I Slept with My Boss and Ran Away

Meredith and Linda had been gone for a long time before Joy Chaucer dared to come out of the basement. Even at home, she couldn’t move around freely. She pulled all the curtains shut, locked all the doors and windows, and only then did she feel somewhat safe. Thinking about her days of hiding, she felt on the verge of collapse. Looking down at her belly, she wished she could get rid of the unwanted pregnancy. She punched her stomach in frustration, crying out in pain, which only made her angrier. Hurting herself didn’t change anything; it only caused her more suffering.

With no one else in the house, Joy Chaucer took a moment to calm down in the living room before heading to the bathroom for a proper shower. She had been so cautious that even bathing had to be done quietly. Now, she could finally enjoy a long soak.

As night fell, Joy Chaucer changed into sportswear, put on a baseball cap and mask, and quietly left the house. She needed fresh air and human interaction; otherwise, she felt she would suffocate from isolation.

On the busy streets, no one noticed Joy Chaucer or recognized her as a wanted criminal. Passing a bus stop, she saw her own wanted poster. Just then, a sharp voice called out from behind her, “What are you doing? Stop right there!” Instinctively, Joy Chaucer turned to see a police officer running towards her. Her heart nearly stopped from fear. She wanted to run but found her legs too weak to move.

The officer ran past her and tackled a young thief at the street corner. Joy Chaucer’s limbs were trembling and cold as ice. She quickly walked away until she found an empty spot where she could sit down and catch her breath. Being on the run was unbearable.

At the hospital, Meredith was preoccupied with thoughts about Chaucer Manor, hardly paying attention to anything else. Terrence called her name twice and waved his hand in front of her face. “Meredith, what’s wrong?”

“Huh?” Meredith snapped back to reality and smiled. “Nothing, I’m just tired. It’s getting late; I need to go home and get some clothes and more formula for Rowan.”

“Alright,” Terrence said. “Let the driver take you. Don’t drive yourself. You need rest; stay home tonight and come back in the morning.”Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

“Okay,” Meredith agreed but lied because she wanted to check on Chaucer Manor without worrying Terrence. Her intuition told her someone was hiding there-possibly the person she suspected.

She advised Terrence to rest early and glanced at Little Lucky sleeping in his crib before leaving. Ignoring Terrence’s advice about taking the driver, Meredith drove herself towards Chaucer Manor.

It was already past nine at night when Meredith sped towards the manor. Terrence knew something was on Meredith’s mind after being married for so long. About forty minutes after she left, he called home and found out she hadn’t returned. Using a tracking app installed on their phones after his previous accidents, he saw that Meredith was heading to Chaucer Manor.

At Chaucer Manor’s perimeter, Meredith parked outside and walked in on foot. The house was completely dark with all curtains drawn-something Meredith distinctly remembered not doing when she left earlier that afternoon.

Pushing open the gate quietly and closing it behind her, Meredith walked step by step towards the front door of the house, her heartbeat quickening with each step.