I pulled on my wrists throughout the night. The rope burned and tore into my flesh. I knew that I could not escape these ropes, but the pain in my shoulders was becoming unbearable. I would grit my teeth and pull my wrists to try and ease the ache in my arms.

There were no windows in the basement, so I could not tell when it was morning. I guessed that they were having breakfast when I heard the sound of footsteps above me. I bit down on my lip and prayed that someone would come down here to untie me.

My prayers were answered when I heard the basement door open. The light flickered on and it burned my eyes. I turned my head to the side to see Gabe coming down the stairs.

He came over to the mattress and got down on one knee. I tried to push myself up, and the plastic crinkled underneath me. He leaned down and brushed my hair off of my face.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"My arms hurt," I said.

He reached over to my hands. I looked up to see him run his fingers along the sore red skin on my wrists.

"How do I know that you are never going to do it again?" he asked.

"I won't," I said. "I promise."

"This could just be another act," he said. "I'm not going to fall for it again."

I squeezed my eyes shut. I had been gaining their trust. I should have just waited it out and not tried to kill Gabe. It was such a stupid mistake.

"You need to learn how to behave," he said.

"Please, I am in so much pain," I said. "I promise that I have learned my lesson."

Gabe let out a deep breath. He took off his baseball cap and ran his hand over his hair. He closed his eyes for a moment before looking down at me. A few tears escaped my eyes when I blinked.

"You're lucky I have a soft spot for you," he said. "Stop crying and I'll untie you."

I sniffled and nodded my head. Gabe pulled the knots out of the rope. I groaned when I was able to move my sore muscles. I pushed myself up so that I was sitting. I rubbed my aching shoulders.

"I need to know that you won't hurt me again," Gabe said. "How do I know that you really have learned your lesson?"

"I promise that I won't hurt you," I said. I bit down on my bottom lip and forced myself to say what he wanted to hear. "I love you."

"Prove it to me."

"How?"

"Lie down."

My eyes widened as I shook my head. Gabe put his hand on my back.

"You have to prove to me that you love me if you want to leave this basement," he said.

I shivered as I thought about Gabe's words. I did not want to be tied to this pole again. My shoulders were still screaming in pain from being stuck in an awkward position all night.

Gabe rubbed my back as my mind raced. He had forced himself on me many times before. It was awful, but it rarely lasted long. If I did this I could gain back Gabe's trust I could try my original plan. It would take longer, but clearly I needed to outsmart them.

I let out a shaky breath as I lied back down on the mattress. Gabe smiled. I closed my eyes and let Gabe do whatever he liked to me.

--

Gabe had his arms around me as we walked up the steps of the basement. When we got into the kitchen, Noah and Jenny were leaning against the counter talking to each other. Jenny's back was to us, but she turned around when Noah raised an eyebrow.

"Out of the basement already?" he asked.

"I think she has learned," Gabe said.

"Don't be foolish."

"She showed me that she loved me downstairs."

Gabe's words made my skin crawl. I shivered. He mistook this for me being cold and wrapped his arms tighter around me.

"I don't want another repeat of last night," Noah said.

"That won't happen," Gabe said. He kissed my cheek. "Let's get you cleaned up, sweetheart."

Gabe pulled me out of the kitchen and up the stairs. I thought that he was going to drag me to the bedroom, but instead he brought me down to the bathroom. He pushed me down so that I was sitting on the edge of the bathtub. He reached over and turned the tap to fill the tub. He poured soap into the swirling water.

Gabe got down on his knees in front of me. He placed his hands on my thighs.

"I love you so much," he said.

"I love you too," I said.

I knew that it was what he wanted to hear. It was all I could say to keep myself out of the basement.

"I love hearing you say that," he said.

He leaned up and pressed his lips against mine. He reached over and turned off the tap. He got up off of his knees and pulled me up. I stayed quiet as he undressed me and helped me into the tub.

The warm soapy water was heavenly against my skin. The smell of sweat had been following me since I left the basement. Gabe was on the edge of the tub. He dipped a washcloth in the water and scrubbed my skin.

"Tell me you love me again," he said.

"I love you," I said.

Gabe smiled as he washed my back. I brought my knees up and wrapped my arms around myself. I squeezed my eyes shut as I pressed my forehead against my knees. By closing my eyes, I could almost transport myself to a situation where it was Finn having this intimate moment with me.

"You're going to be so happy here," he said. "Soon we are going to have a son and you are going to be such a great mother."

My heart ached as I raised my head to look at Gabe. Of course he wanted children. Jenny told me it was my job to be a wife and mother. Hearing the words come from Gabe's mouth made the reality of the situation set in.

"I don't want children," I said.

"Don't be silly," he said. "We are going to have a family of our own."

"Gabe-"

"Linds, it's going to happen."

I bit down on my lip and put my head back on my knees. I stayed silent as I let Gabe finish washing my body.

--

I lied on my back in the dark. I had yet been able to fall asleep and I knew that Gabe's alarm was going to go off in a few hours. I listened to him as he snored and my mind thought back to Finn. Whenever we slept together, I was so peaceful and content. Being around Gabe made me on edge. I was just thankful that Gabe did not have his arms around me in a crushing embrace tonight.

I propped myself up on my elbow to take another look at Gabe's key in the moonlight. It was so tempting to touch, but I had to hold myself back.

In a matter of time, I would have that key in my hand.