Chapter 19: Chapter 19
“No, it’s okay. I just don’t understand why you needed it. Why don’t you have your own phone?”
“Uh… I’m just not allowed to have one.”
“Why not? Listen, Ella, baby, I want some straight answers, okay? That room you were in last night, that was the attic, right? At first, I thought maybe you were just making sure no one heard us talking, but I saw a bed behind you. Please tell me that’s not your room.”
She was quiet for a long moment, and he took a deep breath, unable to believe he’d been right in assuming that was where she slept. “It’s my room.”
“Why in the world is your room the attic, Ella? That’s your father’s house, right? Is he that awful to you?”
“No,” she said quickly. “It’s not my dad. It’s my stepmom. She doesn’t like me much. At first, she said it was for my own good, that she was trying to protect me because there are so many beautiful women in California. I’d stick out because I’m so ugly. Then, she tried to convince me that I was crazy, that if I tried to leave the house and told anyone she was keeping me here, she’d call the insane asylum and have me committed.”
“And you believed that? El, you’re so beautiful. It’s clear she’s just saying all of that because you’re so much more gorgeous than her daughters. She’s jealous of you and your mother. Ella, you have to get out of that house.”
“I know that now, Rome. But… it’s not that easy either. I don’t want to upset my dad. He’s already lost so much.”
“Do you mean your mother?”
Her voice cracked as she said, “Yes,” and he assumed she was starting to cry.
“He has lost a lot, Ella, but knowing that you’re being treated that way will make him angry. You’re all of her he has left. You’re old enough to move out. Do you have money?”
“My stepmom handles my accounts.”
“Do you have access to them?”
“Yes, but….”
“All right. We’ll transfer all of the money out of the account she has access to and put it in another account, and I’ll come and get you.”
“How, Rome? I can’t just climb out the window as you did. I’ll fall and kill myself.”
“It’s not that hard, Ella.”
“I can get out another way, but I’ll need Tim’s help.”
“Well, he’s not going to want to help if he knows I have anything to do with it, Ella. He hates me.”
“I know.”
The fact that she knew that made him sigh. Tim really had no reason to dislike him. He couldn’t help what had happened between his father and Tim’s uncle. “We need a plan, El.”
“I’ll come up with one. I do want to see you. I want to be with you.”
“You can come to my place. You won’t need any money. I’ll take care of you.”
“I love you for saying that, Rome, but I don’t want anyone to take care of me. I love my job, and I want to keep doing it. But if I make my father mad, he’ll fire me.”
“I don’t want you to make him mad. I think, when he finds out what your stepmom has done to you, he’ll be mad at her, not you.’
“But if he finds out that I’m seeing you, he’ll be mad about that. I’ve just got to sort through some things.”
He couldn’t help but be upset. How could he let her continue to live in such horrible conditions? “I want to come and see you tonight, Ella. I need to bring you a phone charger anyway.”
“It’s too dangerous.”
“I know it’s dangerous, but I’m coming anyway. I’ll be there around 3:00 so everyone else is asleep, all right?”
He could hear her thinking about it. He prayed she’d agree. He had to see her. “All right,” Ella finally said. “But I have to go now.”
“All right. I love you, Ella.”
“I love you, too, Rome. Don’t call me again, though, okay? I’ll call you later if I can.”
“Okay.” She hung up, and Rome felt as if his tether to the world had been broken.
Even though it was Saturday, Ella still had work to do. She had work to do every single day, for that matter. Not long ago, her father had sent an email saying how proud he was of her for working even on the weekends, but he didn’t know that her stepmom insisted that she stay in the attic on the computer even on the weekends.
That was about to change, though, if Ella had anything to say about it. Talking to Rome on the phone had invigorated her and given her reason to escape what she now saw as a prison. Before, regardless of what Mary said, or what she said to herself, she was able to dismiss the idea that Teresa was holding her there against her will, saying it was what was best for her. Now, with just a taste of freedom, she realized that she’d been making excuses. It was hard to believe that her father could love someone who could treat her so badly, but that was the reality of the situation.
She had a lot of money in her bank account. Not only had she been working for her father’s company and saving that money, but he’d also been sending her aunt money to take care of her for years, and every penny of it was saved by her aunt and put in an account for her.
Now, her stepmom had access to all of that money. Rome was right--she needed to get it out of there, needed to transfer it to another account. But the moment that happened, she was certain Teresa would get a notification, and then Ella would be on lockdown for certain.
So… the money would have to stay put for now. That didn’t mean Ella had to. If she called Tim right that moment and told him what was going on, wouldn’t he storm through the front door and save her? He wasn’t fond of her stepmom or stepsisters anyway. Even without a penny to her name, Ella knew there were people who would take care of her until she could get back on her feet. Would her dad fire her if she left the house without getting Teresa’s permission? Surely not. Ella didn’t have to accuse Teresa of anything so long as she let her go peacefully.
While she was still contemplating what to do, she heard steps on the stairs. The phone was still in her hand, so she quickly shoved it down her pants where she hoped it wouldn’t be noticeable and took a few hasty steps to her computer, pulling up her latest project and getting busy working on it as the door unlocked and swung back, hitting the wall hard enough to get Ella’s head to swivel around.
“What are you doing?” Teresa demanded.
Ella’s eyes bulged. “What do you mean?”
“It’s Saturday. Why are you working? Are you working, or are you emailing Tim? You know you’re not going out with him again, don’t you?”
Biting her tongue, Ella tried to pretend nothing had happened, nothing had changed, she was still the subservient little girl who was willing to do whatever her stepmother said, no matter how ridiculous it was. “No, Mother. I’m working on a project.”
She stood with her arms folded, fuming. “Well, that’s interesting because your cousin just called me and asked a whole slew of personal questions. I can’t imagine he would’ve thought to ask them unless you said something to him about our little arrangement. Did you tell him that you’re a prisoner here? Because that’s ridiculous! You know you're here for your own good, don’t you?”
“Yes, Mother. Of course, I know that. I didn’t say anything to Tim about it. He asked why I don’t go out often, and I told him about my work.” She truly hadn’t said anything to Tim about the situation she found herself in. Not at the moment, anyway. That might change in a few moments if the woman standing in front of her fuming didn’t leave.
“Well, you’d better not. Or else, you know I won’t hesitate to call my friends at the asylum to take you away, don’t you?”
That did scare Ella. If she were locked up, Tim wouldn’t be able to get her out. Rome certainly wouldn’t be able to since they weren’t even related. Ella swallowed hard and nodded.
“It can happen at a moment’s notice. Everyone knows your mother killed herself because she was crazy. No one will doubt you would do the same!”
Angry tears stung her eyes as Ella fought the urge to scream at her. “My mom’s death was an accident, Mother.”
“That’s what you’re meant to think, but it’s not true. Lloyd told me the truth.”
There was nothing for Ella to say if she didn’t want to let everything out at that moment and slap her stepmother across the face, so she said nothing, only prayed for her to go.
Teresa took a few giant steps over to her and put her finger in her face. “If I find out that you’re lying to me, that you’ve told Tim, or anyone, that I’m holding you here against your will, there will be hell to pay. Your father will always choose me over you, as he has the past ten years. So don’t forget that, you little bitch!”
It was all Ella could do to keep from reaching out, grabbing that finger, and bending it backward. Instead, she glared at Teresa through her tears, and when she finally left, she couldn’t hold them back anymore. She wished she had something to throw, but since all she had nearby was Rome’s phone and the computer, she sat there with her hands fisted and let the tears fall like rain.