Luxurious cage.

The evening blended into the night, and I was still locked in that man's bedroom.

I had not moved from the chair he'd left me in, too fearful of what I would discover if I dared to move around.

My eyes started hurting from staring into the distance for too long, the thick drapes blocking the view of the dark sky.

Time slipped from my grasp as I continued to glue myself to the chair, my nails digging into the side of the chair as anxiety embedded itself deep in my bones.

The wait was unbearable. It left me alone with my thoughts, contemplating on what had happened after I stepped into this apartment and the dilemma I was met with.

Even though I could barely see anything in front of me, I could still invision the three items that the man had laid down on the table.

I had a hard time wrapping my mind around what that was about and all the accusations he shot my way before he tried to make me end my own life.

What had my father dragged me into?

I tried my absolute best to try to keep myself calm, to stop my eyes from constantly watering, and to stop my mind from drifting into an exhausted state that was trying to force my head down and go to sleep.

My fight ended for another hour, or, at least, I think it lasted for another hour. But before I knew it, my head was slowly leaning over, hanging loosely on my neck, swinging from side to side as I tried to keep my eyes open.

In the end, I lost the fight, and drifted into a nightmare infested sleep.

Even asleep, I was still trapped in the dark, back in that dirty room with barely any air to breathe. The stench of blood and filth made my nose hurt, and no matter how much I covered my nose, I could never get the smell out of my system.

I felt the ground make my skin burn. It wasn't the kind of burn that was caused by fire, but one that was caused by a biting coldness. I felt naked in that cage again, awaiting another humiliation and another punishment for something I didn't do, for something that had nothing to do with me.

And then, all of a sudden, before I could even know it, his face appeared. His beaten, scarred, twisted face popped into my vision, his toothy grin mocking me.

A loud gasp escaped my lips as I shot up from the chair, knocking it backward. The crash of the chair made me jump for the second time in a row.

It took a few seconds for my vision to clear and the panic to leave my body.

The light coming from a single bulb was switched off, but the room was not completely dark either.

Even though the thick drapes still guarded the room, a few strays of light had stolen their way in, shedding the least amount of light on the perfectly made bed and the ceramic floor.

My eyes frantically moved around the rest of the room, trying to see if there were any signs of that man.

I had held my breath the entire time I was looking around, and I was only able to breathe when I realized that he was nowhere to be seen.

The deep sigh that escaped my lips was the kind that came from relief.

However, my relief lasted only a few seconds.

I looked down at the small table, and my breath caught in my throat when I realized that there was a small note left in front of me.

Every part of me wanted to ignore it, to pretend like the darkness in the room prevented me from seeing it.

But if my husband was the one who left me this letter, then I assumed nothing good could come from ignoring it.

I reached out to the small paper with shaky hands and picked it up. There was not enough light to read what the note said, forcing me to step closer to the bed to catch the light coming through the gaps of the thick drapes.

"You have an hour to get ready. Connor will come over to pick you up."

I read the note over and over again. 

Get ready for what?

Where was Connor going to take me?

When did he leave me this note to begin with?

Has an hour already passed since he left me this note?

Questions upon question popped into my head. I felt conflicted.

I didn't want to stay in this apartment for another day, but I was more terrified of going outside to whatever event I was going to be taken to.

My head pounded as I looked around, searching for a light switch.

The drapes looked like they were drawn on purpose, and I made no plans to remove them.

My eyes landed on a switch, and I slowly limped towards it and flipped it on. 

The single light bulb lit up on the ceiling, and using the light, I limped towards the door.

Grabbing the nob, I twisted it, expecting the door to resist as I was certain the man had locked me in the bedroom.

But the door gave way, and I slowly opened it to reveal the hallway he had dragged me through the previous night.

I could still feel his gloved hand on my arm, fingers digging into my flesh mercilessly as he took me to his room. My skin burned at the mere thought of it.

Taking a deep breath, I forced my feet to move, and I walked through the slightly dark hall until I reached the living room of the apartment.

My suitcases were placed in front of the elevator, just a few steps away from the door, taking up all the attention in the living room.

I once again searched for the light switch and turned the single bulb on to get a better view of the room.

I hadn't noticed just how empty the apartment felt yesterday. 

There was no television in the sitting room, and there was no other furniture except for a single long couch facing the direction of the elevator, sitting awkwardly in the center of the large room.

My eyes moved to the open kitchen, and it felt like I was looking at a house that wasn't ready for a person to move in.

While everything was too clean, there was nothing else in sight. 

Something told me that there wouldn't be a single item of food in that kitchen, and I didn't take it upon myself to check.

The entire apartment felt like a large empty box that looked luxurious with ceramic floors, a couch, a single bed, a small table, and nothing else. It was still a cage, a prison, just a lot fancier than the last cage I was trapped in.

I moved my eyes to my suitcases again, wondering what event I was going to go to.