The voices from the screen felt distant, their words barely registering through the ringing in your ears. Your breath came in shallow gasps as you sat curled on the floor, your arms wrapped around your trembling legs. The scent of him clung to your skin, suffocating, inescapable. It was always like this after he touched you. After he took what he believed was his.

“She was always so full of life,” your mother’s voice trembled from the television. “Always smiling. She’d light up a room just by being in it.”

Your stomach twisted. The sound of her broken sobs sent cracks through the fragile walls of your mind, the ones you built to survive. Your father was next, his voice thick with emotion. “We just want her to come home. Please, if anyone knows anything—”

Home. The word felt foreign now. The concept of freedom, of escaping this hell, had become a distant dream. But hearing them plead, seeing their pain, reignited something in you. A fire that had long since dimmed.

The creak of the door snapped you back to reality. You held your breath, your body going rigid as the maid stepped inside, head bowed. She never spoke, never made eye contact. Just did her job, an obedient little servant to the monster who owned you.

She set down the tray of food, but something was different this time. The door. It didn’t close all the way.

Your pulse pounded in your ears. Was this a mistake? A sliver of hope lodged itself in your throat, choking you. You didn’t think. You moved.

Every step was agony. Your legs trembled, weak from nights spent beneath him, from the weight of your misery. But you pushed forward, dragging yourself through the half-open door, into the darkness beyond.

The hallway was empty. No guards. No locked doors.

Run.

You staggered forward, ignoring the sharp pain in your knees as you stumbled. Your bare feet barely made a sound against the cold floor. The air smelled different out here. Less like him. More like possibility.

Then you heard it.

His voice.

It came from the television in the next room.

“Every song I write comes from something deeply personal,” Amos said, his voice smooth, practiced. “Love. Obsession. Devotion.”

You nearly collapsed. It was live. He was far away. This was your chance.

Your hands fumbled against the door leading outside. It was unlocked. A sob of relief bubbled in your throat. You pushed it open, stepping into the cool night air. The wind kissed your damp skin, and for the first time in forever, you felt like you could breathe.

Then a pair of arms wrapped around your waist, yanking you back.

A scream tore from your throat, raw and desperate. You kicked, thrashed, but he was stronger. He always was.

“Going somewhere, darling?” His voice was a whisper against your ear, amused, cruel. The same voice that had just been speaking on national television.

“No,” you whimpered, shaking your head, as if denial could rewrite reality. “No, you’re not—you were just—”

His chuckle sent ice through your veins. “Oh, sweetheart.” He turned you in his grasp, forcing you to look up at him. “Did you really think I’d ever leave you alone?”

The world tilted as he lifted you effortlessly, throwing you over his shoulder like a ragdoll. The house swallowed you whole once more, the door slamming shut behind you.

He carried you through the halls, back to your cage. Back to where you belonged.

“You never learn,” he mused, as if scolding a naughty child. “But that’s okay. We have all the time in the world.”

You sobbed against his back, fists pounding weakly against him. “Please, Amos. Please let me go.”

He set you down inside the bedroom, his hands firm on your shoulders. His eyes gleamed in the dim light, a predator savoring his prey. “Why would I do that,” he murmured, brushing his knuckles against your tear-streaked cheek, “when I’m so close to making sure you never try to leave me again?”

Your stomach dropped.

He smiled.

“Maybe a baby will finally teach you to stay.”

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