Chapter 7: No Way Out

Before I could react, Caleb swept me up and carried me back into the cabin. The officers outside pretended not to notice as he stripped off my jacket, then my dress, until I was left shivering in the cool air.

“Caleb…” My voice was shaky, half plea, half challenge.

He smirked. “Anna is disobedient, so she should be properly punished.”

I let out a nervous laugh. At least he wasn’t locking me up—there were worse punishments than this.

I pressed my fingers to my lips, thinking of the tiny vial hidden in my bag. “Caleb, kiss me.”

His eyes softened, just a little, and he smiled for real. But it didn’t last. “Caleb… spare Anna, Anna has had enough.” My voice was thin, arms trembling from holding on.

The bed creaked, his shadow falling over me, cold and impossible to outrun. He murmured, “You’ve had enough, but I haven’t.”

He pressed his mouth to my neck, hard enough to leave a mark. I flinched, breath catching. He was wild, relentless, and only when dawn broke did he finally let me go.

I sat up, rubbing my aching waist, watching him sleep. I poured myself a cup of cold tea to wash away the taste of the sleeping medicine I’d used on my lips. During the day, the boatman, as I’d arranged, pulled alongside the police boat. I feigned dizziness, and when Caleb slowed the boat, my accomplice was ready.

I gripped the rope, hope fluttering in my chest. The world was wide and free—until a cold snort shattered everything.

“Anna, where are you going?” Caleb’s voice froze me in place. He stood behind me in the moonlight, tall and furious, escape no longer an option.

He dragged me back to the bed, gentler this time but still unstoppable. “Hmph, you drugged me—didn’t you know I’m skilled in medicine?”

He pressed his mouth to my neck, hard, and I whimpered. His face was pale, but his hands softened. “Anna, don’t think of running. No matter where you go, I’ll bring you back.”

He’s always gotten his way—maybe I was the first to challenge him, and it drove him crazy. “I have important matters to handle. I’ll take you back to the house in three days.”

“And after we return?” I forced the words out.

He mumbled, “As it should be,” refusing to meet my eyes.

I steeled myself, voice flat. “You’ll be the governor’s son-in-law, and I’ll be a mistress? You want to enjoy the blessing of many women, is that it?”

Tears burned behind my eyes. “Caleb, I won’t be a mistress. My mother, before she died, told me not to be a mistress.”

If Caleb wanted a fight, he’d get one. I wasn’t backing down—not this time.