**Olivia POVI felt more than a little conflicted the next morning when I woke up to find that Ellis had already gone to work without saying goodbye again. I was disappointed. When I agreed to marry Ellis, I never imagined having to deal with Bethany at all. And now, with her carrying Carl’s baby it looked like we would be forever stuck together. I knew that if I wasn’t going to leave then I would have to find some way to make peace with Carl, Bethany and the entire situation. I did think about calling my mother and letting her know everything that was going on, but I never liked to worry her about problems she couldn’t help me solve. I stretched and got ready to go through the daily routine of getting the boys off to school and having breakfast by myself.After that I decided to visit with Grandpa Herman and see how he was doing. It wasn’t until I was halfway through venting about Bethany and Carl that I realized why I wanted to see him.“Olivia, I understand that this is a diffi
**Ellis POVI came home late as usual and walked through the quietness of the mansion towards our bedroom. It had been a long and hard week, especially coming home every night to the tension that was building up between Olivia and Bethany. I had given serious thought to what she said during the day and I figured that it wouldn’t be too much to ask Carl and Bethany to move out of the mansion and into their own place. They might even like it better once they were out on their own.When I got to our room, I turned on the light and it took a moment for my vision to get used to the brightness. Once I had my vision back, I looked towards the bed to see that it was empty. Suddenly, I was very aware of the eerie silence. I walked around the room. Searching for a sign of where she might have gone. Then I bolted from our room and went to see if I’d somehow missed her in the living room or the kitchen. But there was no sign of Olivia. It felt as if she vanished into thin air. Like maybe Oli
**Olivia POVI woke up with a sneeze, turning over on a dusty old mattress. My head was pounding as I wiped my eyes, I noticed something white and flaky on my fingers, like a powder. It was plaster dust. I smelled the must and dust where I was. It was a little too dark to see, so I reached out with my hand. My fingers brushed against a soft fabric as I moved, it was a blanket. It seemed to be one of those big blankets I’d seen people put over old furniture. I waited for my eyes to adjust to my dim surroundings wondering where I was. The last thing I remembered was confronting Carl and Bethany and then blacking out. As my eyes adjusted I realized that I was in an attic. It was the only place old furniture like that was kept. I wiped more plaster dust off of my face so that I could see better. It was still very dim, but I could see in the low light coming from a small window. What time was it?I got up and carefully looked for a light switch but couldn’t find any. My hand brushed ov
**Olivia POVAlone in the attic I couldn’t stop crying. The tears started before, still at full flow from my eyes. Suddenly, the tears came to their end. Stopping as quickly as they had started. More my usual self, I got to my feet and took another look around the attic. Getting a feel for the space, things were less dizzying. The panic I felt before, especially for my baby, eased a little. It wouldn’t do any good for me to be stressed. After some slow, deep breaths I’d learned in class while pregnant with Ken, things got more clear. The situation was bad, Bethany and Carl were obviously in it together. But there were others in my family that would do anything to help me. I just had to find a way of getting to them. A fact that raised my hopes. “I’m okay,” I said, rubbing my belly, “it’s going to be okay.” My baby kicked, in reply, and I was determined to keep my promise. Hunger came, and I went to the tray. Nibbling on some of the food to keep the worst of the hunger away, I tho
**Olivia POVI felt a thrilling chill run over my body and the baby moved in response, celebrating in my womb. The door was open and we were close to freedom. I rubbed my belly, calming her down. I would need all my focus for the next part. Carl and Bethany could have been back at any time, and I had to be gone before then if there was going to be any chance of getting back to the boys and Ellis tonight. I cracked the door open slowly and I listened to the deafening silence. All was dark but I could just make out the staircase below the door. There was no light from below, so I had to try to get down blind. A little at a time, always sure to hold something, down I climbed. Getting one foot down on the stairs and then the other. Holding the sides of the steps in a death-grip, I finally reached solid ground. The floorboards down below creaking like the ones up above. There was another door at the base of the steps and my heart sank to think that I might have to work to pick another l
**Olivia POV“How are you doing, honey?” I asked, rubbing my belly. The baby didn’t move, but she could have been asleep. Apparently, they did that a lot. Resting up for the rest of their life. Bethany and Carl were down there for a few hours. Mostly quiet but with the occasional argument. Things shifted and I heard steps coming towards the attic. I held my breath hoping everything would be okay. I wasn’t sure I’d done the lock up right, and hoped they wouldn’t notice if they came back. It would be an obvious sign of what I’d done, and the punishment could be awful. There was no telling what Bethany might do. She could be merciful and just break my ankles. Or my wrists, to stop me from getting the lock picked again. It would make Ellis really mad, but it didn’t sound like they were planning to stay around, after everything. The clock clicked open, making me flinch and the baby move. I nearly cried to feel her again but had to hold it together. If we were going to get out of
**Ellis POVI held her hand in the back of the ambulance, never letting her go again if I had anything to do about it. I had gotten far too close to losing her. “We’ll be there soon,” I said, minding the volume. She flinched at the smallest noise if it was unexpected. God only knew what the sick f*cks had done to her, and it was best not to think about it. Anytime I did, the urge to kill them rose. I didn't want to kill Carl, no matter how much of a f*ck up he was.No matter what he did he was still my son. People like us had other ways to deal with our kids when they got off the track. Military service was one popular option, as well as “career opportunities” in another country. Olivia stayed silent, her head lolling to the left before she closed her eyes. “Everyone is excited to see you again,’ I tried, “especially Ken and Kevin.”Olivia winched at the mention of their names. It was probably a touchy subject, after she’d been away for so long, not sure if she’d ever get ba
**Olivia POV Day came again even as I was sitting on the plane back to New York. It had been a dream, and Ellis was still there, looking deeply worried. “How are you doing?” he asked with a smile that once melted me. “Fine and only getting better. As soon as the doctor gives me the all clear I’m going home with Ken.” “Ken is at home,” Ellis said. “Not your home, my home,” I said. I could see the words cut deep, and almost felt sorry for him. Second thoughts were just coming up when the doctor came in, his expression grim.I instinctively reached for Ellis’s hand. Bad news no doubt on the horizon. “It can’t be that bad,” Ellis and I blurted at once. “It can actually,” the doctor said, looking at the chart. “How so?” Ellis butted in. It didn’t really concern him anymore, but he was the sort to think he needed to be the center of attention in any situation. He must have been a joy at funerals. “You are severely dehydrated, Mrs. Peterson. The amniotic fluid is mu