Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 35349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
“How’d you sleep?” he asked, a tiny smirk lifting one corner of his mouth.
I swallowed, then licked my lips. My throat felt too tight and dry to answer. I knew he asked me just because he wanted to get a sick rise out of me.
When I didn’t speak, he told me, “I have something for you.”
My heart raced as a thousand possibilities flashed through my mind, none of them comforting.
“Come on, Dolly. I promise you’ll like it.”
When I didn't move, he exhaled, apparently frustrated.
“You’ll learn to trust me.” He stared into my eyes, like he desperately wanted those words to sink in and be true. “I thought we could eat breakfast outside. The fresh air and sunshine will make you feel better.”
I barely hesitated before slipping off the bed because going outside was too much of a temptation, and I couldn't—and didn’t want to—stop myself or fight him on this.
With legs that felt too shaky to even walk straight, I moved around the bed. Lars stood by the door, waiting, his eyes never leaving me as I stopped in front of the chair and grabbed the sweater I’d left on it last night after my bath. My heart pounded in my chest as I moved toward him. When I was about to pass him, I looked away. His stare—his presence—was too intense, and I felt it on and in every single part of me.
Even though my pulse pounded in my ears, I could still hear that the cabin was silent except for the faint sound of wind and birds chirping coming from outside. No TV, no radio—just nature—and it was calling to me. But still, I stopped, pressed my back to the hallway wall, and waited for him to move in front of me. I swore he leaned in close to me and inhaled as he passed.
When he kept walking, I followed him down the narrow hallway, my gaze darting around as I took in every little part of the cabin I could see. The walls were made of dark, weathered wood, covered with handmade art pieces that seemed old-world.
The hallway opened up to a small living room, an intimate kitchen, and a stone hearth that was already alive with crackling flames in its fireplace. I stared at the fireplace, a pile of chopped wood neatly stacked beside it. I realized I was breathing harder and tried to calm myself.
The furniture was simple and hand carved. Upholstered, wooden armchairs were in front of the fireplace, worn but comfortable-looking. There was a worn two-seater table and a faded rug beneath it that was close to the kitchen. Everything about the place felt old and untouched by time, like it had been here forever, hidden away in these woods.
It probably has.
Lars went into the kitchen, and I watched him gather what I assumed was the breakfast he’d spoken of that we’d eat outside.
I kept glancing around, wanting to know everything I could about my prison. My gaze drifted to the lone window in the living room. Beautifully embroidered curtains were on either side of the glass, but they too looked old and sun-bleached. The glass was cloudy, but I could see all the trees right outside and the swatches of sunlight that filtered through the treetops.
Noise of Lars gathering items filled the small interior, and I swallowed hard when he headed toward the front door. My breath caught in my throat as he turned the knob and pulled the door open. The sun broke into the cabin, and for a second, I squinted at how bright it was.
The cool morning air blew inside and touched my skin. It had been days since I felt and smelled fresh air and since the sunlight had caressed my skin. I was walking toward the opened doorway before I knew I was doing it.
“You’re free to go outside.”
I realized I’d stopped. Maybe my unease was pouring off me?
Breathing something other than the confined cabin air inside was too tempting to resist, so I kept walking the rest of the way through the cabin, right out the front door, and onto the small, wooden porch.
“I want you to explore, Dolly,” Lars said from behind me, his voice steady but somehow softer. “There’s nowhere to go but here.” And just like that, his words felt like chains, reminding me I wasn’t actually free to do anything.
I glanced back at him, surprised he stood several feet behind me, giving me space. I swallowed again and stepped off the porch but glanced at him again, expecting he’d shift his calm attitude toward me and pull me back in, changing his mind.
But his body remained still, his dark gaze watching me. He’d been so controlling up until this point. Yet right now, he was giving me space, allowing me to put a semblance of distance between us. It felt like a trick, yet a deep part of me told me this was real.