Chapter 5

From that day on, I stopped resisting him and obeyed his every command as before.

When he asked me to toast at gatherings again, I no longer declined or cried and begged.

People around praised how well Dr. Bennett had trained his wife.

Ethan looked at me with eyes full of satisfaction at controlling everything.

When he told me to stay in the room and not come out, I sat quietly by the bed, not fussing or making noise, not touching anything.

When Vivian came to the house again to provoke me, deliberately dropping things at my feet and making cutting remarks.

I didn't get angry either. I just silently bent down to pick them up and even got up to pour her a cup of hot tea.

"Vivian, have some tea."

Vivian was stunned for a moment and actually lost interest in continuing to make things difficult for me.

Ethan saw all of this and was extremely satisfied.

He felt I had finally been completely tamed, completely dependent on him, and his tense nerves gradually relaxed.

He began to no longer watch me every second. Sometimes he would bring Vivian to the hospital.

He would casually mention it on the phone, wanting to see me panic with jealousy.

I deliberately said jealous things, and he would be overjoyed.

Gradually, he returned to his previous temperament and no longer watched me constantly.

Late at night, after he fell asleep, I pulled out the backup phone I'd hidden in the pillowcase.

The one he'd smashed before was just a decoy. This was the one I'd secretly prepared long ago.

My fingertips trembled as I fumbled across the screen, confirming tomorrow morning's flight, the gate number, and the person who would meet me at the airport.

The moment the message was successfully sent, my tense heart finally relaxed a bit.

I packed the simplest luggage in the dark and hid the few documents and cash I had close to my body.

Then I felt for his usual medicine bottle and emptied all the pills inside.

I replaced them with identical-looking vitamin tablets and gently put it back in place.

Ethan probably hadn't seen me so obedient in so long that a trace of unease stirred in his heart.

Before bed the next day, he suddenly pinched my chin, his tone probing.

"Tomorrow I'll take you to the hospital to check your eyes and see if there's any improvement."

He wasn't concerned about my eyes---he just wanted to check if I had any rebellious intentions.

I raised my head. My vision was still blurry, but I actively reached out to hold his arm.

"Okay, I'll do whatever you say."

He completely let down his guard and pulled me into his arms, his chin resting on top of my head, his tone rarely gentle.

"Nora, when I'm done with work, I'll take you to see the ocean. You've always wanted to see what the sea looks like clearly, haven't you?"

I leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. There wasn't a ripple in my heart. I just nodded lightly.

"Okay, I'll do whatever you say."

He closed his eyes wearily and soon fell into a deep sleep, but his brow was still slightly furrowed, as if even in his dreams he feared I would escape.

After confirming his breathing was even and he was sleeping deeply.

Only then did I dare to carefully push his hand away bit by bit.

Following the route I'd memorized over countless days and nights.

I fumbled my way out of bed, avoiding the bed frame, chairs, and TV cabinet, moving step by step to the bedroom door and gently closing it.

Without turning on lights, without making a sound.

Like a shadow, I crossed the living room alone in the darkness and opened the front door.

This was the first time in so many years I'd walked out of this cage alone without his support.

My vision was still blurry, but my steps had never been so determined.

At the entrance to the complex, the lights of a rideshare car glowed in the night.

The driver called out my name. I slowly got into the car following the sound.

"To the airport."

The car started and slowly drove away, leaving that suffocating house far behind.

In the bedroom, Ethan jolted awake from his dream.

He reached out---the bedding beside him was ice cold and empty.

His heart suddenly tightened.

In a panic, he turned on the light. The glaring light illuminated the empty room. There was no sign of me anywhere.

"Nora Sullivan!"

He roared like a madman, rushing out barefoot, turning the bedroom, living room, and balcony upside down, leaving every corner in chaos.

Finally, he saw a note on the table with my blurry, crooked handwriting.

Just one line:

"Ethan Bennett, I'm leaving and never coming back."