Captive in Plain Sight

Doisprezece || Break

Breakfast in the Laurent Manor was tense that morning. Sitting at the far ends of the massive oak table between them, each wondered silently when their battle would resume. Glancing at him every now and then, Mila worked her way through her disappointingly light meal. The puppy sat near her, keenly waiting for scraps.

"I know." she whispered. "I wish it was bacon too."

Picking at the last bit of egg whites on her plate, she finished with a slightly furrowed brow. Not that she was ungrateful for the privilege of eating, but she was under the impression she would have something more hearty. It had been days since she had a full meal, and she desired nothing more than to dive into all the foods she'd been dreaming of.

She looked longingly at Alec's steak and eggs, choosing to keep her mouth shut instead of asserting her displeasure. It was slowly eating away at her that she had to practice being civil with him, of all people. Instead of being the strong, opinionated woman her mother taught her to be, she was becoming more and more docile.

As he continued eating, she observed the proper and controlled way he ate his meal. There was never too much or too little food on his fork. He used his fork in his left hand instead of his right, and patted his lips with the napkin on his lap after every fourth bite. The longer she watched his chiseled jawline chewing, the more spite she felt toward him.

He had ripped through her life like a 9.0 earthquake, tearing away her happiness and shattering the foundation of her world. In the past two weeks she had lost her job, and been forced to break up with the man she was ready to spend her life with. She had been put in a box and almost starved to death, while finding out her family and friends lied to her. Worst of all, was the part where she moved in with a psychopath claiming to be her ex-fiancé.

"Mila," she heard a voice say from a distance.

"Mila!" Alec said again, trying to get her attention. She jumped in her seat, snapping out of her thoughts.

"You have been staring at the same spot on the table for more than two minutes. Side-effect of the box, no doubt."

Even though she was out now, she felt different. Almost as if part of her were still there.

"While we're on the topic," she said. "There were initials carved into the side of the box. Who is 'VA'?"

He briefly paused, but continued eating.

"Do you like your gift?" he asked, ignoring her question. "I know you've always wanted a dog, but your parents never got you one as a child. You told me they thought pets were too expensive to keep."

Her eyebrows lifted. It was true. She had always wanted a dog growing up. Aware of his intentions, she knew he was purposely giving tidbits of information from their past together.

"I don't understand, Alec. Why would you do something nice for me?"

"If you don't like my gift, I'll get rid of him." He got up from the table and made his way toward them.

"No! I like him...I love him!" She picked up the little dog from the floor, sitting him in her lap before he could reach. "Thank you, Alec." She tried to muster up a genuine smile.

After a moment, he slowly moved back to his seat to finish his meal.

"Was that so hard?" he said between aggressive cuts. "To simply say 'thank you,' instead of questioning me? "