C22 Two days

Sofia's POV

"Two days, two fuckin days Sofia, if you're not back home by then, I'll make sure I have your corpse sent to your father," He said and walked out of the room with his mistress.

I let out a heavy breath I didn't know I was holding, my tears welling at how miserable my life was going to be from that moment on.

This wasn’t over.

This was only the beginning of my suffering.

"Are you okay doctor?" I asked and he gave me a small comforting smile.

"Yes, how about you?" He asked and I nodded wordlessly.

"I'll have a nurse bring you some ice and a towel, apply them on your face for as long as you want, it'll reduce in hours," The doctor’s soft voice was a contrast to the storm raging inside me.

I could see the pity in his eyes, the same look Zack had given me earlier, and it made my stomach churn. I didn’t want pity. I didn’t need it, I needed salvation, from this fuckin hellish life.

I nodded again, unable to say anything. My throat felt dry, and my lips trembled as I tried to hold back my tears.

“I’ll send the nurse in shortly,” he said before walking out of the room.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, I let out the breath I had been holding, my body collapsing against the stiff hospital bed. My hands clenched into the thin sheets, trying to hold onto something, anything, that could ground me. But there was nothing. Just the empty, suffocating silence that threatened to swallow me whole.

Two days.

I had two days of freedom before I was dragged back into my personal hell.

I shuddered at the thought of returning to that house, to him. Alex had always been a monster, but tonight… tonight he had made it clear that whatever little mercy he had once shown me was gone. I was nothing more than a possession, a toy for him to break whenever he pleased.

A knock at the door pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts.

“Come in,” I muttered weakly, my voice barely above a whisper.

The door creaked open, and a nurse stepped inside. She was young, maybe in her early twenties, with soft brown eyes that widened when she saw my face. I knew what she was seeing—bruises already forming, my cheek red and swollen, my bottom lip slightly split from where Alex’s palm had connected.

“Miss Sofia…” she said gently, walking over to my bedside. “I—I brought you some ice and a towel.”

She placed them on the tray beside me, hesitating as if debating whether to say more.

“Thank you,” I mumbled, reaching for the cold pack.

She watched as I pressed the ice against my cheek, my hand trembling slightly. The cold stung at first before settling into a dull numbness, but it did nothing to ease the pain in my chest.

“Do you… need anything else?” she asked softly.

I shook my head. “No, I’m fine.”

It was a lie. But what could she do? What could anyone do?

The nurse hesitated before nodding. “If you need anything, just press the call button, okay?”

I gave another nod, and she lingered for a moment before finally stepping out, leaving me alone once again.

Alone with my thoughts...Alone with my pain.

I exhaled shakily, staring at the ceiling. The fluorescent lights buzzed above me, the only sound in the otherwise silent room.

I could run.

The thought struck me suddenly, sending a jolt of adrenaline through my veins. I had two days—two days to disappear, to escape before Alex could make good on his threat.

But where would I go?

I had no one. No money. No resources. Zack was gone, and the only people I had ever relied on had abandoned me to my fate, not even my father could bring me out of this misery.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, followed by a choked sob. I had always been alone. Always.

Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes, hot and relentless. I bit my lip to keep from making a sound, but the agony inside me was too much to contain. My shoulders shook as I curled into myself, my hands clutching the thin hospital blanket like it was my last lifeline.

I didn’t want to go back.

I couldn’t. But Alex wasn’t the kind of man you could escape from. He would find me. He would drag me back, kicking and screaming, and he would make me regret even considering defiance.

I closed my eyes tightly, forcing my mind to go blank, to shut down the fear that threatened to consume me.

I didn’t have a choice. If I had known, it would have been better to be meek from the start, not have him beaten, and disgraced even though he duly deserved it.

No matter what I did, no matter how much I prayed for a miracle, my fate was already sealed.

The next two days would be my last taste of freedom.

And then… I would return to my living nightmare.

"Miss Sofia," Rae's voice snapped me out of my reverie, her eyes brimming with tears.

"A—are you okay?"She asked, walking closer.

"Mmm," I nodded, blinking back my tears.

"You cannot be okay like this Miss Sofia, your face is all red and your eyes... it's even worse," She cut him, carefully holding her hands to my face.

"I'll— I'll help you with the ice," She said, pulling the ice pack out of my grip.

"How pitiful do I look, Rae?" I asked, looking at her.

"Very Miss Sofia," She said, pressing the ice pack closer.

"Take a picture, Rae, I want you to take a picture of my face, request for the CCTV footage of this room and have them sent to me," I ordered.