My life was content up until a year ago. I lost everything, and now I feel as I should never have been put on this earth in the first place if this is how it would end. The car accident was just the start. Driving home to my loving, persuasive husband who convinced me to come home early that day. I had a bad feeling that I couldn’t put into words.
I sat at a stoplight for what seemed like forever and suddenly, sound of the crash and glass shattering filled my ears. Thrown out of the car like a doll, the other driver did not care about the life behind the wheel besides their own. I was rushed to the hospital and I never found out who smashed into the side of my car. Two days later, I finally woke up to the beep of my heart rate monitor and realized it was a miracle I was alive. From now on, I was going to look at life with a new perspective.
It wasn’t John who drove me home from the hospital, but Noah, a man who worked with him.
“Your husband is busy working at the moment. I was told to come get you,” he smiled.
The ride was long, but when we arrived, I figured out soon enough that my new life perspective would not go the way I imagined. Opening the door to the smell of a soft candle burning and music playing. I was glad to be home and for everything to go back to normal. All of the sudden, Noah forced me down the stairs into the basement and I was shoved into a small, enclosed room. All I saw was a bed with a single white linen sheet, a desk with no lamp or form of light, one small window covered by grass on the outside, and a camera in the corner of the ceiling. Thinking it was a hallucination from my medication, I sat on the bed and waited for John.
Minutes later, I heard a knock on the door and stood up with open arms to see him. The door cracked open. There was John, standing straight with perfect posture and his chin up towards the ceiling. Sticking his head in the door with the smirk he gets when he wins a case, and this time he won.
He won control over me and my every move.
He was now able to watch me at any point of any day.

I woke up knowing today would be a great day. I got myself ready, ate breakfast, and walked down to the basement where my beautiful wife was. When I opened the door, she was wide awake, but had looked like she didn’t sleep the night before.
“Why are you doing this to me?” she trembled.
I walked closer to Annie, “That is a story for a rainy day. Now, would you like your breakfast?”
She was too overwhelmed to eat, which I hoped for. I double checked the security camera, as she had not broken it yet.
Before I left, I noticed Annie look directly at my bruised and scratched hand as she turned pale.
“What are those from?” she asked.
I started to walk out of the room, “Oh, nothing. It is none of your concern. I will see you tonight, have a lovely day my wife.”
I locked the door behind me and left for work.

Before John said goodbye, I saw his injured hand and could only imagine what it was from. He used to always keep me on my toes with his injuries, but now, all we keep from each other is secrets.
Was he the one who crashed into my car?
Was that part of his plan to have Noah bring me home so John could prepare for my arrival?
As soon as I heard the car engine of his black convertible disappear into the distance, I was home alone. John wouldn’t be back for hours, so this was my only chance.
I covered the camera with the linen sheet and began cranking on the door handle. It only locks from the outside, but I kept imagining I am the one in control. The knob was as stubborn as John and there was no way I was changing its mind. All day long, I kept trying to break the door down. I even used the leg of the desk to try to smash the window, but it was out of my reach.
John had this whole plan figured out. He thought of all the possible ways I would attempt at escaping and make none of them possible.
He probably saw me put the sheet over the camera, and I was expecting him to turn his car around and punish me for my actions.

Today is Friday. This means Jess and Mike are coming at 2:00 for lunch. I told them the house was a mess, but in fact, it is spotless. The mess is Annie. I need to make sure she doesn’t make a sound today, or she will be punished. I walk downstairs to give her a bowl of pasta and a glass of water.
“You have 20 minutes to eat. Leave the tray with the cup, napkin, and bowl at the edge of the door, I will come back to retrieve it soon.”
I did not want her to have the dishes in her room while Michael and Jess were here. I know my wife is smart, and she would find some way to make a noise for Mike and Jess to hear.

It has been three days since I attempted to escape. I am starting to feel weak, as I have only been given one glass of water each day and a bowl of pasta.  The window won’t open and the lamp is starting to dim. My limbs feel like they will crack at any point.
All I can do is sit on the bed and pray John will realize how cruel he is being and bring me more food other than a bowl of carbs.
I get the feeling John knows I tried to escape because the sound of drills are making it hard for me to think. He is working on finding a way to make the security better, and I know he is wasting his time. I won’t be getting out any time soon, unless my plan works. John finally gave me a meal and he put a napkin under the cup. I searched through the desk drawers until I came across one black pen. Hoping John wouldn’t be the one to find the note, I wrote “come to the basement, quick,” on the napkin. I put it on the tray and covered it with the bowl.
If this doesn’t work, I don’t know what will.

Jess made the meal and Michael made dessert. Like they said, all I had to do was let them in. This was much better than last time we had lunch. Jess talked to me more, we laughed together, and Michael told us about his job raise. It could have been the nice weather or the delicious meal, but all that mattered was Jess did not seem to suspect a thing.
As I started to get up from the table, Jess stopped me.
“Sit back down, I will clean the dishes today.”
“You will not,” I say. “You made the entire lunch, it is the least I could do.”
“I told you your job was to let us in, I will take care of the rest and I intend to keep my word.” Jess walked over to the sink.
I knew I wouldn’t change her mind, considering how stubborn she is.
Ten minutes into Jess washing the pots and pans, I see her pick up the cup Annie used earlier today.
“I’m so sorry, that was mine from this morning. You shouldn’t have to clean that up,” I stumbled.
“No worries, I will clean all of them.”
I slouched back in my chair hoping she wouldn’t notice it wasn’t mine. As I watch her pick up the bowl and set it in the sink, a puzzled look covers her face.
“Is everything ok?” I questioned.
Jerking her body and eyes over to me, “Oh, yes all is just fine,” she replied.
I did not want her to think I was worried, so I continued talking to Michael as she finished the dishes. I planned on looking later to see what was in the sink that made her face turn white.
“Thank you so much for having us,” Michael said.
“No problem! It is always good to take a break from work and catch up with you both,” I smiled.
“Annie was right, your house is beautiful,” Jess added. “Is your basement this nice too? Annie did tell me you turned it into a guest room.”
“Well, nobody has been down their in a while. It is filled with Annie’s things, I can’t bring myself to throw any of it out.”
“Michael and I would be willing to he-”
“That’s alright. Maybe another time” I interrupted.
Confused, Jess looked at me and responded, “ok then.”

I sat on the cold, concrete floor of what was now my bedroom. I cried, having my first breakdown since I was put in here. I am surprised I have lasted as long as I have.
Suddenly, I hear the creaky door at the top of the stairs open and close followed by footsteps. Each step, the sound gets louder and louder. I was praying someone got my note without John catching them. The door to the cell I was stuck in swings open as I lift my head up.
“How did Jess find out about the basement and why did she ask questions?!” John was enraged. The sound of his deep traumatizing voice was so loud, I had hoped someone was able to hear it outside.
I sat there quietly with my arms wrapped around my knees as John stepped closer. He grabbed onto my arms and threw me up towards the wall. He pinned his hands against my wrists as my heart beat faster. 
His hands were cold. He didn’t have one pure bone in his body.
It was hard to breathe.
“Let go of me!” I screamed.
Surprisingly, he released his hands as I slid back down the wall and wrapped my arms around again.
“Don’t you ever pull something like that or you will never see outside of this room for good,” he snarled.
John slammed the door and tears instantly ran down my face. This was the end, except for one small glimmer of hope.
Somebody knows I am down here.

After Annie’s incident with Jess, I realized I made a huge mistake having Michael and Jess over at my house. It was too risky, especially since Annie could pull another stunt like that. These lunches were supposed to help make life seem normal, but I think they made it seem more suspicious.
“I don’t think I am able to make lunch next week. I am the busiest I have ever been, which is a good and a bad thing,” I said over the phone.
Michael responded, “No worries! I understand. I will let Jess know so we can reschedule when you aren’t as busy.”

It has officially been one month since I returned home from the hospital. I still held on to hope, but I was not counting on getting out of here. I heard the garage open, the car start, and the engine slowly fade away like usual. John went to work.
After trying to sleep for an hour, I hear glass shatter and the house alarm start going off. Immediately, my mind flashes back to last month. The glass, the dialing of 911, and the horn beep nonstop. I was switched back to reality a few seconds later. It could have been an intruder, so I stayed quiet hoping they wouldn’t go down to the basement. Although, part of me wished they would so I can escape this hell hole.
I sit in the corner of the room facing the entrance with both eyes watching for any movement of the door.
I wait.
My heart beats 1000 times per minute just thinking about who is in the house. It could be John, Noah, or an intruder.
“John might have come home early,” I thought.
“Noah might be watching me to help my husband.”
“An intruder could be wanting to vandalize and steal our belongings.”
I asked myself one question, “why would they be breaking the window?”
Suddenly, the door slowly swings open. I get off of the bed and stand with both feet on the cold concrete. My body is positioned so it mirrors the door, as I wait to see who it is.
My eyes widen and I am as still as a statue.
It isn’t John, Noah, or an intruder.
Jess and I make eye contact, “You’re coming with me.”
Without hesitation, I grab the door and we run up the stairs. When we entered the living room, I stopped running. I take in all that has happened and how I haven’t seen my house or daylight in an entire month. Jess is already ahead of me at the front door. We sprint to her car where the engine was already running and the driver side door is open. Jess hops in and I get in the passenger seat. The alarm is beeping so loud, it feels like the whole world can hear. The car makes skid marks on the driveway as we head for Jess’s house. She is driving so fast I can’t even see the cars passing us, except for one. A black convertible; John’s car. He knew the alarm was going off, which is why he was rushing to check on me and see what I have done. I duck my head below the dashboard as Jess slows down and waves to him. He doesn’t even bother to wave back.
I lift my head up to see four police cars driving by with sirens blaring.
“I called 911 before I broke the window. They should meet John just in time.”
A sigh of some relief runs through my lungs. I wouldn’t be able to breathe completely until he is locked up.
The sirens, dialing 911, and getting locked up all happened to me. Now the roles are reversed. John can feel what I went through, except there is one difference.
I was a victim, and he deserves every second of it.