CHAPTER SIX

TRICIA'S POV

The train groaned as it pulled out of the station, the rhythmic hum beneath my feet almost matching the storm inside me.

The lights outside blurred into streaks of gold and black as we drifted away from the city that had caged me for years.

For the first time in a long time, I breathed.. really breathed.

The weight of Oliver’s house, his words, his touch, it was all fading behind me….every mile felt like a step toward freedom.

Hendrix sat across from me, his jacket half open, the faint lines of exhaustion etched around his eyes.

We hadn’t spoken much since boarding.

Maybe he was giving me space….maybe he didn’t know what to say to the woman who’d just escaped her marriage like a criminal.

“You’re safe now,” he finally said, his voice low.

“He won’t find you.”

I wanted to believe that…I wanted to believe in anything that wasn’t Oliver.

I gave him a small smile, the kind that hides tears.

“Thank you, Hendrix. For everything.”

He nodded, looking away.

“You don’t need to thank me, Trish…you just need to start over.”

Start over.

Two words that felt like both a dream and a dare.

I turned to the window, watching the fog press against the glass.

My heart was still heavy…full of love gone wrong, trust broken beyond repair. I didn’t even know who I was without the pain.

At some point, exhaustion dragged me under.

My head leaned against the window, the soft hum of the tracks lulling me into half-sleep.

That was when I heard it.

A voice …deep, hushed.

Hendrix’s.

“I got her out,” he whispered into his phone.

“Yeah…No, he doesn’t know where we’re headed…. I’ll make sure she doesn’t contact anyone…”

My eyes flew open and my pulse stuttered.

He said he.

He said doesn’t know where we’re headed.

I froze in my seat, every nerve on edge. Was I dreaming? No…the words were clear.

Oliver.

That name echoed in my mind like a gunshot.

My throat went dry as I slowly sat up, pretending to stretch, pretending not to have heard.

My heart thudded violently, and the air around me suddenly felt too tight to breathe in.

Hendrix turned off the call and leaned back against his seat, rubbing his temples.

He hadn’t seen me watching him.

I stared at him, trying to find traces of deceit in his expression, the man who helped me escape, who promised safety, now possibly connected to the man I ran from.

The betrayal burned like acid in my chest.

Finally, I found my voice.

“Who were you talking to?”

He looked startled for a second.

“Just someone arranging our stay when we get to Eddenfield.”

“Really?” My tone was sharp, cold. “Because I heard you say he doesn’t know where we’re headed…who’s he, Hendrix?”

His eyes darkened, his lips pressing into a thin line.

“Tricia, listen….”

“Tell me the truth,” I snapped, standing up as the train rattled under us.

“If you’re working for Oliver, I swear…”

“I’m not!” His voice rose, fierce and wounded.

“I’d never hurt you….but yes, I worked for him once.”

The words landed like a slap.

“What?”

He exhaled, running a hand through his hair.

“Years ago…before I got married, I worked under one of his companies…He ruined me, Trish. Fired me, blacklisted me, made sure no one else would hire me….my ex-wife blamed me for it, that's when everything fell apart.”

My knees weakened.

The walls felt like they were closing in.

“So when I called you… when I asked for help…” My voice cracked.

“You helped me because you wanted revenge, not because you cared?”

He looked straight into my eyes, pain flickering in his.

“At first, maybe but that changed….I swear it did..you were broken, Trish. You didn’t deserve what he did to you. I’m not your enemy.”

I didn’t know whether to believe him.

My head said no but my heart whispered maybe.

Before I could answer, the train suddenly screeched… brakes screaming, metal grinding against metal. Passengers jolted in their seats, luggage falling from racks.

“What the hell….?” Hendrix jumped up, grabbing my hand.

The lights flickered, then dimmed.

And then came the footsteps.

Heavy, purposeful, echoing down the aisle.

“Search every compartment,” a voice ordered.

I froze…that voice….that accent.

Oliver’s men.

Panic shot through me like electricity. Hendrix’s grip tightened.

“Come on.”

We dashed toward the back door, weaving through panicking passengers. My heart pounded in my ears.

Every step felt like running through a nightmare.

“Ticket checkers,” one of the men called.

“Don’t let anyone off.”

Hendrix shoved the emergency handle.

The wind howled as the door swung open to darkness.

“Jump!” he yelled.

I stared at the black nothing outside trees rushing past, the rails slicing through the night.

“Are you insane?”

“Trust me!”

That word again …trust.

But this time, I didn’t have a choice.

I jumped.

The fall was hard and fast, knocking the breath out of me.

I hit damp soil, rolled, and felt a sharp sting along my arm.

Hendrix landed a few feet away, groaning.

For a moment, all I could hear was my heartbeat.

“Come on,” he said, grabbing my hand again.

We ran through the woods, branches clawing at our clothes, the smell of rain and earth filling the air.

After what felt like hours, we stumbled upon an old wooden cabin half hidden by ivy.

Hendrix forced the door open, and we slipped inside.

It was dark, musty, and cold but safe.

I sank against the wall, trembling.

The adrenaline faded, leaving only exhaustion and confusion.

Hendrix crouched beside me.

“You okay?”

I wanted to scream at him, cry, demand the truth but instead, I whispered,

“Why does freedom feel like another kind of prison?”

He looked at me, guilt etched on his face.

“Because it’s hard to heal from someone who made you forget who you were.”

My chest tightened as tears slipped free from my eyes.

He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from my face.

“I’ll protect you, Trish….I swear….No matter what you think of me.”

There was something in his eyes regret, maybe love, maybe both.

And for a second, I believed him.

We sat there in silence, breaths mingling, the world outside forgotten.

“We continue our journey tomorrow…and I believe all will be fine now.”