I knock on Seth’s door. Unlike the last time, there’s no hesitation or anxiety; all my other emotions have been eclipsed by anger.

How dare he steal my whole life, take away all the years I still have in front of me? Who does that?

I wait for, like, twenty seconds and still get no reply from inside. Instead, all I hear is the low murmur of male conversation.

With impatience, I turn the handle and push the door open. Inside, Seth is sitting in his usual swivel chair, facing me, and Raphael is across the desk from him. Both of them stare at me with eyes wide and jaws slack, not expecting the intrusion.

Well, they can get used to all kinds of intrusions from me.

Or…wait. Actually, no. They shouldn’t get used to more intrusions from me, because I’ll be gone soon. Goodbye, boys.

“I didn’t see you at lunch.” I look straight into Seth’s blue eyes as I march across the office.

“I thought you needed space,” he says, looking like he doesn’t understand why I’m so worked up.

Of course I’m all worked up, asshole, you gave me a life sentence, when I’ve committed no crime.

“I have something I want to discuss with you.” I put my hands on top of the glass surface of the desk. It feels cool and hard under my fingers.

“Do you… Like, do you need some privacy, guys?” Raphael asks as he strains his neck to look up at me, flicking his gaze between the two of us.

I ignore him, focusing all my anger at Seth.

“Guys? It’s a little awkward here for me,” Raphael whines.

“Shut up,” Seth barks.

“Okay,” Raphael says. “I actually prefer to stay and watch anyway.”

“What is it that you want to discuss, Alice?” Seth asks, ignoring his friend.

“I’m here to get my phone. You agreed to give it back to me yesterday.”

Without saying a word, Seth pulls a drawer open and takes out my phone. It looks smaller than I remember, unfamiliar after not seeing it for only a few days.

I take it from Seth’s hand before he changes his mind. My hand comes into contact with his, and the light graze sends my nerve endings wild. My body remembers his exhilarating touch and it wants more, but I’m not listening to it. Not anymore.

I’m on a mission here.

“And I need to go shop for ingredients,” I say.

“Anthony can do all the shopping for you.”

“No, he can’t,” I insist. “Do you think he pays attention to what kind of cream I want, or what percent I want the milk to be, or what substitutes to get if I can’t get the exact ingredients I want?”

“I’m guessing not,” Seth says with a sigh.

“You’re guessing right. I want to go buy the groceries myself.”

“Fine. We can go in a few minutes, as soon as I’m done here with Raphael.”

“No.”

Seth frowns, not expecting my answer after he has agreed to my request.

“I’m not going with you,” I say. “I told you, I need some space from you, after what you told me yesterday. I still do.”

“Okay, Raphael can take you after we’re done,” Seth says.

Raphael chuckles, until he realizes Seth meant it. He pauses. “Wait, are you serious?”

“Yeah. There’s one that’s just around the corner. Just wait until she gets whatever she needs and drive her back here,” Seth says. Shifting his gaze to me, he says, “It won’t take too long.”

“It won’t take too long,” I agree.

“Okay. I don’t mind,” Raphael says with a shrug. Looking up at me, he says, “Don’t get offended. I like spending time with you, Alice. I just thought my friend here was keeping you under lock and key.”

Seth glares at Raphael.

“I’ll wait outside until you’re done,” I say to Raphael before I turn on my heels and stride out of Seth’s office.

Once the door closes behind me, I stop to drag air into my constricted lungs. I realize I was holding my breath because of the tense atmosphere.

But at least I got what I need: a ride into town.

The first part of my plan worked.

Next: escape.

* * *

“So, is this your first time getting out of the house?” Raphael asks casually, as if he’s just asking me about a vacation or something else equally benign and fun.

“Yeah,” I reply.

I look back at Seth’s mansion. It looks so small now that we’ve reached the tall iron gate at the end of the driveway. It looks like one of those expensive doll houses, with the elegant design and intricate details—like the kind I always wanted when I was a little girl and never got.

I’ve never even had the fake miniature version, so I never thought I’d ever get to live in a house like that. But I do live in a house like that now—I mean, I did—and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

It was like having my wish fulfilled by the Genie from Aladdin. Sure, I get to live in a nice, big house, but under fucked-up circumstances. And, oh, by the way, I also can never leave again. Congratulations, me.

Just like Seth, that house is gorgeous and so much better than I can imagine. Yet, in other ways, it’s also much worse than I can imagine. It feels more like a prison than a home.

It’s such a waste. I enjoyed my first week here a lot. I could’ve been happy living here, if I was really hired as a personal chef. But instead, I was kidnapped and placed in Seth’s own version of a witness protection program.

“How are you holding up, Alice? Seth told me it has been rough on you lately.” Raphael seems intent on making conversation.

“Yeah, you can say that again,” I say curtly.  

I enjoyed the tour and the little chat we had on my first night at the mansion, but now that I know the sinister truth, it’s hard for me to be friendly with him. He knew Seth was going to imprison me, and he didn’t say anything.

“He’s not a bad person, you know. He’s just…an acquired taste.” Raphael looks at me and raises his eyebrows, evidently proud of having thought up a food-related analogy.

“Keep your eyes on the road.” Despite the strange situation we find ourselves in, I smile. I can still appreciate a good attempt at humor.

I know Seth is not a bad person. He means well, but then the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

“He’s all broken up about it, too. I’ve never seen him so agitated before, not even right after he saw a guy get shot.”

“Oh, you mean his friend, who was with him at the drug bust?” I’m a little surprised to hear Raphael also knows the story.

To be honest, I’ve been doubting everything Seth has told me, including the stories about his past. Anything that comes out of his mouth, I assume to be a lie. If he can lie to me about my own fate, he must be capable of lying about other things, too, so how can I trust him?

Raphael pauses before he says, “Yeah, that one.”

“Why does he do it, then, if it bothers him so much? Why does he keep me here against my will?”

“Like I said before, he has no other choice.” Raphael turns the wheel as we take a left into a two-lane road. Squat little buildings line both sides of the street, many of them restaurants and retail stores.

“I’m just a stranger. He could've left me alone to fend for myself.” I keep my eyes peeled open, searching for a police station, or at least somewhere I can get help.

“Ah, you don't know him as well as I do,” Raphael says. “He has this sense of responsibility, which is quite admirable, really. He feels responsible for dragging you into this, so he wouldn't just leave you on your own. That's just not in his character.”

“Dragging me into this?” I ask, frowning. What does he mean by that?

“Ah, never mind,” he says as he pulls up in front of a big grocery store. “We’re here.”

We get out of the car and enter the store. Maybe I can ask for help from someone in here.

First, though, I need to get away from Raphael. It's a tough task. He stays right beside me as I explore the aisles, like my own shadow.

Luckily for me, there is something I want him to clarify before I say goodbye to this life once and for all.

“So, what you said in the car… What do you mean about Seth dragging me into this?” I ask Raphael as we enter the pasta aisle.

His face, previously bored and disinterested, takes on a panicked quality. He blinks rapidly. “Did I say that?”

“Yes.” I glance at him as I stoop down, pretending to be interested in the packages of spaghetti, fusilli, and macaroni. After seeing Raphael’s reaction, I’m more convinced than ever that I’ve struck a sensitive point.

“You must’ve misunderstood,” he says.

I stand up and step closer to Raphael. I’m tall for a woman, but Raphael is a big man and he has quite a few inches on me.

I look up and stare straight into his eyes. I put on my stern voice, the one I liked to use in my kitchen when I wanted my orders followed. “You said, and I quote, ‘he feels responsible for dragging me into this.’ I know I heard it, clear as day. Now, what did you mean by that?”

Raphael takes a deep breath and runs his hand through his hair. “Yeah, I did say that. But I’ve already said too much. You’re going to have to ask Seth, okay?”

“No, not okay. Are you saying that the reason I’m in danger in the first place is because of Seth?”

“I’m not saying that, and I’m not saying anything.” Raphael presses his thumb and index finger together, and slide them over his lips from one corner to the other like he’s zipping them up.

I roll my eyes. I don’t have time for his cute act.

I have an escape to plot.

I stomp down the aisle. Raphael follows a few steps behind me, giving me a little more distance than he did, probably out of fear of being interrogated again.

I look around the grocery store, trying to find people, but there’s only the one guy at rows of check-out counters, and another guy hidden in one of the aisles. I saw that guy earlier, but he has disappeared again. How am I supposed to ask for help when there’s no one around?

“Is there a more traditional market? I can’t find what I need,” I say. “A farmer’s market, maybe?”

A market with many different small stalls would give me more opportunities to interact with people. I could disappear in the crowd and ask someone to help me run away.

Maybe I could even spot a police station on the way there. Failing that, even if I have to go back to the mansion, at least I have my phone now, and I can make a call as soon as I have some time alone.