Fifteen days passed, and the strange bond between Elise and Lucas continued to grow. It was something neither of them had expected.
Lucas handed Elise a bus ticket. "You're free to go," he said simply, as though the decision had been made long ago. Elise stared at the ticket, her mind a blur. The cold metal of the chains that had bound her—mentality and emotionally—felt lighter, but her heart still ached with confusion. She had been captive since the day she married. Her whole life had been someone else's decision. Now, for the first time, she was faced with a choice.
Why?" Her voice barely rose above a whisper.
"Because you deserve a chance to fix your life," Lucas replied. His voice was firm, but not unkind. "Just… don't waste it."
Lucas went to hand her 500 dollars, keys, and another ticket. Stepping back from her, he stood to watch her leave.
"I don't want to go," she said, her hands trembling as she pushed the ticket back into his hands. She couldn't move. The weight of everything—everything she had endured—was too much. She wasn't sure what was scarier: leaving or staying.
"Ellie… Elise." His voice wavered, caught between guilt and something else she couldn't place.
"NO." The word tore out of her, raw and desperate.
"Elise, I was wrong. I am a bad person. No better than your husband. I kidnapped you because I loved you. I saw you dance the first time, and I wanted you. But when you married him, I knew I would never have a chance. I planned to keep you here forever, make you love me. I was filled with rage that you would not love me. Jealousy, your husband had what I wanted. But then I saw what your husband did to you. What he made you endure. And I realized I'm just as sick as he is. I can't do this anymore. I'm no better than him. Please, leave."
Elise stood frozen, staring at him. The suffocating chains that had bound her for so long seemed to loosen with each step. Her metaphorical changes, Lucas finally freed her from both her captors. She could leave. She could go. For the first time in her life, the choice was hers. Her choice….
"If I am free to go, I want to stay. Lucas, I have never felt safer. I slept here, I wasn't watching my back for what was about to come. I was never punished for the accidents. You never hit me over the messes I have made. Lucas, I love you..I don't want to go."
"Elise, you can't love me. You don't know me. Although you are safe here, you are not meant to be here. You cannot stay."
Elise ran to Lucas kissing him softly on his lips. For a moment, Lucas returned the kiss. This is what he wanted, this was his motive. He could finally have her, the love he always wanted.
Pulling Lucas' hands to her hips, he gripped her dress. Taking the hint, Lucas slowly lifted up her top exposes her breast. Lucas took a step back admiring her fragile frame.
"You are beautiful."
"I love you Lucas," Elise whispered.
Pulling her back into his arms as the kissed slowly, Lucas leaned her onto the wall. Half way nudes, he began to fiddle with her panties, slowly tracing his fingers along the edge.
Elise shivered, no one had made her feel like this in quiet a while.
That's what he wanted to happen, he finally had it. However, he could not do that to her. He loved her to much. She needed to be happy. Before putting his thoughts into action, Lucas stepped away.
"Elise, leave now."
She didn't speak, but as she turned toward the door, her heart hammered in her chest. She wasn't sure what lay beyond it, but it had to be better than staying. She was finally free, and somehow, it felt like a new beginning. At the same time, it was the end. Tears started trailing down her face. She looked back for Lucas, but he was already gone.
When Elise returned home. Brian was in the house being questioned again. Knocking on the door, Brian answered. the police were eager for answers. They surrounded her with questions, but she remained silent, her thoughts a blur of confusion and pain. "I don't remember much," she lied, her voice flat. "He let me go. That's all."
Brian pretended to be concerned, but Elise could see through him. His words felt hollow, empty, the concern he wore like a mask failing to hide the frustration and anger in his eyes. It was as if he was angry she had returned at all.
That same night, she packed her things, moving quickly, moving as quiet as possible to not wake up her sleeping husband. Once the police left, she heard all from Brian how he was the number one suspect. Instead of being relieved for her arrival. He was angry, the innocent wife…cause a scene. Making him the center of attention, ruining his business. A client he lost was a bruise she gained… This beating was different, however. Instead of sitting there, she fought back. She didn't care anymore. The past was done, and she was walking away from it. She was done. Completely done. Brian wouldn't hurt her anymore.
Months had passed since the night Lucas freed her. Since then, Elise was staying with a friend. Hiding away from the public, the police, and interviewers. She just wanted to have Lucas back.
Kara spoke, "People think you fell in love with him—that's why you won't report him. Have you gone to therapy? Elise, he is a bad person. Bad people need to be punished"
Elise's jaw tightened as she sat on the couch, the weight of Kara's words settling on her like a cold stone. "You need to be honest with yourself, Elise," Kara had said. But what was the truth anymore?
Elise shook her head, her voice firm as she met her friend's concerned gaze. "He helped me," she said quietly. "He helped me save myself. I will forever be grateful to him. Brian was my real captor yet he walks free. Pretending to be the innocent CEO, the perfect family man, the victim. The perfect man."
Kara's eyes widened, shock written across her face. "But this man kidnapped you. Elise, he—"
"I know," Elise interrupted, her voice steady. "He was wrong. He did terrible things. But…he never once hurt me. He never, Kara, he showed me something. He showed me I have a choice now. I wasn't just some prisoner. I have a chance to fix my life. And that's what I'm going to do."
Kara stood silent for a moment, processing Elise's words. "Are you sure?" she asked gently.
Elise nodded, her hands trembling slightly. "Yes. For the first time in my life, I'm not doing what someone else tells me to. I am not a pawn or a play toy. I'm choosing this. I'm choosing me. I am not scared anymore."
Elise closed her eyes, feeling the weight of everything she had survived. It was a painful journey, but it was hers to claim. As she looked ahead, the future wasn't a terrifying unknown anymore. It was just that—the future—a blank page ready for her to write her own story.
"You are not a bad person, Lucas. You just did some bad things. We all do," Ellie thought to herself