Reduced to Ruin

Chapter 24

When we arrived back home, it was so strange to see the house again, as if we were out of town for weeks. James escorted me up to the apartment and carried my things in.

"Thank you for taking me," I said politely. "I really had a wonderful time."

"I did, too." He hugged me tenderly, while I waited for it to finish.

He started to walk out the door but stopped. "Corrine, I feel you and I have come a long way together. And we're ready to move forward." Then he shut the door.

If I had had the chance to speak, I wouldn't have known what to say, completely confused by his comment. What did he mean, move forward? I was worried that meant he was ready to have sex. Rape.

The longing to go home came flooding back to me. I could no longer suppress or ignore it. I needed out of there. But I saw no way how.

I finally took a nap, and I longed for the sun I had felt earlier in the day. It was so easy to feel claustrophobic without a window to dream out of.

It was five o'clock, and I hoped there would be no family dinner tonight. I wanted to be left alone, to be numb, to forget what happened. Forget moving forward.

When it was apparent James wasn't coming up, I made myself a turkey sandwich, a salad, and some grapes—a wholesome, well-balanced meal compared to the crud I had eaten last night. Oddly enough, it felt good to get back into my old schedule, as boring as it was. At least there were no curveballs. I knew exactly what to expect at home—no sexy Cassandras.

The next morning I wasn't sure if James was coming for our usual workout or not, but I got prepared just in case. If he didn't show, I would exercise alone. I managed to get some sleep the night prior and felt a little more like myself.

But James didn't come. It really was a relief. I was in no mood to socialize with him. Instead, I worked out by myself. I did extra reps with the weights, pretending to punch James with every extension of my arms. Damn, it felt good.

* * *

The next day was a Sunday. I got up at 7:30, as usual, fully expecting to work out, even though I wasn't in the mood at all. While I waited for James, I watched a bit of Good Morning, America in the meantime.

Around 8:15 James came in with a couple bags and a bowl and went straight into the kitchen, seeming in a rush.

I sat up. "What's going on? Aren't we working out today?" He wasn't dressed in his exercise clothes.

"Nope," he replied, with no clarification.

"So, um, what are you doing?"

Curiosity was getting the best of me, and I walked over to the kitchen. James was already busy scrambling eggs. It looked like pancake mix in the bowl and fruit in one of the bags. In another bag there were half a dozen red carnations on the table. They were beautiful.

"Wow. What is all this for?"

"It's a beautiful day, is all," James exclaimed, leaning over to kiss me on the cheek. I fought the temptation to say a snarky comment about how I wouldn't know anything about the weather.

After breakfast was made, we sat down to eat. I hadn't had a high-calorie breakfast since before I was kidnapped.

"Wow, this is delicious. You're spoiling me," I said.

"You deserve it," James said.

"I hope my stomach knows that," I chuckled. My digestive system still wasn't quite the same since the party the other night. It's funny how much your body wants and craves nutritious food. When you deviate from that, you pay for it. Although I missed the sweets and junk food of my past life, I really did feel better eating healthy. But I hated admitting it. If I was going to take anything out of this experience when I became free was to take better care of my body.