Starving for Freedom

_Sienna's POV_

Biting the soft inside of my cheek to stop myself from crying out, I kept my furious gaze locked on the polished marble floor. I tasted copper on my tongue, using the sharp physical pain to ground myself. I needed to stay calm. I knew I had to behave perfectly to survive this hostile captivity. If I showed them how terrified I truly felt, they would tear me apart.

All around the massive wooden dining table, Alessio’s ruthless mafia associates openly mocked my father's silence. Their booming voices and clinking silverware echoed off the high ceilings, filling the grand room with suffocating noise.

"Say, how long do you think it would take Gideon to call and negotiate her release?" a burly man asked, his mouth full of rare steak. "It has been days already. The silence is deafening."

"Maybe he considers her a lost cause," another man chimed in.

Cruel laughter erupted across the table. I kept my head bowed, hiding my reaction. I already knew the painful truth. My father did not care if I lived or died. He would never waste money or resources to save me. If anything, Gideon would probably pack up the rest of my belongings and send them to the Ferara estate, washing his hands of my existence forever.

The rowdy room abruptly quieted down. The sudden silence felt far more oppressive than the noise. I felt a heavy stare burning into the top of my head. Alessio’s cold grey gaze bore into my trembling form on the floor.

"Why aren't you eating? Do you wish to starve to death?" he demanded. His deep voice commanded the room, vibrating in my chest.

I raised my chin. I refused to let them walk all over me like a discarded rug. I might be his political prisoner and his legal wife, but I was not an animal.

"There is nothing for me to eat." I challenged boldly, holding his chilling gaze.

Alessio did not blink. Clapping his large, calloused hands together once, he signaled a passing maid. She hurried forward with a fresh ceramic plate loaded with hot, roasted meat and vegetables. Instead of handing it down to me, Alessio purposefully took the plate from her trembling hands.

He leaned over the armrest of his chair and emptied the steaming contents onto the dirty floor, right in front of my knees. The thick gravy splattered across the stone tiles. He then picked up his heavy crystal glass and splashed cold water next to the mess. The freezing liquid splashed up, soaking the fabric of my clothes and chilling my bare skin.

I jumped to my feet in outrage. My muscles tensed with fury.

"What the hell are you doing?" I hissed.

"Giving you your food. You should be thankful I do not just let you starve in that room." His unyielding voice rang out, devoid of any sympathy.

The other mobsters at the table sneered at my degradation. A heavily tattooed woman sitting a few seats down glared at me with raw hatred.

"Oh? Is the food not to your liking, princess?" she taunted. She twirled a sharp knife between her fingers.

An older man pointed a fork at my chest, scolding me. "We give you food and water, and you have the audacity to dare ask for more from the Don? You ungrateful brat."

I discreetly palmed a small silver steak knife from the edge of a serving cart beside me. I slid the cold metal down the waistband of my skirt, hiding it from view, before focusing my burning eyes on the older man.

"If it is so good, why don't you get down and eat it then?" I shot back, my voice dripping with venom.

I turned my attention back to Alessio, offering a deep, mocking bow.

"Permit me to return to my cage. I have lost my appetite."

Alessio leaned forward, his jaw tight. "If you miss this meal, you will not be allowed to eat anything else for days. Consider your choices carefully."

My stomach revolted at the disgusting display of ruined food on the floor. I would rather starve. I turned sharply on my heel, marching out of the dining room with my head held high. I ignored the guards trailing behind me and focused solely on putting distance between myself and that table.

Once inside my quarters, I slammed the heavy bedroom door shut and twisted the lock into place. I backed away until my spine hit the wall, sliding down to the floor. My beating heart hardened into stone. The image of Alessio dumping that food like I was a stray dog played on a loop in my mind.

If this public humiliation was just the beginning of his twisted revenge, I had to escape this estate tonight. They would only escalate their torment.

I pushed myself off the floor and rushed over to the large bedroom window. Pushing the heavy glass pane open, I peered outside. The cold night air slapped my face. I looked down, and a wave of nausea washed over me. The terrifying drop to the ground below chilled me to my core. A fall from this height would break my legs, if not kill me. Looking at the dark tree line in the distance, I knew it remained my only viable way out of this hell.

Moving quickly, I approached the large four-poster bed. I stripped the thick duvet and the heavy bed cover from the mattress. My hands worked frantically in the dim light. I twisted the thick fabrics together, creating massive knots to bind them into a makeshift rope. I tested each knot with all my body weight, praying the seams would hold.

I dragged the end of the tied sheets over to the oak table near the window. I secured the fabric firmly to the sturdy leg, tying a triple knot for safety. Gathering the remaining length of the fabric in my arms, I tossed it out the open window. The heavy material unrolled, flapping lightly in the cool night breeze before falling silent against the stone exterior of the mansion.

I leaned out to inspect my work. The rope hung down, but it was impossible to tell if it reached the grass. My life depended on this flimsy lifeline. If a knot gave out, or if Alessio caught me, I was dead.

Slowly, with my heart lodged in my throat, I climbed up onto the stone window ledge. I gripped the soft fabric for dear life. I swung my legs over the side, wrapping my bare calves tightly around the twisted sheets to steady my fast-beating heart. I dangled over the pitch-black abyss, squeezing my eyes shut to fight off the vertigo.

The brass doorknob behind me rattled.

"Hey! Why is this locked from the inside? Open up!" a gruff voice yelled through the thick wood. Fists started pounding relentlessly on the door frame.

My heart dropped into my stomach. My eyes widened in panic. They were already checking on me.

It was now or never.

I loosened my leg grip just a fraction and let gravity take over. I slid down the duvet as fast as I carefully could. The rapid friction burned the delicate skin of my palms, but I gritted my teeth and held on tight, ignoring the searing pain. The wind rushed past my ears. The shouts from my bedroom grew louder and more frantic.

Just as my bare feet touched the soft, damp grass of the ground, a loud crash echoed from above. I flinched, crouching low against the mansion wall. My bedroom door had burst open.

"She is gone?! Sound the alarm! Find her!" a voice bellowed into the night, panic evident in the guard's tone.

I stepped back onto the lawn and looked up at the open window.

Alessio was leaning out, his broad shoulders filling the window frame. I locked eyes intensely with him across the distance. The dim exterior security lights illuminated the harsh angles of his face. His grey eyes held so much murderous fury that I shivered in fright. The sadistic amusement from the dining room was gone, replaced by the lethal rage of a predator who realized his prey had slipped the cage.

He knew I was down here. He knew I had defied him again. But there was nothing I could do to turn back now.

Turning around, I sprinted off into the dark, imposing woods.