Escaping the Enemy

Nicole was furious. In her eyes, Bruno was a complete idiot. She went to his office determined to try and have a relationship with him despite everything, but he told her that there was nothing between them. Even though he had made her believe otherwise the night before. She felt like she deserved it for not having any dignity or self-respect. She tried to stay calm and not show him how she was feeling, but when he said that she would be his whenever he pleased, she was furious. "What game was he playing?"

She knew she had to get away soon. For a moment, she thought things between them could improve. She wanted to give him the news that she was going to be a mother, but after what had happened, it would be better if he didn't find out.

The driver was taking her back to the mansion, and Jack hadn't come along this time. It was the perfect moment to escape. She decided to send a message to Rina. She needed her help, and she knew Rina wouldn't refuse. She would tell the driver to take her to the shopping mall, and from there, she planned to escape.

Rina was surprised to receive Nicole's message, asking for help to escape. Rina was worried; she didn't know what problem her daughter could be facing that would make her need to escape. She decided to inform Gío so that they could go pick her up.

"Hello, Gío."

"Hello, what's going on? You sound upset."

"Nicole is in trouble. She asked to meet us outside the shopping mall. I have no idea what's happening in her marriage, but it must be something serious for her to decide to escape."

"Of course, we'll help our daughter. If she's reaching out to us and not Noah, it must be very serious. I'll pick you up in a moment."

Nicole had lied to the driver, telling him that she needed to go to the shopping mall to buy a gift for Bruno and asked him not to notify him to keep the surprise intact.

The driver agreed, and upon arriving at the mall, he accompanied her to the store. He refused to stay in the car, not wanting any trouble. Inside the store, Nicole was nervous. She picked out two suits and some shirts, then approached the store attendant to ask where the restroom was. The girl kindly guided her there, and the driver waited in the hallway. Nicole took the opportunity to seek help.

-Please help me. I'm being held captive. I need to get out without being seen. Is there another way out?

The girl became scared, but she agreed to help. She thought she would do the same if she were in Nicole's place.

"Yes, miss. Come with me. In the back, there's an exit for employees."

Fortunately for Nicole, the employee exit was at the end of the hallway, so they didn't have to pass by where the driver was.

"Please, don't say anything to the man accompanying me. He'll think I'm in the bathroom, which will give me enough time to escape."

"Don't worry, I won't say anything. I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you."

Nicole looked at the door—it was the door to her freedom. As soon as she stepped out, she started running. Her heart was pounding, knowing that Bruno would never forgive her. If he caught her, she didn't know what he would be capable of. Rina had already arrived, waiting for her outside the shopping mall.

Nicole quickly located her. She was leaning against a black car, and next to her was a tall man, whom she assumed was Gío, her supposed father. She hurried over, completely out of breath. Rina approached her to see how she was doing.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, please let's go."

"Get in the car. This is Gío, your father."

"You can introduce us later. Right now, the important thing is to get away from here. He'll tell us what's happening."

As they got in the car and saw the distance between them and the place increasing, Nicole could finally breathe freely for the first time in a long while. She felt free. She knew her parents would be worried when they found out, but they were very bound by rules and wouldn't support her. 

They would force her to return to Bruno. She didn't know what the future held, but she knew she had to fight to move forward, to raise her child away from Bruno—a child who would never know who their father was.

The driver noticed Nicole's delay and asked the store attendant where she was.

"I don't know, sir. The lady stayed in the bathroom."

The driver headed towards the bathroom, knocking repeatedly on the door. Seeing that there was no response, he decided to go in. The bathroom was empty. He cursed loudly. The store attendant pretended to be busy. The driver checked the area and then noticed the door at the end of the hallway. He opened it and saw that it led outside. He ran to see if he could find her, searching the entire area. When he couldn't find her, he decided to call his boss.

"Hello, what's going on?"

"She escaped."

"What? I don't understand."

"Mrs. Nicole, she escaped."

"You're a complete idiot. How did she escape? Did you take her home?"

"Mrs. asked me to accompany her to the shopping mall. She said she wanted to buy a gift for you and asked me not to notify you so as not to ruin the surprise. She deceived me. I thought she was in the bathroom."

"I'll deal with you later. Did you search the entire place?"

"I did, sir. Mrs. is not here."

Bruno hung up, furious. He slammed his fist hard against the desk. The driver had instructions not to stop until they reached home. "How could a young girl deceive him like that?" He called Jack, who was on leave for the birth of his child.

"You have to find her, Jack. I want her back. I want her always with me, damn it!"

Then he called Sondra. He needed her to notify him in case Nicole sought her parents. He was almost certain she would. The redhead enjoyed that news—it was the best news she had received in a long time. She informed her parents in her own way, making them believe that Nicole had run away with another man, an old ex-boyfriend. They were so furious that they wanted nothing to do with her. They would never forgive her. Noah remembered when he was abandoned by his mother. Poor Bruno knew what he would be feeling.

Gío headed towards his private hangar. He needed to get his daughter out of the country immediately. In Australia, he could protect her from that man. He knew that an operation would soon be underway. Bruno had a lot of power and wouldn't hesitate to use it. By the time they closed the airport, the plane had already taken off. 

The advantage they had was that Bruno wasn't certain that Nicole would escape on a private flight. Several planes had taken off that day, making it impossible for him to locate them.

On the plane, Nicole still felt nervous. Rina approached her to offer her some tea.

"The driver must have taken a while to realize that you weren't in the bathroom. By now, Bruno must be aware."

"Don't think about that right now. You need to rest. Close your eyes and take deep breaths."

They landed in Brisbane. As they disembarked, a chauffeur was already waiting for them. They headed to Morningside. The road ran alongside the river, and the scenery was spectacular. When they arrived, Nicole was impressed. 

She was used to living in luxury, but Gío's house was breathtaking. It combined luxury with modernity and nature. It was situated in the middle of a wooded area, with a small lake at the back and a small gazebo in front of it.

"I'll show you your room. I imagine you want to rest. Later, they will bring some things for you to choose some clothes and shoes. They will also bring personal items for you. I want you to feel safe. I won't let anyone harm you. Everything you see here from now on is yours. You are my only daughter, and you will never want for anything here," Gío spoke sincerely, wishing to give his daughter everything he couldn't give her in the past.

"Thank you very much. I need to start looking for a job. I don't want to be a burden to you."

"You are not a burden in any way. Don't worry about that for now. Besides, we need to find a way to get your documents. Thanks to Gío's power, there was no problem for you to board the plane, but you will need them."

"I know."

They accompanied her to what would be her room. It was beautiful, tastefully decorated, with large windows and a balcony overlooking the lake. The walls were blue, and the furniture was white.

"Could we go out tomorrow to find a clinic for the DNA test?"

"Of course, my dear. The sooner, the better. That way, you'll see that I've told you the truth."

"Thank you for everything."

"You don't have to thank us, my dear. Your father and I do it willingly," Rina smiled sweetly.

The next day, very early, they gathered for breakfast. They would go in search of a clinic to do the test.

"I need to talk to you," Nicole said with a serious expression.

"Yes, tell us, daughter, we're listening," Gío replied, already concerned about Nicole's expression.

"I'm pregnant."

Gío and Rina turned to look at each other, astonished.