Because I Care About You

CW: Sexual violence, gore, violence, swearing, abduction, gaslighting, manipulation.

I stared at him, waiting for him to place the food. I knew he would try something. I didn’t trust him.

“Come one, Leah, don’t you want something to eat?” He crooned, moving a little closer.

I pressed harder into the wall, trying to keep my distance. “I want nothing from you.” I spit out, giving him my best death glare. The last time I tried hitting him back I ended up not being able to move for a few days.

Grady’s face turned dark again as he dropped the plate, sandwich sprawling onto the cement floor. I flinched back at his quick approach, pulling up my arms in an effort to shield myself. “You really should learn to watch your mouth, Leah.”

I didn’t look, knowing what was next. His hand made contact with my hair, gripping it hard enough for me to cry out. He dragged me to the middle of the small room before kicking me. He continued to beat and yell at me. “You ungrateful little bitch! After all I’ve done for you!”

My begging didn’t work. I knew it wouldn’t, but I couldn’t help it. “Stop! I’m sorry!”

Grady didn’t listen to me, kicking me harder. One of his hits landed on my head. I felt it bounce off the cement before everything went dark.

Splitting pain was the first thing I registered. Then motion. Something was moving me. Someone was moving me. Blinking open my eyes, I saw my capture sitting next to me, adjusting my limbs. Groaning as I shifted, I tried to get away from him.

“Hey, stop moving,” he shushed me, raising a cloth to my swollen and stiff face. I jerked back a little. “let me clean you up.”

Taking a deep breath to tell him off, a shriek escaped me. There was something sharp and shooting in my ribs. Did he crack one? “W-why?”

Those brown eyes, so dark they were nearly black, looked almost regretful. “Because I feel bad. I care about you, a lot. I’m sorry I had to do that to you. Maybe if you learn to behave, I won’t need to discipline you.” His voice was soft as he wiped the now bloody cloth over my face.

Anger threatened to burn me alive. “Just let me go. It’s been two weeks. Please, I don’t know where I am. I only know your first name, if it really is that. Please, I won’t tell anyone.” Tears filled my heavy eyes. I wondered how bad the bruising was this time. It had just started to go down from a beating I got last week.

“None of that talk. And I have never lied to you.” Grady sounded like his normal, aggressive, mood-swinging self. “I care about you, Leah. This is your home now.”

I was desperate. I had been in this hell hole for two weeks. Maybe I could scare him with what most men were afraid of. “I’m supposed to start my cycle soon. I-I’ll need supplies.”

Grady looked at me, I could see the humor in his gaze. “Actually, you won’t have it for a while.”

Fear shot through my gut. “Did you…what did you do to me?” My voice shook, body beginning to tremble. Did he do something to make while I was unconscious when I first got here? Did he touch me?

He shook his head, placating me. “No, nothing like that. I want our first time to be special.” He paused, grabbing some bandages in a bag at his feet. I forced myself to swallow my bile. I would never lay with him like that. Never. “You’ve been here twenty-five days. You missed your cycle and won’t have another for about three weeks.”

The room spun around me. How had I been that off in my counting? “You’re lying.”

Those eyes hardened, his grip on my wrist drawing a whimper from me. “I don’t lie to you, Leah. Don’t make me teach you another lesson”.

I gulped again, not wanting to tempt him into hurting me further. “I’m sorry.”

He smiled wide, mood shifting again. “It’s alright. I forgive you. I will always forgive you. Here, I brought you some soup.” Grady held up a steaming cup with a spoon. He put it back on the floor, discarding his medical supplies.

He helped me sit, leaning me against the cold wall at my back. While he cleaned up, I looked around, searching for anything new.

The room was the same as always; dark, two light bulls hanging from the ceiling with the switch by the door that I could never go through. In the corner was a small toilet with some toilet paper near it. There were also a couple extra blankets near the door. A small air vent was above my only exit, the only other hole in this room. Maybe it was a basement. Every glimpse I caught of the stairs told me they led up. Or maybe it was a storm shelter.

“When can I go outside?” I asked, hoping to maybe earn some trust and not piss him off again. All he ever did was tell me I needed to learn to obey. That he “cared about me”. That he was “sorry” for hurting me. Maybe if I could get him to think I am starting to get it, I could get some permissions and escape.

He looked up at me again and for a moment, my fear returned. Was he about to beat me again? He said he hadn’t touched me like that yet, was he going to now? “Not for a while. Here, eat something.” Grady held out a spoonful of hot soup.

I reached for the cup, catching a glance at my arm. It was covered in yellow, blue, purple, and brown bruises. I knew my face, and now my ribs, stomach, and back would all look the same.

He pulled it back, giving me a warning look. I quickly pulled my arm back, head hitting the wall behind me. Light flashed across my vision briefly at the impact. Was he going to hit me again? I could never tell with his mood swings. “No, you have to earn that now. I feed you, or you don’t eat.”

I bit back my remark. The last time he said that, I didn’t eat for four days. I knew he would let me starve down here until I crawled back and swallowed my pride. I hated him for it. The marrow in my bones hated him for it. “Okay.” I whispered, moving a little closer.

He smiled again, bringing the spoon up. “Open.” He commanded, eyes locked onto my swollen lips.

Letting out a shaky breath, I did. I didn’t want to risk his anger right now. Or not eating for days. He said he cared about me. Enough not to kill me. Enough to bandage my wounds. Enough to feed me. But not enough to let me go.

Soon enough the soup was gone, and I was exhausted. He left after giving me some pills. I recognized the Ibuprofen shape enough to trust he wasn’t drugging me. Yet.

Grady stopped before he left. “Get some rest. I’ll be back in the morning. I really am sorry for disciplining you. I hope you know how much I care about you. I really, truly do, Leah.” With that, he turned off the light and left. The door groaned, clicking shut before the sound of five locks filled the room. Every time, all five locks.

Trying to ease my pounding head, I thought of the last two weeks. Wait, no, twenty-five days. How long would I be stuck here? No one had found me yet. Were they even still looking? I knew the odds. Missing person odds weren’t great after a few days, worse as it neared weeks and then months. Did the world think I was dead? Did my family and friends?

If this was going to be my life, if he was going to beat me like this for everything he deemed "disciplinary action”, maybe I should just play along. Maybe it’s my only way to survive.

“Leah, it’s been months. You’re not on your cycle. Why won’t you spend the night with me?” Grady whined, snuggling me on my new bed. It was a perk for behaving well for a while. He had slowly given me more furniture and books if I acted how he thought I should. He had even brought down a water basin and soap for me. Every few days he brought a small glass cup of hot water, letting me use it to bathe. He watched me like a hawk the whole time, either savoring my naked body or worried I might try and burn him with the water, I wasn’t sure. He had never touched me like that, though. At least it was something.

I sucked in a breath, remembering I needed to reply or risk the hit. Maybe today was the day. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Grady. I have been really lonely down here.” It was the truth. Books only got me so far. “I think I’m ready.”

Grady shuddered, slowly moving above me, trapping me on the bed. I forced my face to look happy, lustful even. His eyes looked the same they had the last few days; greedy, impatient. He was done waiting, and I knew it. This was just a test. He would’ve tried something anyway.

I let him kiss my neck before stopping him. “Wait, we need protection. Do you have a condom upstairs?”

He muttered a quick sound of agreement before hopping up.

I snuck up behind him while he fumbled with the key. One moment, I was facing my captor, the next, he was at my feet.

Blood oozed from a gash on the side of his head. The gash I caused with that same glass mug he brought me to bathe with earlier. I hit him again, harder, shattering the glass. Grady fell flat to the floor with a cry of pain. I stood over him, kicking him like he had me so many times.

I felt something snap when my foot made contact again with his ribs. With any luck, it would puncture his lung. I watched him cough, blood drops flying from his mouth, confirming my guess.

With the last shard of the glass mug as a weapon, I bent down and held it against his neck. Those wide eyes I had come to fear were terrified, and I loved it. He was finally facing the consequences of his actions.

Grabbing the key ring from his pocket, I leaned close. He was mouthing something, coughing on the blood coming from his mouth. I grinned, kneeling on his ribs a little more than necessary. “What was that?”

He coughed, taking in a wet gasp. “W-why?”

Lining up the shard to the side of his neck, I answered him while sliding it into his flesh. “Because I care about you.”

With Grady quickly dying, I unlocked all five locks before staggering up the stairs to my freedom.