for my freedom, the bedroom door suddenly clicked open.
• I didn't think.
• I immediately tossed the key-card under the bed to hide it.
• The door opened and Annie walked into the room.
• Annie was an elderly woman with grey hair.
• Salem had assigned her as my personal maid when he first locked me in this room seven months ago.
• In all those long months, no one was ever allowed to step foot inside this room except Salem himself and Annie.
• And despite working for a monster, Annie had always treated me with kindness.
• She walked in holding a glass of water and a small white pill bottle.
• But the moment Annie's eyes fell on me sitting naked on the floor, her eyes widened.
• She rushed across the room, set the tray down on the table, and dropped to her knees beside me.
• “Oh my God, Marlowe,” Annie whispered quickly. “What are you doing on the floor, completely naked? Come, let me help you up.”
• Annie wrapped a soft towel around my shoulders, gently guiding me back onto the bed
• She cleaned me up and helped me put on a clean nightgown.
• Once I was dressed, Annie went to grab the glass of water and sat back down on my bed.
• “Mr. Salem asked me to bring this in for you,” Annie said quietly. “He said you should take two pills.”
• She shook two white pills from the bottle into her palm and held them out to me along with the water.
• My body was exhausted, my hands trembling as I stared at the medicine. “What is that?” I asked in a low whisper.
• Annie looked down at the pills, her face turning sober. “Mr. Salem didn't tell me... But Marlowe, these look like morning-after pills. Contraceptives.”
• A bitter, quiet tear slipped down my cheek.
• I let out a long sigh. “Of course. He didn't use a condom.”
• I took the two white pills from her palm, popped them into my mouth, and drank the entire glass of water in one gulp.
• Annie looked at me, her eyes filled with deep sympathy.
• She reached out and patted my hand gently. “I'm sorry, Marlowe. I am so, so sorry.”
• I gave her a tired, broken smile.
• Then, my mind snapped back to reality.
• I grabbed Annie’s wrists tightly, pulling her closer as my eyes widened.
• “Help me,” I begged, squeezing her hand with all my strength. “Help me, Annie. Please help me get out of here.”
• Annie’s face went pale.
• She looked towards the door quickly, her voice shaking. “What? Marlowe, I... I can't do anything! I'm just your maid. I'm just a maid in this house!”
• “I know you're a maid,” I whispered immediately. “But right now, you are the only person who can save me! You are the only one who can help me get out of this nightmare. I just need you to do one thing for me. Just one thing.”
• Annie looked toward the door again, still shaking. “What... what do you need?”
• I didn't waste a second.
• I pointed my finger towards the fifty-seven expensive gifts Salem had thrown at me every time he hurt me.
• “I need you to help me sell them,” I whispered fast. “Take them out one by one so Salem doesn't notice. Sell them and hide the money for me. I need it to escape.”
• Annie quickly pulled her hands away, “No, no, I can't do that! It's too dangerous! If Mr. Salem finds out, he'll kill us both!”
• “Please, Annie! Please!” I sobbed softly, gripping her apron. “He will kill me slowly in this room if I stay! Please help me!”
• Annie looked at my tear-stained face, her heart softening.
• She let out a shaky breath and nodded. “Fine. Tomorrow, I will come back and take a small piece of jewelry. I will sell it in the black market. It will bring in a lot of money because these gifts are very expensive.”
• “Thank you,” I breathed, tears of relief falling. “Thank you, Annie.”
• Annie patted my arm, stood up with the empty glass, and walked quickly out of the room, locking the door firmly behind her.
• The moment the lock clicked, I sat up and grabbed the fifty-seventh gift Salem had tossed at me earlier.
• I unboxed it and held up the beautiful designer handbag.
• Looking at the expensive bag, my mind drifted back to how I had ended up in this golden cage.
• Salem believed my father—the underboss of the cartel—had ordered the hit that killed Salem's father years ago.
• When Salem discovered the truth, he sent his men to storm our house to execute my father.
• I knew the kind of ruthless men my father worked for, and I knew if Salem caught him, he would just be slaughtered.
• So I helped my father escape.
• I forced my father to flee the country to gather real proof of his innocence before Salem's men arrived.
• When Salem's men raided our house, they found only me.
• So they dragged me back to Salem as a prisoner. But when I stood before Salem, I didn't beg for my life.
• I offered myself as collateral—a blood debt settlement—trading my own freedom to buy my father time to clear his name and return with proof of his innocence.
• Now, seven months later, I was still stuck here.
• I shook the thought from my head and looked around the room.
• The shelves were completely full, so I needed to stack this new bag on the very top shelf.
• I climbed out of bed and dragged a chair across the floor so I could step on it and reach the top shelf
• But just as I climbed the chair, the wooden legs suddenly slipped on the tiled floor.
• “Ah!” I gasped, losing my balance completely.
• I fell hard onto the floor, my hip and elbow slamming against the tiles.
• A loud scream burst from my throat as pain shot up my leg.
• Almost immediately, the bedroom door slammed open with a loud bang!
• Salem burst into the room, his eyes wide and wild with panic.
• He sprinted across the floor, dropped to his knees, and grabbed me by my shoulders.
• His hands were shaking, his face pale with worry.
• “Marlowe!” he gasped out, his voice thick with panic. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? What were you doing? How did you fall?”
• I stared up at him in complete shock, my heart beating fast.
• Salem's voice was so soft and filled with deep concern—an expression I had NEVER seen on his face in seven months.
• Why is he acting like this? my mind raced in confusion.
• Is he watching me? Is there a camera in this room? How did he know I fell so fast? Why does he suddenly care?
• Before I could say a word, Salem carefully slid one arm behind my back and the other under my knees, scooping me effortlessly into his arms and lifting me off the cold floor.
• “Let me check your leg,” Salem murmured softly as he carried me gently back toward the bed. “Did you twist your ankle? Talk to me, Marlowe.”