Page 90 of Imprisoned

“The voices,” she enquires. “They stop completely?”

I watch this unexpected moment unfold. Axel—dangerous, powerful Axel—kneeling before my mother, laying himself bare. I’ve never seen him make himself vulnerable like this for anyone else.

“Yes,” I say, answering Mom. “They stop completely when we’re together. It’s like... I anchor him somehow.”

Mom’s eyes search mine, looking for signs of manipulation or delusion. I hold her gaze steadily, letting her see the truth.

“I didn’t plan for any of this to happen,” I continue, moving to sit beside her. “I was doing my job, trying to help him, and something... connected. Something powerful.”

Mom shakes her head slowly, but there’s less fear in her eyes now. “Willow, you’ve always wanted to fix broken things. Ever since you were little.”

“This isn’t about fixing him, Mom. It’s about loving him exactly as he is.” I reach for her hands, and she doesn’t pull away this time. “He makes me feel alive in ways I never knew were possible. He sees the part of me that I’ve always tried to hide, and he accepts it. Embraces it.”

Axel remains kneeling, watching us with those intense green eyes. The predator in him is still there—it always will be—but there’s something else. Something softer when he looks at me.

“I know this is impossible to understand,” I say, squeezing Mom’s hands. “But I need you to try. For me.”

The weight of what I’m asking hangs between us. Mom looks from me to Axel and back again, her expression unreadable.

“The authorities will be looking for you—for all of us if I stay.”

A flash of hope ignites in my chest. She’s considering it.

“We’ve covered our tracks,” I assure her. “New identities, untraceable money. This house is purchased through layers of shell corporations. We’re safe here.”

Mom’s gaze drifts to the windows, reflecting the room’s warm light against the night outside. Her fingers are still intertwined with mine. I can see the war raging behind her eyes—her love for me battling against decades of right and wrong.

“I don’t know, Willow,” she says softly. “This is... a lot.”

I squeeze her hands. “I know. I’m not asking for an answer right now. Just... stay a few days. Get to know Axel—the real Axel.”

Axel rises from his kneeling position, his movements deliberately slow and non-threatening.

“I’ll give you two some space,” he says, voice gentle in a way few people have ever heard. “Tommy and I will finish securing the perimeter.”

As he steps back into the night, Mom releases an exhale. “He’s not what I expected.”

“No one’s ever seen this side of him before,” I reply, warmth blooming in my chest. “Just me, and now you.”

She studies my face, searching for signs of the daughter she thought she knew. “You really love him, don’t you?”

“More than I knew was possible.” The truth of it feels raw in my throat. “He sees me, Mom. All of me—even the parts I’ve always hidden from everyone else...”

“I never knew you felt that way,” she whispers, pain etching lines around her eyes.

“I couldn’t tell you. I was afraid you’d look at me exactly how you’re looking at me now.”

She flinches at my words but doesn’t correct me.

“I’m not asking you to understand everything right away,” I continue. “Just give us a chance. Give yourself a chance to see if maybe—just maybe—this could work.”

Mom looks out at the darkened windows. The night hides the ocean view but not its constant sound. Classical music still plays softly in the background, a thread connecting her old life to this strange new reality.

“Three days,” she finally says. “I’ll stay three days. Then I decide.”

It’s more than I dared hope for. My eyes fill with tears as I wrap my arms around her, guilt churning beneath my relief. She doesn’t know yet that there’s no easy way back. I’ve already sold her house—the home she’s lived in for thirty years, where she raised me and stored all her memories. She doesn’t know her bank accounts are nearly empty, the money transferred to untraceable accounts here in Brazil.

“Thank you, Mom. You won’t regret it.”

---