When Elise's eyes fluttered open, her body jolted with panic. Her breath came in rapid, shallow gasps as she realized she was no longer on the street. Her hands were bound tightly to the cold metal chair, her legs shackled. She blinked, struggling to focus on her surroundings. The room was dimly lit, with peeling walls and a strong lavender odor clung to the air.
A man sat across from her, his eyes locked on her with unnerving intensity. His face was rough, the lines of a hard life carved into his features. His dark, untamed hair fell to his shoulders in messy waves, and his grey eyes gleamed with a combination of amusement, confusion, and guilt.
"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," he drawled, his voice raspy and low. He toyed with a large, gleaming knife, running his fingers along the blade with casual ease.
Elise swallowed, her voice trembling. "What… What do you want? Who are you?"
He chuckled softly, his eyes never leaving hers. "What do I want? You. Elise, I want you."
Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. "Please… don't hurt me."
The man tilted his head, studying her with a mixture of curiosity and disdain. "You're already terrified. I am not going to hurt you.. You are begging me to not hurt you. Yet, someone already did."
She looked down, somehow embarrassed by his words.
He stood slowly, towering over her as he walked toward her. "Relax. I'm not going to kill you. I am not a bad person."
"You kidnapped me," she sighed, "Rapist, Abusers, and kidnappers are like the THREE main bad people."
"I am not a rapist," the man became angry.
Elise jumped in her chair has her eyes trailed the knife in his hands.
"What do you want," she began to panic.
"As I stated before, you."
"Me, look at me?," Elise scoffed.
The man stood up, walking to her slowly. Elise couldn't help, but watch his muscles shift as he made even the slightest movements. Grabbing the handles of her chair, he spun Elise around facing her towards a large mirror.
He mouth dropped, she began to realize what he had done.
Her hair has cleaned. He cut it into a short layered Bob, fixing the uneven monstrosity from Brian. Her face was cleaned, with a new layer of mascara applied. What concerned her the most, he undressed her. She now wore a long white nightgown that had features similar to a wedding dress.
"The following day, Elise's world shifted once again. The man—who had introduced himself the night before as Lucas—came in bearing a small tray of food. It wasn't much—just a piece of bread and a bowl of soup—gumbo maybe--but it was food. She hid her excitement over the food. Her husband would never allow her to eat so many calories in one meal. Ellie weighed 90 pounds and stood five feet tall. Her husband made sure she never gained over 100 pounds. He wanted a petite wife. One with crystal blue eyes, innocent eyes. Long blonde hair, never allowed to be cut. Hair he could use as a leash. One everyone would fawn over. The perfect fragile wife.
Lucas untied her hands, watching her closely as she awkwardly fumbled with the spoon.
"You're not as talkative as I thought you would be," Lucas remarked, his voice softer now, but still laced with a touch of mockery.
Elise stared down at the soup, avoiding his gaze. "What's the point? You'll do what you want anyway. Just make sure to kill me at the end of it."
Lucas leaned back in his chair, his expression amused. "Resigned to your fate already?" He tilted his head, scrutinizing her. "What's your deal, huh? I figured most people would by crying to go home by now? You, not you."
Elise's hands clenched into fists at her sides, but she remained silent. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing how scared she truly was. Even though life was worse on the outside, she still feared death as most do.
Finally, she muttered, "Home's not much better."
The words hung In the air, and Lucas's gaze sharpened. "Oh? Trouble in paradise? Your husband is the CEO to Sterling Enterprise. He is a billionaires. Loads of money. You, Ellie, don't get me started. Famous ballerina by 16 and Model by 18. You're ama…..Your life seems amazing."
She didn't respond, but her silence spoke volumes. Lucas studied her for a long moment, before smirking. "Hmmmm, tell me something Ellie. What happened? How did you get those? A fight?
"A fight?"
He pointed down to her legs, still covered from her last beating. She couldn't even remember why her husband was so mad anymore.
"Like you said, trouble in paradise."