Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Vivianne woke up in the dark room to see only a thin strip of moonlight dripping from the window. Her head palpitated still, as her body had barely had any rest. Sitting up slowly, she rubbed her temples, trying to alleviate the pain. Her stomach growled softly, reminding her of her hunger.

She had no idea how much time had passed. In a place such as this one, seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours. The room was eerily silent, save for the occasional creak of the old house, and the chain around her ankle clinked faintly with her movements, almost mocking her.

She had no idea when she fell asleep again. Her body succumbed to the burden of fear, stress, and an utter feeling of helplessness, and only while sleeping could she forget where she was. When she woke up next, it was because of the sound of the doors opening. She twitched, pulling away on the bed as she watched Reginald step inside.

There was a tray in his hands, and on his face she saw a feigned air of gentleness. Her eyes fixed on the tray with both hope and suspicion. It was a modest breakfast from what she could see. A pot of porridge, its surface dotted with a few slices of fresh fruit, likely apples. She loved apples, and he knew that.

Beside it was a cup of weak tea, steam curling up from its surface, suggesting it was freshly brewed. There was also a piece of buttered bread, slightly unevenly sliced. A small, tarnished spoon rested on the tray, along with a napkin folded neatly beside it.

Reginald placed the tray on a small table near the bed, his eyes meeting hers with a disconcerting mix of false warmth and casual detachment. “Good morning, Vivianne. I’ve brought you some breakfast. I trust you’re feeling a bit better?”

Her stomach growled in response to the sight of the food, but she remained guarded. “Thank you,” she said warily.

Much to her shock, Reginald laughed. “Do you think that I have poisoned the food?”

“I wouldn’t put it past you,” she replied with resentment. However, that feeling of hunger was slowly taking over. She wasn’t in control of it.

Reginald’s eyes followed Vivianne’s as she looked at the food, his tone carrying a disconcerting blend of mockery and reassurance. “You can eat the food, Vivianne. It’s safe. If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead already.”

Vivianne hesitated for a moment, her trust in Reginald strained but her hunger too pressing to ignore. The pangs in her stomach were unbearable. She finally gave in, reaching for the spoon.

As she began to eat the porridge, her hunger overpowered her apprehension. The warm, slightly sweetened porridge, though plain, was soothing. She ate quickly as Reginald watched her with an unsettling calm.

When she was done, he was still smiling. “Did you enjoy that?”

She frowned at him, her eyes slicing like the sharpest of blades. “How can you even ask me that?”

“I want you to be comfortable. It’s only fair, given the circumstances.”

Vivianne’s anger flared at his condescending tone. “Comfortable? How can you think comfort is even a consideration here? You’ve kidnapped me and chained me to this wall!”

Reginald’s smile widened, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You misunderstand me. I don’t wish you any harm, though it seems I have not been very successful in conveying that. I want you to be at ease, at least as much as possible, while we sort out our... issues.”

Her face flushed with indignation. “Issues? You’ve taken me against my will, and you’re talking about comfort and issues as if they were trivial matters!”

Reginald’s expression remained placid, though a hint of irritation flickered across his face. “I assure you, Vivianne, I have no intention of causing you undue distress. If you’d only trust me a little, you’d understand that my actions are driven by my feelings and my desires, not cruelty.”

Vivianne shook her head, her anger unabated. “I have no reason to trust you, Reginald. Not after everything that’s happened. You’ve only deepened my distrust with this so-called comfort.”

His eyes hardened slightly, but he kept his voice steady. “Very well. You may not understand my intentions now, but you will in time. For now, try to keep calm. It will be in your best interest to do so.”

He reached into his coat pocket and produced a small, wrapped package, setting it down on the table beside Vivianne. He watched her with an almost wistful expression as she glared back, still simmering with anger.

“I brought you a gift,” he said, his tone surprisingly gentle. “It’s a book I thought you might enjoy.”

Vivianne eyed the package with suspicion. “A book? Is this some kind of twisted joke?”

Reginald shook his head earnestly. “No joke, Viv. I wanted to give you something to help pass the time and to show that I still care about your comfort.”

“Why should I accept anything from you? I don’t understand what you want from me. You’ve kidnapped me, and now you’re trying to placate me with gifts?”

Reginald sighed, his eyes searching hers. “I understand your anger, and it’s justified. But I want you to try to see me as you once did—before all of this happened. We had something between us, something real. I still have feelings for you, Viv.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Feelings? After everything you’ve done, you expect me to believe that you still love me? This isn’t love, Reginald—this is manipulation.”

He looked pained but remained firm. “I realize it might seem that way now, but I genuinely want us to reconnect. I hope that, in time, you might see that my actions, however misguided, come from a place of deep affection.”

Vivianne stared at him, struggling to reconcile his words with the reality of her situation. “It’s hard to see anything but betrayal when I’m chained up and kept here against my will.”

Reginald’s expression softened. “I know it’s difficult, and I regret that my actions have caused you pain. But please, take the book as a gesture of my sincerity. Read it and try to remember the way things were between us.”

Suddenly, an idea came to her. There was little point in this back and forth between them. He was obviously delusional, wanting her to magically fall in love with him, not realizing that such a thing would never happen, especially not under the circumstances. That meant she might be stuck in there indefinitely. She had to find a way out, which was an impossible feat, at least as long as she was chained to that wall.

She reached down at her ankle, rubbing it. She made a face as if it caused her pain.

“Are you all right?” he asked cautiously.

“You said you wanted me to be comfortable, right?” she reminded him.

“Of course.” He nodded without hesitation.

“I am not very comfortable with this around my ankle.” She pointed at the chain. “Is it possible to take it off… if only for a minute or so?”

He obviously hadn’t been expecting that… not yet, at least. He glanced at her ankle, licking his lower lip. It took all of her conscious effort not to wretch at the sight. A part of her feared that, in his madness, he might try and take advantage of her, being in that vulnerable position.

She had to be cautious and try to escape as soon as possible. Time was of the essence, because the rational part of his brain, or the little that was left of it, was giving way to the madness that was slowly eating him up inside.

“Not yet, I’m afraid,” he said, shaking his head and getting up from the chair he was sitting on. “I do not trust you enough to do that yet.”

She almost laughed at that statement. You don’t trust me? That little voice echoed his words back to her. He had every right not to trust her.

“Just for a moment,” she repeated. “It is really uncomfortable, digging into my skin.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, sounding truly apologetic, and for a brief second she actually thought she had seen a glimpse of the man he was before all of this happened, when she knew him just as a good boy whom she believed would grow up into a fine young man. How wrong she was…

“I cannot do that.” His words reverberated, bringing her back to the present moment. “You have to earn it first. You have to show me that I can trust you enough to do that, and then… perhaps.”

She thought he would say something else, but instead he silently got up, picking up the tray and the empty plates, and left the room, making sure to lock the door behind him.

Vivianne sighed. The book lay forgotten beside her as her mind drifted back to Edward. She wondered if he was searching for her, if he was tormented by her disappearance. The ache in her chest only deepened at the thought of him thinking that she had left of her own accord.

Her thoughts returned to the night of the ball, the unsettling encounter with that woman. At the time, it had seemed like a troubling coincidence, but now the pieces fit together in a disturbing way. The scene with that woman in Edward’s arms, the note that had lured her outside, and Reginald’s sudden appearance—it was all too orchestrated to be mere happenstance.

She still had no idea what Edward’s intentions with that woman truly were. Had he wanted to stay there, with her? Had he been lured there or had he gone of his own will? There were a million questions she wanted to ask, but there was no one to hear them. At least, there was no one who would offer her an honest answer.

But still, despite everything, she wanted to see Edward. She wanted to hear his explanation and see if she believed him. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to find comfort in the thought that Edward would never give up on her, even if she wasn’t sure where he was or how close he was to finding her.

Somewhat satiated by the food she had been given, she was able to breathe more comfortably now. Things were a long way from all right, but she remembered Reginald’s words. You have to earn it.

The words echoed inside her mind like church bells. I have to earn it? she asked herself. At first, she didn’t know what that meant. Then… a horrible realization hit. She gasped, pressing her hand to her lips as she shook her head.

“No, no, no,” she kept repeating over and over again.

She would have to do the unthinkable. She would have to make him believe that she still had feelings for him. The thought made her nauseous.

She had to find a way to break free. And she had to do it fast.