“Don’t Come In – Get Out Right Now!” The Maid Yelled. I Ran – And Just Five Minutes Later…

“No,” Emily murmured, shaking her head. “He wouldn’t do that. He loves me. He protects me.”

“Protect you from what, Emily?” Sarah asked, her voice still calm. “From the world? From the people who love you? Look at yourself. Are you happy? Are you healthy? Or are you scared all the time?”

Emily started to cry, her shoulders shaking under the weight of the questions. I wanted to run to her, hug her, and tell her everything would be okay, but Sarah had been clear: we needed to maintain emotional distance in this first moment.

Emily needed to process.

“He… he says you don’t understand me,” she sobbed. “That you want to control me, that only he knows what’s best for me.”

“And do you believe that?” I asked softly.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” she admitted, suddenly looking exhausted. “I’m so tired.”

It was in that moment I realized how much damage my daughter had sustained—not just physically, but emotionally and psychologically. Julian had systematically destroyed her confidence, her sense of reality, and her connection to the world.

And I had let it happen, staying away when I should have fought harder.

“Emily,” Sarah said. “You don’t have to decide anything right now. We’re just asking you to come with us for a few hours to talk in a neutral place, without Julian’s influence.”

“He’ll be furious if I leave,” she murmured, the fear obvious in her voice.

“Does he control where you go?” Marcus asked.

Emily hesitated, as if realizing for the first time how absurd the situation was.

“He… he says it’s for my safety. That there are people who want to hurt us.”

“People like your mother?” Benjamin questioned, speaking for the first time.

Emily looked at me, and I saw something in her eyes I hadn’t seen in a long time: doubt. Not about me, but about the lies she had believed.

“He said… he said you wanted to keep me away from him because you were jealous, because I had a perfect marriage and you failed at yours.”

I took a deep breath, feeling the sting of those words but understanding they weren’t really hers.

“Emily, your father and I separated because he cheated on me. You know that. And I have never, ever wanted anything but your happiness. If Julian truly made you happy, I would be the first to support you. But he doesn’t make you happy, does he?”

Sarah continued, seizing the moment of vulnerability.

“You’re more isolated, thinner, and more scared every day.”

Emily’s tears were flowing freely now.

“He… he says I’m fat. That no one will want me if I don’t take care of myself. That I should be grateful he accepts me like this.”

My heart broke hearing that. My beautiful daughter, always so self-assured, was reduced to doubting even her appearance.

“Emily,” Maria said, approaching cautiously. “Mr. Julian is not who you think he is. He’s manipulating you, just like he manipulated your mother’s documents.”

“What documents?” Emily asked, confused.

Benjamin took some copies of the forgeries Maria had photographed from his briefcase.

“These. Your signature and your mother’s, forged. Part of a plan to take control of the properties, the stocks, everything.”

Emily examined the papers, her confusion giving way to shock.

“This… this is my signature, but I never signed these documents.”

“And this is my signature,” I added. “On documents I’ve never seen.”

Suddenly, the landline in the house rang, making us all jump. The clock on the wall read 1:30 in the afternoon—the time for Julian’s check-in call.

“It’s him,” Emily whispered, the panic returning.

“Answer it,” Sarah instructed. “Act normally. Say everything is fine.”

Emily hesitated, looking at all of us, clearly torn. Finally, with trembling hands, she picked up the phone.

“Hi, love,” she said, trying to sound casual, but her voice was tight. “Yes, I’m home. No, nothing different. Yes, I’m following the meal plan. No… no visitors.”

She paused, looking at us with growing alarm.

“No, I’m not hiding anything. Yes, I’m alone. Only Maria is here.”

Another longer pause.

“Julian, I’m not lying. Please don’t talk like that. No, I’m not crying.”

The desperation in her voice was palpable. Julian clearly sensed something was wrong, even over the phone.

“We need to go now,” Marcus muttered, sensing the situation.

“Emily,” I whispered. “Come with us, please.”

She looked at me, the phone still at her ear, silent tears rolling down her face. Then, in a moment of clarity that gave me hope, she spoke into the phone.

“Julian, I have to go. I’m not feeling well.”

And she hung up, ignoring the immediate ringing that followed.

“He’s going to call the security guard,” she said quickly, grabbing a purse. “We have to go before he locks the gates.”

There was no time to celebrate this small victory. We left quickly through the back, exactly as we came in.

Marcus went to get the car while we waited in the yard, tense and listening for any movement.

“He’s going to find me,” Emily murmured, hugging herself. “He always finds me.”

“Not this time,” I promised, finally allowing myself to touch her arm. “This time I’m here, and I’m not going to let him hurt you again.”

When the car arrived, we got in quickly. Marcus drove fast, but not so fast as to draw attention.

In the rearview mirror, I saw the community’s security guard coming out of his booth, looking around—probably looking for Emily at Julian’s request. We were on the highway when Maria’s phone rang.

She answered, her face pale.

“Mr. Julian? No… I don’t know where she is. I went out to do the shopping.”

She hung up, trembling.

“He’s furious. He’s catching the first flight back.”

“How much time do we have?” Benjamin asked.

“Two, maybe three hours if he gets a flight immediately.”

It wasn’t much time, but it would have to be enough. I looked at Emily sitting next to me, looking both relieved and terrified.

She had taken the first step—the hardest one—but the battle was just beginning.

“Where are we going?” she asked, her voice small.

“To a safe place,” I replied, holding her hand. “A place where he can’t reach you.”

And as the car continued down the highway, taking us far away from that house of horrors, I felt a mix of fear and determination. Julian would come after us with all his rage and resources, but I wouldn’t back down.

Not this time. My daughter needed me, and I would be there for her, no matter the cost.