I walk out of the room and open the last door, grateful to find the bathroom. It’s huge with a small alcove for the toilet, which is where I go as soon as I close the door. When I’m finished, I walk to the sink and wash my hands. I swap the blanket out for a large, plush towel that I wrap around myself and secure at the front. It’s better than the blanket.
The bathroom is all wood and stone and completely renovated. Although I wonder if the giant stone tub in the center is older. There are places on the floor right around it that must have been mosaic. They’ve preserved sections of it with a glass overlay. It’s pretty.
I splash water onto my face, pick up a towel to pat it dry then meet my reflection.
I look paler than usual, and there are shadows under my eyes. I touch the bruise on my neck where he stuck me, it’s tender to the touch. I turn to look at my hair. It needs to be fixed. It’s crooked. I hadn’t really noticed last night, but it’s cut almost at a diagonal with the right side being longer than the left.
Which takes me to thoughts of Liam and Simona.
Sadness sweeps through me. Are they really okay? Would he hurt them because of me? I have to make him promise not to.
I’m about to walk out when I notice the window cut into the stone wall. This one opens, and it’s not very big. I wonder if he was afraid I’d jump if I had the chance. I lift the latch, open it, and breathe in cold, damp forest air.
New York City doesn’t smell like this, but my old house used to.
I listen for sound, for any noise at all, but all I hear is complete and utter stillness. Only a lone bird in the too far distance.
I lean out and look up. When I do, I gasp at what I see.
It’s even bigger than I realized because although the wings have three floors, the central part I’m in has six. It’s huge. A mansion that could have swallowed up my father’s house many times over.
And I swear I feel eyes on me.
I draw back into the bathroom and close that window, backing away from it to return to the bedroom. There’s one more door, hidden by the large headboard of the bed which is set dead center in the bedroom. It’s when I reach to open it that I hear the lock turn on the door in my bedroom.
A woman enters, carrying a tray. When she sees me, she just gives me a cursory glance, no hello, as she sets the tray of food down on one of the tables.
“Who are you?” I ask her, immediately taking a dislike to her. She must be in her sixties. A ring of keys dangles from her belt. She doesn’t bother to answer me but takes her time arranging the food on the tray. The smell of coffee makes me salivate.
“Excuse me,” I say when she finishes and walks toward the door.
She stops.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Elise. I’ll be attending to you.”
“Attending to me?” My eyebrows creep up.
“As Mr. Di Santo sees fit.”
I don’t even know where to start with that. “Wait,” I say as she steps into the hallway. I peer beyond her into the dark corridor. “I need…where is he?”
She arches her eyebrows like she doesn’t know who I’m talking about.
I jut one hip out, placing my hand on it. “Mr. Di Santo,” I mimic her tone.
“Unavailable.” She looks me over, her distaste obvious. “Are the clothes not satisfactory?”
I tug the towel closer. “What clothes?”
“In the closet.”
I follow her gaze. It’s the door I was just going to open. “I haven’t had a chance to look.”
She nods, retreats, and begins to pull the door closed.
I run to grab it. “Wait. I need to call my cousin. I need—”
She doesn’t reply, but with a strength I don’t expect, she yanks the door the rest of the way and locks it behind her.
“What the hell?”
I walk to the tray of food and lift the lid off the plate. My mouth waters at the bacon and eggs on the plate, but I force myself to close it again. Taking the water instead, I drink the entire bottle. I head to the dresser and open the top drawer. It is full of underthings. I inspect a few, all sexy, all lace or satin, and all my size with the tags still on.
There’s a sinking feeling in my belly. He really planned for all of this. He’d been planning while I’d been living my life.
I shudder.
I go to the closet and switch on the light to find a modern interior lit warmly with a yellow light. Hanging from the racks are dresses upon dresses, coats, purses, scarves. On the shelves are sweaters and jeans. Anything I might need. Anything I could ever want.