Page 63 of Love Under Siege

“That’s because we didn’t expect it would be him, and we were drunk,” I remind her. “And for the record, I’m fine.”

“You’renotfine, Anya. He stabbed you… twice!” Lana argues, her eyes wide with concern.

I grit my teeth. “Lana, listen to me. I’m going to be okay. We can’t afford to lose hope. We’ll figure something out!”We have to.

Lana glances at her bound wrists and feet, raising them helplessly. “We’re still tied up, Anya. What are we supposed to do like this?”

I stare at her, refusing to let doubt cloud my thoughts. “We’ll find a way,” I say with conviction. "We’ve come too far to let him win."

Then I give her a sly smile.

"What's with that look?" Lana asks, puzzled.

"Girl, one good thing about spending two years around Paul is you pick up some useful tricks," I say with a smirk. Her confusion deepens, but I wink. "Just trust me, okay?" I take a deep breath and add, “I can get us out of here.”

Lana nods, and I scan the dim concrete room, searching for anything sharp or pointy. Both of us frantically search, but my eyes fall on the broken shard of glass that had pierced my side earlier. It’s lying just to the right of Lana, barely out of her reach.

"Lana," I nod towards the shard. "Get that."

She struggles with her bound hands, attempting to grab it, but her fingers can’t quite reach. Frustrated, she uses her toes, gripping the shard between them and pulling it closer. After a few attempts, she finally manages to grab it.

"Good, now slide it over to me," I instruct quietly.

She pushes the glass towards me, and I take it in my hand. Thanks to my double-jointed wrist, I’m able to twist and maneuver the sharp piece behind me, aiming for the ropes binding my wrists. However, the angle makes it nearly impossible to get a good cut. I grind my teeth, realizing I need leverage. Leaning back, I press against the wooden pillar behind me, using it to add pressure.

"Ahh, damn it!" I hiss as the glass grazes my skin, biting into my back.

"What's wrong?" Lana asks, her voice tight with concern.

"It's cutting into my back now," I grimace but keep going, determined to slice through the ropes.

Suddenly, we hear the front door upstairs open and shut, followed by heavy footsteps descending toward the basement.

"Shit, he's back," I whisper urgently.

Lana stiffens, her wide eyes betraying her attempt to stay calm. I feel the fear crawling up my spine too, but there’s no time for panic. I block it out, focusing on the task at hand. The footsteps are getting closer, each step sending my heart racing faster. My hands work at the rope as quickly as possible.

"Hurry up," Lana whispers, her voice trembling.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" I reply through clenched teeth, panic bubbling up inside me. The basement door creaks open just as I make the final cut. My hands snap free, but in my rush, the glass shard slips from my fingers, clattering onto the floor. Without thinking, I kick it away from me, hoping the noise isn't loud enough to give us away.

I freeze, holding my breath, Adam looms at the bottom of the steps, a wicked smirk twisting his lips. "Well, well, well, looks like Sleeping Beauty finally decided to wake up," he taunts.

"Fuck you, you pig!" Lana shoots back, her voice quaking with anger.

He simply chuckles, a dark glimmer in his eyes. "Oh, don’t worry, my dear, we’ll have plenty of time for that later," he says, his gaze locked on me with a smug satisfaction.

Crouching down in front of me, he leans forward, practically oozing condescension. "Hey, baby," he leers.

"I’m not your fucking baby!" I retort, my voice sharp as I spit in his face.

His smile vanishes instantly as he wipes the spit away with a rag from his pocket. Grabbing my jaw, he squeezes hard, his voice a low growl. "You are what I say you are!" he snarls before crashing his mouth against mine, forcing his tongue inside.

In a flash, I bite down on his tongue with all my strength, and he recoils, falling back and clutching his mouth. "You fucking bitch!" he yells, spitting blood and glaring at me, fury burning in his eyes. He slaps me hard across the face, and Lana gasps in shock. "Shut the fuck up!" he snaps at her before redirecting his rage back to me.

I can’t help but start laughing maniacally, while Lana looks at me with a mix of fear and confusion.

"You think this is funny?" Adam growls, raising his hand to strike me again.

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