Chapter 2 - A FEIGNED OBLIVIONThe sun bled through the curtains the next morning,
casting long,
jagged shadows across the floorboards.
I lay in bed,
watching the dust motes dance in the light,
and practiced my performance.
I needed to look sluggish.
I needed to look confused.
I needed to look like the woman they had been poisoning for twenty-one days.
When the door opened,
I didn't turn my head immediately.
I let my eyes glaze over,
staring at nothing.
"Good morning,
sweetheart,"
Daniel said,
his voice a perfect imitation of a doting husband.
He was carrying a tray with a cup of coffee and a small,
white bowl of oatmeal.
I felt a surge of nausea,
knowing that every item on that tray likely contained a chemical cage.
"Daniel?"
I rasped,
making sure my voice sounded cracked and weak.
"I feel...
so heavy."
He sat on the edge of the bed,
placing a hand on my cheek.
His touch,
once a source of comfort,
now felt like the skin of a reptile.
"I know,
love,"
he cooed.
"That’s why we’re seeing Dr. Sterling today."
"He’s going to help you get your spark back."
I forced a slow,
vacant nod.
"I can't remember...
did we talk about the house last night?"
I watched his eyes.
There was a momentary flicker of calculation,
a tightening of the skin around his temples.
"No,
darling,"
he lied smoothly.
"You fell asleep right after your medicine."
"You were babbling a bit about your father,
though."
"It's the stress,
I'm sure of it."
I pushed myself up,
acting as if the weight of my own limbs was too much to bear.
I took a sip of the coffee,
barely letting the liquid touch my lips before setting it back down.
"I need to use the bathroom,"
I whispered.
He helped me up,
his grip firm on my arm,
acting as a support while actually acting as a guard.
Once I was inside the bathroom with the door locked,
I leaned against the cold tiles and breathed.
I had exactly thirty minutes before we had to leave for the "appointment."
I reached into the back of the vanity,
behind a stack of old towels,
and pulled out a secondary phone I had hidden months ago when Daniel first started acting strange.
I had kept it as a precaution,
never thinking I would actually need it to save my life.
My fingers trembled as I typed a message to my lawyer,
Mr. Henderson.
"Emergency.
Daniel and Rachel are trying to commit me."
"Do not authorize any transfers."
"I am being drugged."
"Do not call back.
Text only."
I hit send and waited for the tiny checkmark to appear.
My heart was racing so fast I thought I might actually have a heart attack.
A moment later,
the phone buzzed.
"I understand.
Where are you?"
I quickly typed the address of Dr. Sterling’s clinic.
"Coming there now.
Bring the police if I don't check in by noon."
I hid the phone back in its spot,
splashed cold water on my face,
and looked at myself in the mirror.
My skin was pale,
and there were dark circles under my eyes,
partly from the drugs and partly from the terror.
I had to look the part of the broken woman,
but inside,
I was sharpening a blade.
"Eleanor?"
Daniel’s voice came from the other side of the door,
sharp and impatient.
"We’re going to be late."
"Coming,
Daniel,"
I called back,
carefully smoothing my hair.
"I just need a moment to find my strength."
As I walked out of that bathroom,
I realized that I wasn't just fighting for my property anymore.
May you like
I was fighting for my soul.
And I would not let them take it without a war.
