I hardly slept that night. All I kept thinking about was Alexis. And about where James and I stood. I was afraid I was in deep trouble, but I hadn't done anything. Where was the fairness in that?

He's just scared, Sophia told me.

He was afraid I was going to run, just like Alexis, and he was always going to think that. I would never be his equal, like Dr. Manning thought of Sophia. I was always going to be the pretty canary trapped in the cage, only let out on a whim to flit around the room before shoved back in.

And I was never getting home.

I made some strong coffee and decided to stay in my pajamas. I had a feeling James wasn't going to expect me to work out that morning. As I was sipping my coffee at the dining room table and contemplating the night before, James came in. My heart leapt to my throat.

"Good morning," he said, solemnly.

I didn't reply. He made himself a cup of coffee and made his way to the table across from me. I couldn't bear to look at him.

"Listen," he said softly, "I owe you an apology for last night. I panicked when Alexis disappeared, and I didn't handle the situation very well. I—" His voice trailed off.

My thumb went around and around the rim of my coffee cup. We both sat silently, lost in our own thoughts.

"You're never going to trust me, are you?" I whispered. I wiped away the first forming tears, trying to keep my composure, but failing miserably.

"Corrine . . . "

"Be honest with me, James. Is this it? Is this how it's always going to be? Are you never going to trust me like Dr. Manning trusts Sophia?"

Giving life to those words brought on hot tears. I couldn't believe I was being so straight-forward.

"I'm sorry. I—I don't know. I don't know what the future holds for us, and I don't want to make a promise I may not be able to keep."

"But, is it even possible? I mean, I've done nothing but obey your every command for months now. I thought things were going so well. I feel so close to you," I lied. "I feel like I could be perfect for three years straight, and you still won't trust me."

He put his hand on my forearm.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you."

"I'm not going anywhere, James. Even if you left the front door wide open and gave me your car keys." That part was true. I'd never try a house escape again. "You have to trust me." I cried into my hands.

James told me everything by saying nothing in return.

* * *

I spent the next few days sulking and staying in the apartment. Every time James invited me downstairs, I declined, mainly to punish him. I knew James felt terrible about how he treated me. I intended to use that to my advantage. My goal was to shame him into more freedom. Or at least, trust me more.

On the third day after the incident, James joined me for a workout, but it just wasn't the same anymore. Even though I knew I was going to play this to my advantage, the tension was killing me.

Halfway done with my run, James suddenly pushed the off button on the treadmill. I practically hit the console at full-speed.

"Hey, what did you do that for?" I huffed.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"That's what I asked you."

"No, what's with you? What's with the cold shoulder and not coming downstairs anymore?"

I shrugged and climbed off of the treadmill, grabbing my towel and wiping the sweat off my brow.

"No, that's no answer. Come on. Talk to me. I know we had a falling out, but things should be back to normal by now."

I scoffed and sat on the coffee table, taking a big swig from my water bottle. "Things will never be normal again, James. Things were never normal. I'm finally realizing."

Oh, the drama. I tried not looking into his eyes.

"Stop being cryptic. Tell me what's going on inside that head of yours, okay? Just spill it."

"Don't you get it, James?" I said in frustration. "I realize now that you're never going to trust me. Before the debacle with Alexis, I really thought I could be like Sophia to you. But I was living a fucking fairytale." Maybe swearing would add to my performance. "I thought you loved me like Dr. Manning loves her. The more time you've allowed me to spend with you downstairs, the more I felt you trusted me. The more I wore the pretty dresses you got me and tried to please you, the more I bought into this whole charade."

My voice kept rising, and the tears wouldn't stop falling. Even though they were for show, I ignored just how easily they appeared.

James looked down in shame and frustration. I was ready to deliver my finale.

"But it's all been a façade, hasn't it? I realize that now. It's my fault, really. I allowed myself to be lulled into believing I could have what Sophia has. But no more, James. I can't set myself up for that disappointment again. I won't go downstairs anymore. I belong up here, locked away. I know now I'm more like Alexis to you than Sophia, and I just have to learn to accept it. I will never be more than that. So upstairs is where I belong."

I buried my face in my towel and yelled, "Ugh. I'm so sick of crying!"

James rubbed my back.

After a few moments, he said, "Are you done?"

I looked at him, and he sat very close to me, shaking his knee up and down. I could smell his salty sweat mixed with his sweet aftershave. He was very antsy, like a schoolboy not knowing how to make up with his girl after a fight. We both stared at the ground.

He rubbed his face in frustration. "I've had a lot of time to think. I'm not too proud of the way I treated you the other night and how it went upstairs the next morning. Normally, I'm good at communicating with people. But, you, in this situation. I don't know how to say what I'm feeling."

"I'm sorry. I haven't made it any easier on you. I've been really angry, I guess."

"I don't blame you. I wish we could start over. I really do. I keep seeing myself yell at you the other night and the horrified look you had on your face. God, I'm so mad at myself."

He reached for my hand. I didn't pull away.

"I'd do anything to take it back, Corrine," he said softly. "I—I have to be honest and say I don't know how to do what you want me to do. I want to trust you, I do. And I do trust you—I mean, mostly. But then . . . in that moment, all I could think of was you running away, and I had to do everything in my power to keep you here with me. I just couldn't lose you."

I fought back the tears. I understood now how he felt, and it seemed to be a load off of his mind. I leaned into him.

"So, the million-dollar question is, will you ever be able to trust me? Will you trust me like Dr. Manning does Sophia?"

"You're as important to me as Sophia is to Dr Manning." He kissed me tenderly.

I gulped and took the big leap. "But that's not what I asked. I want to have the freedoms Sophia has. She's part of their community. They go out all the time. She gets to see movies and go shopping. I want us to be like them. You know, a regular, happy couple."

He let out a long groan. "All I can promise you is I'll try my hardest. I want to be at that stage with you. I feel bad holding us back, but that's where I am right now. I'm sorry."

"Well, at least you're being honest with me. Are you saying you'll at least try?"

"I'll try. But, Corrine, remember this isn't your call. You're not calling the shots here. If this never happens, you'll need to accept that."

Red alert. Maybe I pushed him too far.

"Oh, I know. I'm sorry," I said, quickly backtracking. "I hope you're not mad I spoke my mind. It's just. Well, sometimes it feels like this is a normal relationship. So, I guess I got carried away."

James took a deep breath. "I understand. It's okay. I just don't want you to have too high of expectations."

He kissed me again, even more tenderly this time.

I kissed him back and said, "I'm not going anywhere, James. I promise. This is my life now, and I've accepted that long ago."

He pulled me onto his lap for a long embrace. I played along.

Will James ever fully trust Corrine? If so, will Corrine use that to escape? Read on to find out. :)