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Rowan wasn’t sure how long it had been, but Charles had drugged her at least one other time, changing her clothes and doing whatever he wanted to her body. She wanted to call him out on the violation, but he’d reacted badly when she’d challenged him on not leaving her food. Her cheek still hurt from the backhand he’d dished out the other day.

Charles hadn’t shown in what felt like at least a day, maybe more. She had enough water, and there were some crackers, but there wasn’t any other food for her to consume. She would have to ration the crackers. She had enough length in the chain to go to one of the windows and get some sun, but it wasn’t much.

The second or maybe third day here she’d opened the window and yelled for help. No one responded. They must be really out in the wilderness with no neighbors around. She’d spent an hour or two listening for car noise or an airplane or anything, but she hadn’t heard one plane flying overhead or one car driving. There was no way anyone would ever find her .

The area was desolate. No one was close enough to save her. She was trapped, and there would be no escape.

As the sun set, she chewed on a cracker as thoughts of pizza and chicken nuggets filled her mind. She wanted a soda to drink and maybe a glass of wine, but not at the same time. She longed to sit in a tub and relax or stand under a shower until the hot water ran out.

The sound of a vehicle crunching up the drive got her attention. It sounded weird. Not at all like Charles's car. Fear pumped through her. What if they were here to hurt her? Charles told her she had to obey his commands or she would pay. What if he was making her pay by sending someone out here to attack her?

She closed her eyes, unsure what to do. She hadn't turned on the lights but now fear for her safety almost crippled her with indecision. Should she turn on the lights or leave them off? She wanted to hide, but where?

After a moment, she decided to go into the bathroom. She shuffled over to the bathroom as quickly as she could. The shackle on her ankle still pinched, but with the bandage, it was better. Though the bathroom was the only place she could hide, she couldn't close the door all the way because of the chain.

She positioned herself behind the door and wrapped her arms around her waist, clutching the sides of her shirt as she waited for the person to enter. This could be her salvation or her demise. She just hoped it was over quickly so she didn’t have to suffer.