One Thousand Miles

Chapter  |  One Way Out

Part  |  Two

It was kind of hard trying to find a way to escape with a baby in the house. After making my decision to leave I immediately started to look for ways out of the house and past the gates without getting caught, but the plan was easier said than done. It was hard for me to determine how much acres of land we had or if there was a gate surrounded the perimeter since I had to keep going back upstairs to tend to Cameron. He was a lot fussier lately which just made it harder to escape. 

It was a little past three and I had already made five trips to Cameron's room in less than two hours. I had a feeling that he was teething, but I wasn't too sure since he was only just a little bit over three months old. 

"Hey baby, want to come help mommy with something?" I ask as I lift him out of his bassinet. I stick his binky in his mouth and smiled down at him before walking out his room. When I reached downstairs I placed his baby swing next to the backdoor and sat him down in it before looking out the sliding glass doors. I narrowed my eyes trying to see in the distance but all I saw was the color green. It was just grass that went on for miles.

Sighing I look down at Cameron and smile. "Looks like we're stuck here another day honey."

Maybe it wasn't the safest plan but I knew it would work. I knew this was the way to go if I wanted to get out of here but I knew I would have to be extra careful.

A few days after my other plan failed a new one popped into my mind one night after John went into his office. As I stood there leaning against the counter sipping on a glass of wine I suddenly remembered my old car. I mean at first I thought nothing of it until I remember it still sat in the garage. I knew if John still had it then he still had the keys. And I knew exactly where to find them.

Quickly I poured the rest of my wine down the drain before quickly walking out of the kitchen and down the hallway to John's office. Once I got closer to the door I slowed down and came to a halt at the door. I breathed in before slowly letting the air back out through my nose and lifting my hand to knock on the door.

"Come in!"

I stand there for a few extra seconds before placing my hand on the doorknob and turning it. I popped my head inside and smile over at John before stepping my whole body inside. I shut the door behind me before pressing my back flat against it. I watched as John typed something on his computer before looking up at me with a flat look on his face.

"What do you need Stephanie, I'm working right now," he said as he learned back in his black leather chair.

I opened my mouth to speak but not words came out. Shutting my mouth quickly I stood up straight and slowly walked across the room to John who sat at his desk watching my every move. As I got closer to his desk I glanced out of the corner of my eye to look at his desk filled with paperwork and pens. There was no key in sight. "Hey I was just...I just wanted to spend time with you."

I slowly sank down into his lap and let him wrap his arms around my waist. His eyes widened and I suddenly felt him underneath me. "Well...I...I'm kind of working right now babe, but I'll be upstairs soon. Did you put Cameron down for the night?"

I breathe out through my nose and rest my cheek against his chest. "Yeah."

"He's a handful isn't he?" he chuckled as he brought one of his hands up and lightly stroked my blonde locks.

I nod my head before letting my eyes wander the desk for a few seconds just to make sure the key actually wasn't there. I sigh and stand up from his lap with the seductive smile still glued to my face. As much as I didn't want to do this I knew I would have to keep John from getting suspicious and this was the only way. "Well I'll be waiting for you. Don't keep me waiting too long."

Once I was finally out the room and safely in the bedroom I rushed into the bathroom spilled the contents in my stomach into the toilet. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand I stood up and flushed the toilet before washing my hands clean. I stared at myself through the mirror and shook my head slowly. I was pale, skinny, and covered in purple and blue splotches. I was hideous and John, the love of my life was the reason why.

I didn't know how long I stood there until I heard the sound of our bedroom door creaking open which mean John was finished with his work. Sighing I stepped back from the mirror before turning and exiting the bathroom. When I exited the room I was met by an already shirtless John. Slowly I placed my hands at the end of my shirt and lifted it over my head before throwing it down on the floor. He moved toward me and placed his arms around me before pulling me into his warm hard chest and nuzzling my neck. I sighed and placed my hand at the back of his head to hold it in place.

I was terrified of John, but I still loved him. But now that I knew he would never change I figured that it was me all along.

It was me who needed to change.

As soon as John left for work the next day I quickly rushed down the hallway to his office and tried opening his door only to find it locked. I groaned in frustration before quickly running upstairs to find a bobby pin. In the end, the bobby pin didn't work.

I spent half of the day trying to get into his office while also trying to take care of a fussy Cameron. When the bobby pins, knife, and fingernails didn't work I went searching around the house for a spare key. In the end it wasn't easy but I found one taped at the bottom of Cameron's top drawer. It was ten until six-fifteen and I knew John would be walking in the door at any minute now.

Quickly I ran down the stairs taking two at a time before running down the hall towards his office and jamming the key in the lock. When the door clicked open I almost burst into tears, but I knew now wasn't the time to cry because John would be home any minute and I didn't even know if the key would be in here.

I quickly walked across the room to his desk and scour the top of it again before bending down and coming face to face with one of the drawers. Slowly pulling it open I held my breath and reached inside. I moved my hand back in forth until my hand touch a rectangular shaped object. Quickly I pulled it out and looked down with wide eyes at my old phone that John took away from me years ago. It was dusty, most likely uncharged, and out of service. Knowing that it was useless I placed it back inside the drawer and continued to frantically move my hand around inside of it. When my hand came in contact with something cool and metallic I lifted it and stared down at it with an open mouth.

It was the key to my car.

I let out a breath of air before hugging the key to my chest and placing a kiss on it. I threw it back inside the drawers before quickly standing up and leaving the room locking the door behind me. I knew that the morning after tomorrow was the morning I would leave. Even though it would be a Sunday and John would be off work it was the best time to leave. I could pack all day tomorrow and place the bags in the car so all I had to do was get back into John's office for the key before grabbing Cameron and leaving. We were so close to being free...

It was the morning we would leave. John was fast asleep while I was up staring at the baby monitor waiting for Cameron to cry. A few days ago I thought it would be hard to leave with a crying baby, but now I knew it actually wouldn't be too hard.

As if knowing I was waiting for him to cry out, a few seconds later I heard his small wail come through the monitor and into my ear. I smiled before slowly sitting up and fake stretching. I looked down at John who rolled over to face me with slightly opened eyes. "You got it?" he asks tiredly.

I slowly nod my head and watch as he shuts his eyes again. Quickly I looked over at the clock on the side of the bed that read a little past two in the morning before slowly standing up and walking towards the door. I look back at John one last time before slipping out of the room and shutting the door behind me. I tip toe down the hallway to Cameron's room and quietly enter. Slowly I cross the room to where he lay crying in his bassinet before lifting him up and placing his small head on my shoulder. I slightly bounced up and down and ran my hand over his short blonde hair. I cooed in his ear until finally his cries subsided. 

While I still held him on my shoulder I reached my foot underneath the bassinet and slid my foot into one the gym shoes hidden underneath. I did the same with my other foot before walking over to his dresser that used to hold all of his little onesie's and reaching inside the top drawer for the spare key to John's office. Slowly shutting it closed I slowly headed out the room and downstairs while still cooing in Cameron's ear. It was dark when I entered John's office, but I knew that if John were to wake up and see the light on I would be in trouble.

After getting the key I stood there looking down at John's desk filled with paperwork and old pictures of when we used to be happy. There was a picture of John and me when we were in college. It was a picture taken at his company before his father gave it to him. I sat in his lap holding a pink frosted cupcake he had got me for my twentieth birthday. It was moments like this that I wished to relive.

I sighed before looking down at my left hand which still showed off the diamond wedding ring. I brought it up to my mouth and used my teeth to pull of the wedding ring before placing in my hand. Slowly I leaned forward and placed the ring down on his desk before walking out of his office and locking the door behind me. Slowly I headed out the door that led to the garage and walked slowly over to the old Toyota Camry. I popped open the back door and placed Cameron in the baby carrier I had stuck in there earlier this morning.

Smiling I shut his door and climbed into the driver's seat. Before I placed the keys in the ignition I reached across the seat into the glove box to make sure all that I needed was still there. I had also stolen a few credit cards out of John's office so I would have some money for food and a place to stay.

"This is it," I say I use the remote to open up the garage door. I was hoping John wouldn't hear it, but I wouldn't be around long enough to know. Right now I was only worried about getting past the guards. I didn't know if John told them to never let me out, but I remember a couple of years back when Tanya told me about the new guards. All I could do was pray that John hadn't told them to keep me from leaving by myself.

As I approached the iron gates my heart began beating faster and faster until...

The guard opened the gates.

Tears welled up in my eyes and without thinking I sped through the iron gates and down the familiar road to anywhere that was safe. Anywhere John wasn't.

Anywhere I had freedom.