She couldn’t remember how she got here. The cold stone floor beneath her sent shivers crawling up her spine as she sat in the dim light of a single flickering bulb hanging from the ceiling. Her trembling hands, slick with sweat, gripped the edges of a wooden chair she didn’t recognize. Her heart pounded like a drum in her chest as she tried to piece together the fragments of memory floating just beyond her grasp. How had she ended up in this room? And where exactly was she?

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to focus on her surroundings. The room was small and windowless, with stained and cracked cinderblock walls. The air was thick and musty, carrying a faint smell of dampness and something metallic. No sounds—no hum of traffic, no voices. Just silence. A suffocating, unnerving silence.

Her throat was dry, parched, as if she hadn’t had water in days. She attempted to stand, but a sharp pain shot through her right leg, causing her to yelp and collapse back onto the chair. The source of the pain came from her ankle. Gingerly, she reached down and felt something cold and rigid—she discovered that her ankle was chained to the chair.

A wave of panic surged through her chest, her breath quickening as she tugged at the chain, trying to free herself. The metal was strong, unyielding. Why was she chained? Who did this to her?

Suddenly, a faint sound echoed through the silence—footsteps. Slow, deliberate footsteps. Someone was coming. Michelle’s heart raced, and her pulse thundered in her ears. She glanced around the room, looking for anything she could use to defend herself, but the room was empty save for the chair and a small table pushed up against the far wall. The footsteps grew louder, and closer.

The door creaked open, and a tall figure stepped into the room. The light was too dim to make out anything but an unmistakably male silhouette. He stood in the doorway, watching her, before stepping into the light.

Michelle’s breath caught in her throat. His presence filled the room, casting an even darker shadow over her.

“You’re awake,” he stated, his voice calm, almost conversational. It made Michelle’s skin crawl. She knew that voice. Michelle’s mind churned as she stared at the man sitting across from her. She knew exactly who he was—he had once controlled her life with a chilling precision. But she had to escape again, and that required her to feign ignorance.

“Who are you? Why am I here?” she croaked, her voice hoarse.

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he walked over to the small table, dragging a chair behind him. He sat across from her, crossing one leg over the other and folding his hands in his lap as if they were about to have a casual conversation. His head tilted slightly as he regarded her, like a predator watching its prey.

“You’re here because I brought you here,” he said simply. His voice was eerily calm, as if abducting someone and chaining them to a chair was the most natural thing in the world.

“What do you want from me?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady, though the fear gnawing at her insides made it difficult.

Leaning forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees, he stared into her eyes. “What I want… is simple. I want you to remember.”

Michelle blinked. “Remember what?”

The man let out a low chuckle. “You’ve forgotten, haven’t you? How unfortunate.” He stood up and began pacing slowly around the room, his boots making soft thuds against the stone floor. “I need you to remember… your role.”

A cold chill ran down Michelle’s spine.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, allowing her voice to sound frantic. “I don’t know who you are, or why I’m here. Please, let me go.”

“Oh, but you do know, Michelle. You just don’t want to admit it to yourself.” He pulled something out of his pocket—a small, folded photograph. He tossed it onto her lap.

Michelle stared down at the photograph, her hands trembling as she picked it up. When she unfolded it, her breath caught in her throat. It was a picture of her—smiling, happy, standing in front of a house she worked hard to forget.

“How… How is this possible?” she whispered, her voice barely audible. She should get an Oscar after this performance.

The man walked closer, leaning down so his face was inches from hers. “You’ve been running from the truth, Michelle. But the truth always catches up.”

Michelle’s mind was spinning. As the memories of her life with Lucas flooded back, a sense of dread settled over her. She had erased him from her life. At least, she thought she had.

“Now you remember, don’t you?” Lucas’s voice cut through the fog of her thoughts. He was standing right in front of her now, towering over her. “You left me, Michelle. You left me when you promised you wouldn’t.”

Michelle’s heart raced. She had to convince him she didn’t know who he was. “I don’t… I don’t understand. What happened between us?”

Lucas’s fist clenched at his side, a familiar sign of the real anger simmering beneath his calm demeanor. “You don’t understand? Let me remind you.”

Without warning, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small vial of clear liquid. Michelle’s eyes widened in fear as he approached her, the vial in his hand.

“Please… don’t,” she begged, tugging desperately at the chain around her ankle, but it was no use.

Lucas knelt down beside her, gently lifting her chin so their eyes met. His hand, warm and familiar, lingered on her cheek. “I never wanted this, Michelle. But you left me no choice.” His voice was softer now, almost tender. “You promised we’d be together forever.”

Against her better judgement, Michelle felt a pang of regret deep in her chest, an ache for what they had lost. She had loved him once. But she had left. She had run.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Lucas’s hand tightened around the vial. “Then remember. Remember everything, and maybe we can start again.”

The needle pierced her skin before she could protest further. The liquid burned as it entered her bloodstream, and almost instantly, a wave of dizziness washed over her. The room spun, and her vision blurred as she fought to stay conscious.

Images flashed before her eyes—her and Lucas entwined in a passionate embrace, the heat of their love undeniable. Then the arguments, the betrayals, the lies that tore them apart. Her heart clenched as she recalled the night she had walked away from him, leaving behind everything they had built together.