Page 77 of The Caged Girl

I quickly tugged on a black dress. I knew Bradley would be down below somewhere before he left.

Racing around, I left the penthouse and picked up my pace in fear I’d miss him, but as soon as I got to the garden, I stopped. It was a peony garden.

This is where all the girls who are brutally raped, beaten, used, and tortured eventually went to rest after their corpses were defiled and abused. And on top of their graves, beautiful peonies grew that guests were given to consume. Alister really did make himself out to be some kind of sick environmentalist with his recycle, reduce, and reuse mantra.

“Demi.” Bradley came around and was dressed in a black suit. “Why, Dem?” His voice broke as his eyes glistened. They weren’t green; he took his contacts out.

“Why didn’t you choose Layla? Alister told me he gave you a choice between us.” He put his hands on my hips and hugged me.

“She’s pregnant. Sage will need the baby in order to keep her quiet about Declan. But now, you can find a way into your baby’s life.” I smiled sadly.

“I need you to promise me you’ll get out, too,” he whispered into my ear. “Please, Demi. This can’t be the end.”

I pulled away and looked at him. “Go find your happily ever after, Bradley Ivory.” Tears streamed down my face as I stood on my tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek.

But he turned my face and kissed me on my lips. “No.” I shook my head. “You will always be Layla’s, and until then, just be…” I stepped away as he stared at me.

“This is for you.” He handed me a golden key. “It’s not on the map. It was once used in the resort as Alister’s in-house prison for the men who didn’t follow his rules. But now it’s empty. Declan is there, and however you choose to kill him, well…he’ll never be found. You have to go down to the bottom floor, exit, and then take the secret elevator in the back corner past the janitorial closet. It’s all hidden behind a tunnel, Demi.”

I clutched the key to my chest. I was going to kill Declan Rothschild, protect Bradley and Layla’s baby from having that sick bastard as their father, and get revenge for what he did to me and the others. I was making up for the fact that I once left girls like Sage behind and now she’d finally be free.

It was poetic in a way. “Go.” I pointed to the golf cart.

“Come with me.” Bradley gripped my wrist.

Taking one deep breath in, I wiped the tears from his face. “This time there isn’t enough room for Rose…there’s only enough room for Jack.”

“I hate this sinking ship. It forced us to fight for our lives when all we wanted to do was sail. I’m sorry I was too much of a coward. I knew they’d find us all along, so I thought if you and I went here willingly, then we’d get to be together. I never thought Alister would change the course so much. I’ll always love you, but please let her know I love her and I’m sorry.”

One of the greatest gifts in life is realizing that it is not your job to fix something you didn’t break. I didn’t break any of this, but ultimately, only a few of us get to have the band-aid, and in that moment, we must decide to fix it or choose our own peace. I fixed something I didn’t break, and I set him free from his cage.

“Promise me you’ll leave here and meet me. I don’t think I can leave knowing you’re staying here, dying here…” He began to question everything, and I knew the feeling. Feeling like you should carry guilt for surviving. Feeling like you’re a coward for taking the opportunity no one else has.

“I promise you I’ll escape, too.” Part of me knew I would escape, but the other part knew I would never go find him. When I escaped, I’d never want to be around any of them again. I’d need to just finally be set free from my own gilded cage, and that meant leaving them all behind.

“See you soon, Demi.” And just like that, Bradley Ivory had left my life. This time forever.

CHAPTERFORTY-TWO

Standingin front of the oversized, gold mirror, I brushed my hands against my white lace dress. It was beautiful with a high, transparent neck and long lace sleeves. I put my short blonde wig on after neatly brushing my hair.

Alister had assigned a new girl to be my hair and makeup artist, but I declined. I wanted to dress myself the way I felt happiest, and this ensemble felt like a version of myself I knew the most.

Lifting the gold key in front of my face, I placed it alongside my tube of deep red lipstick.

I didn’t care as I slid my feet into sky-high heels that I knew would never be permitted to walk around in. It was my small act of defiance.

I followed Bradley’s intricate instructions and went back down to the Euphoria floor. It was risky wearing white on the otherwise dark floor, but I was the co-owner of this resort. I was no longer powerless; I was the queen.

Some of the nightingales greeted me, and some tried to offer me drinks or a seat for the live-action film, but I kept moving past them all.

There it was.The hidden elevator Bradley told me about. I slid my badge in front of it, but it didn’t work. “No, no…” I pursed my lips and tried it again. The light turned red.

Looking closely at the keypad, I widened my eyes when I saw something scanning my face.

It turned green.

What was this? I glanced over my shoulder, but there was no one there and the doors slid open.

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