Respect

Chapter 35: Would You Leave?

Athena's POV
Seated in my room, unable to accept Daniel's reality, it dawned on me that Brady was right, I wouldn't be happy with him. It hurt having to tell myself that. I wanted Daniel, and a part of me hoped that he'd change and be capable of loving me back; I did feel his love.

I took a long hot shower, crying through it all, and went to bed. I'd leave the following day for sure, I wasn't staying in this house any longer.
________
I woke up the following morning with a splitting headache and terrible eye bags to compliment my corpse like look, but I could care less. I quickly readied myself and prepared for what would happen that evening. I prayed that Daniel wouldn't miraculously show up that day. I never wanted to see him.

I wasn't sure I could leave if I saw him

I was heading downstairs when it hit me...

"How will I actually GET OUT?"

I knew I had to distract all the guards if I wasn't to be spotted. They were too many, and I needed them to be as far away from the garage as possible. So, I turned and went to Daniel's room.

I had never fired a gun before, but I had no other option. It sickened me to have to hold one of his guns, knowing he could have used them to kill people.
I slipped it into my jeans, covered myself with my hoody and walked out without being seen. I went to my room and sat there, anxiously waiting for night to come.

*****
It was now in the early hours of the evening, and I could feel myself shaking. I could only pray for everything to go smoothly. Until.... I heard a knock at my door. My heart stopped.

"Oh please don't be Daniel" I whispered underneath my breath

I hid the gun under my pillow and proceeded to open the door. I held onto the handle and wished it wasn't him. My palms sweating, I slowly opened the door.

"Ma'am" he called

"Yes" I said, breathing a sigh of relief

"I just came to check on you. Is everything alright? You haven't left your room since morning"

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine. I just um.... I wasn't feeling too well, so, I opted to just.... Lie down"

"Are you sure you're okay? Do you need any medication or some..."

"No no" I blurted out, cutting him off. "I'm fine, really. I just need to get some rest"

"As you wish ma'am" he said, walking away.

I felt so weak. My heart racing, I felt like I had just ran a marathon.

I lay down and thought of Daniel. What will he do when he finds out I'm gone? Will he hurt his men for not watching me closely?

I felt so guilty. What if he kills them, because of me?

I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, failing miserably.
I sat there, looking at the time like a hulk. It couldn't move any slower. I wanted this day to be over already.

*****
Now past eleven, I put my plan into action. I left my room quietly and went to the room most secluded in the house. And through the window, my hands shaking, I mustered all the courage I had, loaded the chamber of the gun, and pulled the trigger. I felt such a loud ringing sound in my ears but knew I had to continue. I fired three more shots and ran out of there heading for the garage.

I could hear the guards running to the site where the shots were fired. I ran to the garage feeling the adrenaline rush. I struggled to drop the cupboard that was leaning against the wall near the door, to hold it shut. That thing was heavy, and the sound it made me move even faster.

I got the garage door keys and ran to get the car keys. I slipped my hand through the small opening, grabbing the car keys, when I heard screaming and shouting.

They had realised I was missing.

I ran to the car and opened it. I could hear them shouting my name in anger to open the door. I proceeded to open the garage door and sat to figure out how to drive that wretched car, when I heard gun shots. They were trying to break down the door. I screamed and cried in fear at the loud bang it made.

Scared and frustrated, I pressed everything there was to get the car started, and while the garage door was half way open, I stepped on it and hit the gas, slamming through the door.

Driving like crazy, I rammed into the gate, breaking it. I never knew where I was, nor where I was going. But I knew one thing, I had to get as far away from that place as possible.

I followed the road to wherever it led. I'm sure I was driving way above the speed limit, but there were no cars in sight.

This place was practically in the middle of no where.

Daniel's POV
I knew I was losing Athena but never wanted to accept it. She hated me and I felt it. I knew she hated what I did, but she could never understand even after I told her everything. I was mad at myself for scaring her in that manner.

I had been away for work for a few days and that trip couldn't have come at a better time. I could give her the space she wanted and had time to myself to think about all this, and hopefully, she would have had enough time to think about.... 'Us'.

"Who drives like that at this time of night?" My driver commented at a car that passed as.

It never did leave my mind. We are in the middle of nowhere, where is he coming from? And that too, driving a sports car.

We got home and I immediately knew something was wrong. My men were all standing outside, almost as if waiting for something.

"What's going on here?!" I asked, stepping out of the car.

"Boss, Athena escaped"

Those words hit me in a way I've never felt before.
She was gone

"HOW THE HELL DOES ONE WOMAN GET PASSED ALL OF YOU?!"
"ANIMALS! I LEAVE FOR THREE DAYS, AND SHE ESCAPES!"
"WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE?! FIND HER! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! BRING HER BACK! AND I DON'T WANT TO SEE EITHER ONE OF YOU BASTARDS UNTIL YOU FIND HER! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!"

I growled. Angry, I stormed into the house as they all left to bring her back.
I went to the garage and looked around. I noticed the key tags were rearranged.

She must have been planning to leave for some time

I went to her room; she didn't take anything.
I went to my room and somehow, expected the worst. I went straight to my closet and felt my whole world crumble underneath me.

She was here

Going through my guns, I noticed one was missing.

"That must have been what she used to distract them" I said to myself.

I was sad and upset, but was still quite impressed with how she managed to escape, not to mention her driving skills. And here I thought she didn't have it in her to hold a gun, let alone fire one.

I sat on my bed and wondered how hurt and caged up she must have felt to have looked to leaving as the best option. I never intended to hurt her, and I most definitely never wanted her to leave either. I was going to find her, and I would apologise for hurting her the way I did.

I wished that this day would never come, but as mush as it broke me to have to see her leave, I would have to let her go. I would give her back her freedom and no longer shadow her.

I realised that she wasn't actually safer with me, I was the reason why everything in her life went south. I was the danger in her life. I was putting her in harms way. I had to let her go. I'd let the only thing that brought meaning to my life go. That's the least I could do to prove my love for her.