I closed my eyes and pictured what it would be like to go home. I pictured seeing my parents again, feeling their warm hugs. I pictured living life on my terms again.
And slowly, I fell asleep. The last time I would have to sleep in that cell. The last night I’d have to endure his torture. The last night I would spend trapped.
It was over soon.
I fell asleep and dreamed of a better day. A day when I would be free at last. A day when I could start a new life. A day without him.
And for the first time since I’d arrived in the compound, I finally felt safe. I felt safe from him, from his touch.
I dreamed of my baby, of what he or she might look like, of how I might raise my child.
I dreamed, and I didn’t wake up until morning.
For the first time in many months, I woke up smiling. The smile slipped quickly from my face when I realized where I was, but it didn’t matter.
I knew it was over now. I knew I’d be free soon.
I climbed from bed, and my servant was in the doorway with a tray of breakfast.
He looked at me curiously. “Are you... okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered. “Why?”
“You seem different today,” he said.
“I just feel... hopeful,” I said, taking the tray from him. He looked confused as he left the cell.
I ate hungrily, my body demanding the energy. When I finished, I sat on the edge of the bed and began to clean my cell.
I dusted and swept, humming softly to myself as I went. I opened the window and let the fresh air fill my cell, washing the stale stench of my prison from my body. I cleaned my desk and the floor, scrubbing hard. I wanted to erase all traces of myself from the room.
When I finished, my cell was spotless.
I sat on the bed, staring at the blank walls. I heard the sound of footsteps and smiled softly to myself.
It was finally happening. The day had finally come. I knew that Giorgio was on his way to tell me the good news.
I stood up as his footsteps approached.
He opened the door and stopped, staring at me in surprise.
“Why are you standing?” he asked.
“I’m leaving,” I said simply.
He blinked, cocking his head. “So soon?”
I nodded. “Please. Let me go.”
He frowned, a dark look crossing his face. He stepped into my cell and shut the door quietly behind him.
“Please,” I said again, my voice soft but urgent. “Let me go.”
“I don’t understand,” he said slowly.
I took a step closer to him. “You said you’d let me go, you’d give me my freedom.”
“Did I?” He smiled, but it was cold. “I don’t remember that.”
Fear began to well up inside me, but I kept my eyes locked on his. “You did,” I said. “We agreed on it.”
“Yes, we did,” he said, nodding. “But I’ve been thinking a lot since then.”
I took another step toward him. “Please,” I whispered.
He shook his head slowly. “No, Allie. I can’t let you go.”
“Why not?” I demanded.
“Because I love you,” he said simply. “You can’t leave me.”
Terror bloomed through my chest. I backed away from him, shaking my head violently.
“No,” I said. “You’re lying. You promised!”
He laughed. “Did I? I must have been joking.”
I turned and ran to the door, throwing it open, but two guards were waiting on the other side. They grabbed me roughly and held me in place.
“Let me go!” I screamed at the guards. “Let me out of here!”
Giorgio strolled over to me and leaned against the doorframe.
“You understand that I need to keep you now,” he said softly.
“Please!” I struggled against the guards.
“Unfortunately, your time in this cell is over.” He nodded at the guards, and they dragged me from the room, struggling and screaming.
“No!” I yelled. “Let me go! He promised!”
Giorgio watched me with a sad smile on his face. “Goodbye, Allie.”
And then they were dragging me away, deeper into the compound.
Back to my hell. Back to his torture.
My heart was breaking as they pulled me further and further away.
I’d made a horrible mistake. I’d thought he would let me go.
I’d been so wrong. Now I would never leave.
I was his for good. His prisoner, his plaything. His baby’s mother.
My future stretched out in front of me like a dark and endless grave. I had lost all hope, and I’d lost it by my own hand.
He had fooled me completely.
I would never see daylight again. I would never see my parents. I would never feel free.
I screamed again and again as they dragged me deeper and deeper into the bowels of his compound.
And soon, I was left alone with only my tears and my regret. My fate was sealed forever. I was his, and his alone.
I curled up on the floor, and I began to weep.
He would never let me go. I would die trapped here. My baby would be born, and I would never escape. I would never find freedom. I was doomed to live this way forever.
I cried and cried, my heart broken.
He had played me like a fool. I had given up my baby for nothing.
The tears rolled down my face, and I felt hopeless once more.
I would never escape him. Not now. Not ever. I was trapped forever. He had played me, and he had won.
He always won.