Elena took a slow breath, forcing herself to reach for the food again. The bread felt stale in her hands, but she didn’t care. She needed to survive. She couldn’t let herself break, not yet.
But the words from the woman echoed in her mind, taunting her. “He’s not just any guy. He’s the kind of man who gets what he wants.” She had heard stories, rumors of men like Dominic. Powerful. Dangerous. Unstoppable.
She could feel the walls closing in on her again, the silence growing heavier. The loneliness crept in, pressing down on her chest. She had no idea where Dominic was, what he was doing, or even if he was aware of the misery he was putting her through. But she could feel his presence lingering, like a shadow waiting to pounce.
Her mind raced. What were her options? There were no windows, no escape routes. No one to turn to. She was alone in this cold, sterile room with only the weight of her thoughts for company.
But something stirred inside of her, something she hadn’t felt in days—defiance. She wasn’t going to just give up. She wasn’t going to let him win, not without a fight.
Elena stood up, her fingers trembling slightly as she wiped her face with the back of her hand. She couldn’t let the fear control her. She couldn’t let him control her. She would find a way out of this, no matter how impossible it seemed.
She glanced at the door, wondering when the woman would come back, or if Dominic himself would show up. Her eyes hardened with determination. If they thought she was weak, if they thought she would just bend to their will, they were wrong. She wasn’t done fighting yet.
With a final glance at the untouched food, Elena moved toward the door. She pressed her ear against it, straining to hear any sounds from the hallway outside. The silence remained.
Her mind raced with possibilities—ways to escape, ways to fight back. But for now, she would bide her time. She had to. She couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.
As she paced back toward the bed, she spotted a small piece of glass on the floor—a shard from the broken lamp earlier in the day. Her breath caught as she knelt down to pick it up. It wasn’t much, but it was something. Maybe it was her way out, or at least a way to defend herself.
She clutched the shard tightly in her hand, her knuckles white from the pressure. It was a small victory, but it was a victory nonetheless.
Elena sat back on the edge of the bed again, her heart racing but her resolve firm. Dominic had no idea what he was about to face.
And neither did she.
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