The days dragged on. We had fallen into a routine. Unbelievably, my stomach pains and nausea were subsiding. Not that I trusted him. Oh, no. I just knew what to expect, as long as I didn't rock the boat. That first couple of weeks, he was very kind to me and treated me with respect. As much as a kidnapper could.

It wasn't difficult to figure out he was trying to build a life with me as his soul mate. It was only a matter of time before he'd want to have sex with me. And I wasn't sure why he was waiting. But I was grateful for that and spent much of my time figuring out the best way to escape. I even had dreams—and nightmares—about it. I determined long ago the door was my best bet.

I had two prospects. One, I could wait until James opened the door while I casually stood by the refrigerator. I would catch him by surprise, push him out of the way, and then lock him in with the key that will still be (hopefully) in the lock. What would happen after that, I didn't know. The timing, though, had to be just right.

My second idea was to push the pins out of the hinges of the door, quietly take it off its frame, and hope the deadbolt wouldn't be a problem. I wasn't mechanically-inclined and had no idea if the second option would work. But all my hopes were on a scene I once read in the book, Flowers in the Attic. The kids who were trapped in an attic by their demented grandmother took the pins out of the hinges of the door to escape. My plight was similar, and it certainly seemed plausible.

Any time I thought of these ideas in great detail, my hands would become clammy, and I would feel anxious with anticipation. I'd daydream of my dad, Lisa, and all of the things I missed that were symbolic of the freedoms everyone took for granted—going to the beach, speeding down the Pacific Coast Highway, going to my favorite restaurants, seeing a movie . . . I missed so many things. One day, this nightmare with this crazy man would be a small blip in my life's history.

But, every time I thought I would finally escape, I was brought back to my conversation with James in the van when he threatened to kill my dad. It was one thing to murder me, but I couldn't put my dad in danger . . . So inevitably, I would chicken out every time and tell myself I would try next time. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

A few days before Thanksgiving, James came into the apartment, practically jumping with excitement.

"Hi, Corrine," James said. "I have a surprise for you."

"What?" I asked. I clicked off the news and stood up.

"I went shopping and got you some new clothes."

"Great," I tried to sound grateful, but really, I couldn't care less about fashion. If he knew anything about me and my clothing selections he stole, he would've come to the same conclusion.

James put down the pile of clothes. "The Thanksgiving dinner at the Mannings' is in a few days, and it's time for us to pick what you're going to wear."

"Well, it really doesn't matter to me. Just pick whatever."

"No, no, no," James corrected. "We're going to have a fashion show."

James was clearly a cultured, metrosexual man.

"Oh no, really, that's not necessary," I chimed. "Just pick something comfortable."

James put his hand around my shoulder. My back stiffened.

"Oh no, I need to see these on you. I only picked out three dresses."

He led me into my bedroom with the dresses draped over his other arm.

"Try the black one on first," James added, as he closed the bedroom door.

Great, just great. I was really uncomfortable about this. I didn't like him looking at my body, even though I knew he did.

I paced my bedroom floor. The three dresses lay across my bed yelling to me, Pick me! Pick me! I decided to start with the most conservative one—the one that went down to my shins and came with a light sweater. I just couldn't start with the skimpy black one.

James had the TV blaring to some sport. There always seemed to be some sport on the TV when he was up here. It was sure to be on ESPN or FOX Sports.

I put the dress on, looked in the bathroom mirror, and determined I liked it well enough. It was conservative and cute and had a floral print. It's something I would've worn to work, once upon a time. I longed for home, once again.

I slowly opened the bedroom door and peaked out to see if he was paying any attention. He was watching college football, of course. I crept out to the kitchen table and stood there, my arms folded over my stomach. James finally noticed I was standing there, a fish out of water. My armpits were sweating.

"Oh!" he said. He paused the DVR, and all attention was on me.

"Beautiful!" James said. "I really like it."

I kept my eyes on the carpet.

"Very nice. OK, let's see the next one." James clapped. I embarrassingly shooed back into my bedroom.

This really isn't happening, I told myself.

I had two dresses left, a cocktail dress and a short-skirted sequined dress. When I took my dress off, I realized James had purchased all size tens. In a matter of almost three weeks, I had already shrunk from a size twelve to a size ten, just like he wanted. I was a mannequin in a dress shop.

I put on the sequined dress next, looked in the mirror, and determined it was cute. But I liked the first one better. I came out to the family room to more "ohs and ahs" from my captor. I walked awkwardly and tripped over my feet, knowing he was checking me out.

"OK, I really want to see the last one," James declared.

I put the cocktail dress on next and didn't need to look in the mirror to know I wouldn't like it. It was by far the shortest and sexiest of the three. It wasn't that it didn't look acceptable on me. On the contrary, I was surprised at how nicely it fit, but I didn't want to look like that. I felt very uneasy and self-conscious.

"Hey, what's the holdup?" James yelled into the bedroom.

I couldn't stop staring into the mirror.

I might as well get this over with, I thought.

I walked out and stood behind the couch with my arms crossed, covering as much as possible.

"Very beautiful," James added. "Love it."

I felt sick to my stomach, James practically salivating.

"I don't know. I like the first one best," I said.

"No way. This one's more stylish and mature."

"Well, can I wear one of the other two instead?" I pleaded.

"Sorry, honey. I think this one is best."

I rolled my eyes and thought what bullshit this was as I walked back to my bedroom and slammed the door behind me.

I changed my clothes and tried to keep the tears from welling in my eyes. He always got his way, even on a simple dress selection. My opinion didn't matter in the least.

Screw him, I said to myself. I'm not going to be here much longer anyway.

James lightly knocked on the door and entered without my reply.

"Hey, there." He sat on the bed while I was putting the dresses away.

"I'm sorry if I upset you, Corrine. The last dress really is the best one."

"To you, maybe. I don't feel comfortable in it. We're going to a Thanksgiving party, not a cocktail party." I batted back the tears.

"You'd be surprised at how dressed up the others will be."

"Well, it's not like me to wear something this revealing. I feel self-conscious. I hate it."

"You're absolutely beautiful, Corrine. Trust me, it's the perfect dress for you. Besides, it's best if you simply learn to go with the flow."

"You mean, do what you say."

He paused. "That's right."

I saw no point in arguing the inarguable, so I changed the subject.

"So who's going to be there?"

"Well, like I said before, Dr. Manning and Sophia will be there. Tyler and Dan will be there with their partners. And one other family."

I hadn't seen Tyler and Dan in forever. And they had partners? Who in her right mind would be with one of them? Unless they too were abducted.

"What family?"

"The Palmers, Toni and Dave. And they have a ten-year-old daughter, Allie. You'll like them. They're a lot of fun."

"And . . . they know about us?" The skeleton in the closet surfaced.

"Oh, yes, of course. So don't think there will be any saving in your future." He smiled, as if that was anything to even joke about.



What did you think of the dress scene? I hope you're enjoying REDUCED TO RUIN. Chapters 14 and 15 will be released Sunday, 7/7. Stay well!