Sitting across Charlotte was the face she despised so so much. "Say ahhh. C'mon sweetie open your mouth." Douglas said in a sickly sweet voice. He held a fork in front of her face. Her mouth was no longer taped. "I brought your favourite, Chicken Parmigiana."
Charlotte turned her face away from him. Her eyes refused to look at him. She bit the inside of cheeks and hoped someone was searching for her. She didn't know how long she had been trapped here but she knew that someone at the office must've realised she was missing by now.
"Look at me! Look at me Charlotte Sinclair." Charlotte heard the screeching of the chair against his loud voice. Her already throbbing head ached even more. She felt his cold fingertips grip her jaw forcing her to open her mouth but Charlotte held her lips shut and ignored the force on her jaw. "Damn it Charlotte, why are you forcing me to use violence?" Douglas threw the fork on the floor and swiped all the food from the makeshift table. "I love you, so let me love you okay?" He looked at Charlotte with pitiful eyes but even then he received no reply. In anger he left the room.
Charlotte felt her eyes become misty. She felt the stinging of tears. She looked up to the dark ceiling. She had been missing for more than 24 hours. The only sense of time she had was when Douglas would come in. The light that poured into the room or shipping container she diagnosed was her only source of time.
Charlotte moved her eyes around the room when spotted the shattered plate an idea dawned on her. With difficulty she moved the chair towards the broken glass plate. She rocked sideways until she landed on her side on the floor. "Ugh!" She grunted in pain when she felt the impact on her shoulder but just like the rest of the pain plaguing her body she ignored it.
Charlotte spun her body along with the chair until her hand could get a hold of a shard of the plate. When she grabbed a piece she used the shape edge to cut the rope tied around her wrists. When she succeeded she untied her legs and got up from her seat. She tiptoed to the door and listened to any sign of Douglas. With her heart hammering in her chest, Charlotte opened the door.
– —
After Alexa had found the tunnel, she was hoping for it to lead her somewhere but unfortunately it had a dead end. She told her father about it and he had sent a team to survey this inconspicuous tunnel. It had been 36 hours since her aunt was last seen but there was still no sign of her. This secret tunnel was currently their only hope.
Elliot was in Charlotte's office. He was looking over the CCTV cameras placed in the parking lot. After worrying about her for so long he could not sit still. The uncomfortable scratching in his heart unable him to sit still.
As expected, Sofia had already deleted the original footage and replaced it with a loop before she decided to confess. He couldn't gain anything from it. After trying for so long Elliot felt frustrated. He slammed his fist on the table and covered his arm over his eyes, stopping his tears from spilling. God damn it! He was literally with her yesterday morning.
Even though it's been only a few months since they started dating and their beginning was rushed. There was understanding between them that allowed them to be so safe and secure with each other. He loved Charlotte a lot. Elliot didn't know what he would do if she wasn't in his life. He felt miserable and the negative thoughts that were in head rose one after another and ate at him.
But a sudden call from Alexa woke him up from his reverie.
"Elliot, we have made some progress!" Her excited voice came through the phone. Elliot jumped to his feet, his heart beating widely in his chest along with his ears.
– —
"Not so fast are you Charlie honey!" Douglas tied Charlotte back up again but this time she dropped her on the floor. His patience was running thin. He was trying to be nice and gentle to her but she kept on rejecting him. Douglas breathed in and suppressed his frustration.
"Charlotte i love you, you love me. C'mon don't you want our happy ending." He whispered into her ear. "The Prince saves the Princess and they live happily ever after. Don't you want that?" Charlotte's face formed into disgust. What twisted fantasy did he have in his head? He was no way her prince. He was a villain in her nightmare.
"Douglas please just let me go." Charlotte tried once again. "I won't report you so don't worry about going back to jail. I promise you."
"I was never imprisoned, Charlie dear."
Douglas traced Charlotte's jaw with his finger as if admiring the most beautiful painting.
"Bullshit! I saw with my own two eyes you being dragged by the police officer." Charlotte struggled against his touch as the overwhelming feeling of disgust qnd fear filled her chest. He was being overly touched for liking. It rose a sense of distress in her chest. "Get your hands off me!" She screamed.
Douglas laughed maniacally. "That guy is an imposter. I paid him to get plastic surgery to look like me so he would be the one to go to jail and not me. I was free all this time. I watched you Charlie, all the time. Of course with a helpful hand from my sister."
He held Charlotte's jaw in his hand and tightened his hold. "But it seems I've given you too much freedom." He used his other hand and ripped her top into two. "You belong to me, Charlotte Sinclair. Only me!!" Douglas shouted as he began ripping the remaining shirt off from her body.
Charlotte struggled and whimpered. "Let go of me!!" She lifted her leg to kick him or do anything to stop him but it was all futile.
Douglas tied Charlotte's feet just like her hands. He then proceeded to slap her cheek. The sound echoed in every corner of the cold dingy room.
Douglas forced himself on Charlotte as he kissed her aggressively. Charlotte bit his lips until it bled and he could no longer take it. "You b*tch isn't my love enough for you that you had to go find a pretty boy?!" He yelled aggressively as he wiped the blood from his lip and smacked Charlotte once again.
Charlotte laughed while the metallic taste of the blood was still in her mouth and the ringing bell in her ear increased. She was in so much pain but she wasn't going to let him see her weakness. "I hope you die, you bastard!"
As Douglas raised his hand to slay Charlotte again, the phone in his pocket started ringing. "What?!!" He barked.