The hint
I'm sorry.
Ezra bit into her fingernail nervously as she looked ahead of her, eyes absent and mind in turmoil.
I'm sorry.
The words echoed in her head like a growing headache that refused to be soothed.
I'm sorry.
She continued to bite on her finger; trying to reason, attempting to understand. Sorry? Sorry? It was odd, the words seemed sincere however, precisely that was what was bothering her. Not just bothering, it vexed her beyond belief. I mean after all he had put her through, after what he had just made her do, he had the audacity to say he was sorry?
"Ezra!" She hissed in pain, looking down at her finger that was bleeding before looking back up to see Rose standing at her bedroom door, now in her usual maid's outfit. Her bedroom door. The statement alone made her want to pull out her hair and jump out the window, she had been here for too long. She looked at Rose again, just now remembering that she wasn't with them in the car on the way back to the house.
"When did you leave yesterday? Where did you go to?" She asked with suspicion and evident disdain in her voice, she needed someone to hate for what had happened, someone who she could inflict the same pain she was feeling. Yong was pretty much untouchable, leaving Rose as her only target, and in Ezra's eyes, she was Yong's accomplice in any case.
"I went home, he gave me the rest of the day off and there was bus that could bring me directly home." Rose responded and Ezra scoffed before getting up. Her eyes were still red and swollen from all the crying she had done, the hoarseness of her voice was matching evidence.
"Ah, you went home." She mocked, standing opposite the middle aged woman with crossed arms. "It must be nice, getting to go home, continuing with your evening as if nothing happened, as if everything is alright. I wonder, how do you sleep at night, knowing you work for a cold-blooded killer, knowing that you aiding and abetting in crimes such as kidnappin-"
"People like you make me sick." Rose interrupted, lifting her head to meet Ezra in the eye.
"People like me?"
"Yes, people like you. People who sit and victimize themselves and act like the world is out to get them." She took an intimidating step towards Ezra, eyes narrowed into a glare. "The entitlment you have is disgusting, thinking we all owe you some sort of special treatment. You are nothing, you mean nothing to me and I don't owe you anthing." She grabbed the collar of Ezra's shirt, "Remember that." She seethed.
There was silence for a second before Ezra grabbed Rose's hand, she tightened her grip around it, forcing her to let go of the shirt, however, even after she let go Ezra kept her hold on her hand.
"I witnessed someone got murdered, then, I was chased, I was shot at like an animal, like I was some prey being hunted. I fought like my life depended on it, because it did. I jumped out of a moving car and ran like my life depended on it, because it did. I did everything humanly possible to ensure I wouldn't be in this situation but you know what ended up getting me here?" Her grip tightened with each word and Rose winced backing down slightly. "He threatened a teenager, he threatened to harm a literal minor that has absolutely nothing to do with this. So yes, yes I'm victimizing myself, yes I think the world is out to get me because it is. Staying here means my death, being out there means my death or the death of my loved ones all because one selfish son of a bitch says so. None of this is normal, none of this should happen to any human being. So no, I'm not asking for a special treatment, I'm asking for basic human rights, my rights to do whatever the fuck I want. So yeah Rose I'm upset, yes I'm a fucking victim." She spat angrily before letting go of her hand. "The fact that you think this all normal and I'm apparently being entitled tells me you're no better than them, you're practically a killer too. " With that she turned around and went back to sit on the bed, noticing from the corner of her eyes that Rose still hadn't left. Her face was pale, Ezra's words having affected more than she'd have anticipated.
"There's someone here to see you." She stammered before finally leaving. Ezra frowned, standing up cautiously but to her relief, and surprise, Noah walked into the room shortly after, closing the door after him.
"Noah!" Her face lit up into a smile, a genuine smile, and she rushed towards him, grateful to see he was ok. I mean, his face was a mess, a canvas for various different coloured cuts and bruises, he was walking with a limp and his arm was in a sling but considering that he looked like he was on the verge of death the last time she saw him, he was ok. "My God, Noah." She let out again with a relieved breath.
The two stared at each other, a sudden awkwardness between them. Had this been any other situation, she would've hugged him. But she felt like they didn't know each other well enough for that and it felt like a disrespect towards herself to have some sort of affection, even platonic, to anyone who was amicably affiliated with Yong.
"How about we go for a walk? I think we both need some fresh air." He suggested, breaking the silence between them.
Soon after they found themselves walking along side each other, a slow pace set and a fleeting of feeling of peace between them. They settled on the side of the pool, the same position they had been in weeks ago when the idea of an escape first arose between them.
"I-I heard about about what Yong asked you to do. It must have been hard, I'm sorry." Ezra sighed, taking off the slippers she was wearing to put her feet in the pool.
"Doesn't matter now, what's done is done." She said flatly, focusing on the movement of her feet in the water. Beside her she could feel Noah anxiously fidget, mouth opening and closing slightly, seemingly struggling to ask or say something.
"You want to know why don't you? Why or how I became addicted to painkillers?"
"Yeah," He admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he avoided her gaze. "From the little time we've spent together, you just seems like you're such a put together person and also someone who knows their right from s-"
"Well you don't exactly strike me as murderous criminal either and yet here we are." Ezra couldn't help but interrupt sarcastically.
"Yes, you're right I'm sorry. I shouldn't judge." He quickly apologized, once again making it difficult for Ezra to hate him, to hold a grudge against or even fault him. He was skilled at being the good guy in a bad situation.
"I was dating someone." She began eventually, maintaining her gaze on the pool as she spoke. "Well, I suppose it was more than dating. I loved him, I loved him with every part of me. My friends always said that I'd probably kill for him and honestly, whenever I looked into his eyes, whenever he held me and cared for me. For a second, I would think that I could. We were devoted to one another, we shared something so passionate and so unique an- I know it sounds stupid but I truly can't put it into words. He was special to me."
"What happened?" Noah asked, sensing that this story didn't have a happy ending.
"He disappeared."
"Disappeared?" Confusion was evident on his face, and Ezra could practically hear his brain turning as he tried what exactly she meant by disappear.
"Woke up one day and he was unreachable. His mother and friends, no one, no one had any idea where he was. Just gone. His clothes, all of his belongings were still at his place, even his bank account was untouched so it wasn't that he had decided to up and leave. The police searched for months but it was like he had vanished into thin air. There was not a single of trace of him and we didn't know whether he was alive or dead. I held out hope, I firmly believed that he'd come back for me, that he'd come back to me. But days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months and eventually a year had passed and still there was no sign of him. At that point everyone had accepted that he was either dead or simply didn't want to be found, I couldn't."
"What about kidnapped? He could have been kidnapped." Noah questioned, completely intrigued and invested. Ezra looked up from the water and sent a soft smile in his direction.
"I thought that too, for the longest time. In fact, I had so many theories of what could have happened to him but that's all they were, theories. I couldn't deal with the pain of his disappearance and the only thing keeping me sane was the thought of him coming back, but as time passed and it became evident that it wasn't going to happen, I clung to other methods."
"Ez-"
"The funny thing about getting to addicted to painkillers is that it's so subtle, unlike cannabis or cocaine where someone can easily reprimand you, no one really saw an issue with it, not even when I was taking an advil once every every two hours. I'm surprised I didn't overdose, looking back, it might have been the intention. Anyway, I was at my worst during those times, my mother abandoned me, unable to stand the sight of an addict and my drug-induced meltdown and antics scared the shit out of my friends, eventually I put myself in rehab and that was that."
"Did you ever fi-"
"Did we ever find or hear anything about him?" Ezra finished for him, turning to face him with a small, sad smile. "No, till this day Nathan's disappearance remains a mystery. We held a small memorial, or better said funeral, for him when I got out of rehab. It had been more than two years at that point and it was time to accept that he wasn't coming back, at least not alive." She wiped away a small, stray tear that had fallen before sighing and looking up at the sky.
"Nathan?" Noah whispered under his breath, brows furrowed as he pondered. The name seemed familiar and yet he was certain he didn't know anybody by that name. He looked back at Ezra, the case must have been widespread news. I mean, this was a safe country, hardly anyone just disappeared without a trace. He cocked his head to the side slightly, observing her further, this wasn't the time but he had to admit, she was a uniquely beautiful woman. She had dark skin, a feature that was quite rare where they lived, and thick long hair that hung past her shoulders in an elegant flow. Her long lashes beat her cheeks with each blink and her eyes were a very exquisie shade of honey brown.
"He apologised." Noah coughed, cheeks reddening after being caught off guard. He averted his gaze quickly, making it seem like he was looking at the water.
"Who did?" He asked, turning back to her, face contorted in perplexion.
"Yong." Noah's expression changed from that of perplexion to surprise. "And what makes it all confusing is that it seemed genuine too." There was a pause before she continued. "Is he bipolar? Is he going through some sort of an impulsive or manic episode?" Noah bit his lip nervously, he wanted to tell her the truth, after all it's the least he could do for her but then he remembered his broken arm and the bruises on his face. Yeah, he'd rather not go through that again, and Yong might actually kill him this time. He sighed, giving into the innocent and hopeful expression on her face. Fuck it.
"Listen, all I can really say is that everything is not at it seems."
"Everything is not as it seems?" Ezra frowned, a look of concentration on her face and an idea popped into Noah's head. He wouldn't tell her anything explicitely but she was smart enough to put two and two together herself...and that wasn't his fault. Right?
"Yong isn't necessarily the villain here. He's an awful guy don't get me wrong, we all are. But, you saw something you shouldn't have and he was only doing what he had to do.It's protocol."
"Protocol?" Ezra brought her finger to her mouth, biting on her nail, deep in thought. Yes, fair enough, she witnessed a murder or at least the aftermath of what seeemed like a murder and although unfair and extreme, placing in herself in the shoes of a criminal she could understand why the first action was to get rid of her. However, he hadn't and it was something that was clearly bothering him. The sound of voices caused her and Noah to turn towards the main house where Tatum was playing some sort of game with Yong, who was laughing and joking in a way that Ezra thought she'd never see some like him act. The two men were in a position where they could not see them by the pool but Ezra had a clear view of them.
"Sometimes we do things not because we want to but because we have to." Ezra's head snapped towards Noah who quickly looked away sheepishly. Have to? Yong didn't have to do anything he didn't want to do, that much he made clear. Unless, her eyes widened slightly, unless he wasn't the one in charge. Noah smiled triumphantly , discreetly getting up and walking as he left Ezra to piece everything together by herself.
It made sense suddenly, his constant threat of killing her but no motion or action to actually do so. Could it be that he genuinely didn't want to? Ezra recalled the men that had hindered her escape attempt, althought she was distracted during most of their conversation, she remembered clearly that they were trying to take her and Yong was stopping them. Were they the ones actually in charge?
She had to figure out what was going, where exactly the stakes lay. She couldn't just ask Noah not necessarily because she was worried about him, call her cruel but she was ready to sacrifice him again if it meant her escape. However, she knew after what happened between him and Yong, she doubted that he was as trusted as before. He probably didn't know what Yong was thinking as well as he did previously. Jian seemed to be highly trusted by Yong but he wanted her dead more than anything so he was definitely off the table. She hadn't ever had a conversation with the others and they seemed ever loyal to Yong. The loud soud of barking stole her attention and brought her to an answer. Jude was running around the garden with his dog, swinging a toy back and forth, a smile on his usual sullen face. Him, he was the only one who could fit the pieces of this complex puzzle.
A/N: Another chapter!! Please vote and comment. Let me know if anyone is reading this!