He humphs under his breath. “And you can as soon as you return home.”
“Is Ivy—” I’m afraid to finish my thought.
Dead.
I need to know the truth. Maybe I can fight Aurielo and grab Ashton, make a break for it.
How far would we get?
Aurielo will come looking for us. He won’t ever give up, especially now that he knows Ashton is his son.
“Yes,” Aurielo says as he unfolds his arms and digs the keys out of his pocket. He hits the auto start on the car, setting the engine roaring to life.
My bottom lip trembles. The words don’t come. I want to tell him he’s a ruthless monster. That I will never love him and that staying with him is out of fear and necessity, not desire.
“Yes, Ivy is back at the house,” Aurielo says, finishing his sentence.
A sob slips past my lips, and I cover my mouth.
Is she alive?
He only said that she was back at the house. That doesn’t mean she’s alive. It also doesn’t mean that she’s dead.
The world around me seems to spin, and I pinch the bridge of my nose. The tears don’t stop leaking, no matter how hard I wish it away. If only I could redo this week, go back in time, stop myself from entering that stupid hotel room.
But I can’t.
This is my life.
For better or worse. Until death do us part.
* * *
There’s little choice. I follow Aurielo back to the mansion.
He lets me follow him, waits until I get into my car, and am tailing him before he heads for the highway.
My fingers grip the steering wheel as though my life depends on it.
Maybe it does.
My son is in the vehicle in front of me. I want to rescue Ashton, but I won’t let him get hurt. I keep a safe distance, ensuring that I won’t crash the vehicle, although the thought crosses my mind:Slam into his SUV. Snag my son. Run.
We already tried one version of that earlier this afternoon, and it didn’t go over well.
Arriving back at the mansion, I pull up out front, and there’s a guard standing with a semi-automatic weapon slung over his shoulder.
Shit.
Is that intended to scare me?
It’s working.
“Mommy!” Ashton squeals as he jumps out of the backseat and rushes toward me.
I embrace him in one of the biggest hugs, memorizing every detail, including how he feels in my arms. I don’t ever want to let go.
But Ashton shimmies out of my grasp. “Mom,” he whines.