Chapter 6: Becoming Myself Again

Emma Roberts naturally saw Derek Hayes's expression, as if he had seen a ghost.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Derek quickly gestured for silence, clasping his hands together in a pleading gesture, mouthing: The boss hasn't slept in three days!

Three days without sleep?

Was it because he was furious about her escape attempt?

For the past two years, she had never given up on trying to escape. This time, she had come closest to freedom, just one step away from boarding a ship to another country...

The cost had been high.

Though Logan Black had forced her to stay by his side, he had never touched her until three days ago.

This was why she believed her disguise had been effective.

As Derek let out a sigh of relief, a phone rang loudly in the quiet living room, like a clap of thunder.

Derek was so frightened he nearly threw his phone, hastily turning it off.

But it was too late.

Logan was woken by the noise, his eyes empty and devoid of emotion, staring at Derek as if he were already dead. Derek felt his blood freeze.

Emma was terrified too.

Logan's morning temper was notorious. Being woken up midway was akin to facing the end of the world.

In a panic, Emma instinctively covered Logan's eyes with her hand, then pushed his head back onto her shoulder, gently stroking his soft hair. "It's okay... go back to sleep..."

One second passed...

Two seconds...

Three seconds...

Logan remained still.

After a while, Emma carefully lifted her hand from his eyes and saw that he had fallen back asleep, peacefully.

Derek's blood started flowing again, and he nearly collapsed from relief, looking at Emma with gratitude.

Emma stayed in the same position all night.

She didn't know when she fell asleep, but when she woke up, it was already daylight, and she was lying in the master bedroom's bed with no sign of Logan.

Rubbing her eyes, she ended up smearing eyeliner, false eyelashes, and glittery eyeshadow all over her hands.

What girl doesn't love beauty? But to "stay pure" for Ethan, she never dared to remove her makeup, even when sleeping if Logan was home.

Knowing it was pointless now, she felt a sense of liberation.

She could finally be herself again...

From the age of eighteen, she hadn't shown her true face to anyone, almost forgetting her original appearance.

The first thing to go was the large, frightening tattoos all over her body.

Fortunately, she hadn't listened to Samantha's suggestion for permanent tattoos. These could be removed with a special solution.

After searching for a while, Emma found the solution in a box filled with miscellaneous items. She grabbed the solution, makeup remover, cotton pads, and a box of face masks Logan had casually given her, and headed to the bathroom.

First, she removed the seven or eight piercings and heavy metal earrings from her ears, then the dog collar-like necklace from her neck. Next was the makeup removal, and finally, she poured the solution into the bathtub and soaked her body in it...

As the solution worked its magic, Emma felt a strange sense of calm wash over her. She had been living in a nightmare for so long, constantly hiding and running, that she had forgotten what it felt like to be at peace, even for a moment.

The water turned murky as the fake tattoos dissolved, revealing her smooth, unblemished skin underneath. She scrubbed away the remnants of her past, determined to reclaim her true self.

After an hour, Emma stepped out of the bath, her body free of the grotesque markings. She looked at herself in the mirror, seeing the girl she once was slowly reemerging. It was like shedding a layer of darkness, revealing a glimmer of light within.

Wrapping herself in a towel, she took a deep breath. This was a new beginning. She wasn't the same naive girl from seven years ago. She had knowledge, experience, and a burning desire to change her fate.

Logan Black was a formidable opponent, but Emma was no longer afraid. She would play his game, learn his rules, and find a way to break free from his control.

With renewed determination, Emma dressed in the simplest clothes she could find and left the bathroom. She had a lot of work to do, but for the first time in a long time, she felt a spark of hope.

She could do this. She would change her destiny, no matter what it took. And one day, she would be free from Logan Black's grasp, free to live her life on her own terms.

But until then, she would play her role, bide her time, and become the master of her own fate.

Emma walked back into the bedroom, her mind clear and her heart steady. This was her second chance, and she wasn't going to waste it.

The battle for her freedom had only just begun.