She trusted me, which is why we planned her escape together. With the ad in the paper for the cabin in Northfolk, we both agreed: it was the perfect place. Out in the middle of nowhere and already partially furnished, it was far away from her family and friends. Far away from her abuser. Martin expected her to run toward her father and sister, and he expected her to leave while he was at work. So, we had to do the opposite.
At night, while he was sleeping comfortably, was the perfect time to do it. All she had to do was plant the blood evidence, but that was sort of tricky. She said it hurt, a lot, but I told her it was necessary. We had to take extra measures to make sure they suspected him. Who knew if they would use luminol in the apartment…but hopefully, they would, and then they would find her bloody message on the bathroom wall and the blood spots she left behind…
One week before she left, she waited until Martin and Lily were sleeping. In the bathroom, she locked the door and plugged the drain, then she slit both of her wrists. I told her how to do it so that she would bleed a lot, but not lose her own life. It’s all in how you cut, I’d told her.
There was a small part of me that thought she wouldn’t do it, but I’d never tell her that. The next day, she messaged me a picture that made my stomach turn. She’d lost enough blood to write the message and she’d scooped up the excess blood in the tub and splattered it around the living room and streaked it toward the kitchen. Afterwards, she wrapped her arms in gauze, and using heavy bleach, she stayed up all night scrubbing the evidence away. Martin beat her bad for the cutting, but she told him she was depressed because she wanted another baby. That sick bastard liked that for some reason. So, life in the Nesbitt household went on as normal for the next seven days.
She took only what she could throw together, even leaving the car seat behind. She turned his phone on silent so that his app wouldn’t wake him up to alert him, and then her and Lily slipped out into the night. Before they left, she tossed Lily’s extra pair of orange sneakers into the back of Martin’s truck.
Halfway to Northfolk, she stopped and bought a cell phone. One of those disposable kind, just so no one could trace her. She texted me the number and told me to wait twenty-four hours, as we’d planned. I was so relieved when I got that text and knew she was close to safety.
I waited to call like she told me to, but I didn’t wait to act. Leaving Martin wasn’t enough. Unless the police had a reason to suspect him and search his home, he eventually would have found her. With his money and resources, it was only a matter of time.
So, I didn’t have a choice. I had to take the girl. She needed to be somewhere safe, away from all the drama.
I slipped inside the cabin while they were both sleeping. The little girl barely stirred as I lifted her from the bed. I carried her out of the house, and as I cut through the woods behind the property, she opened her eyes and moaned for her mother.