Suddenly I was pulled out of my thoughts, my mind awake yet my body frozen from fear and it's weakness, when the door opened causing the door to make a loud screech as it dragged against the floor. That sound alone was enough to make my head hurt.

"Get up." Antonio's voice was stern and emotionless. I was hesitant at first to do so but figured I shouldn't test his patience.

Slowly I made my way up to his level, my knees wobbling slightly.

"Follow."

I didn't waste a second in doing so.

I hated the way he spoke to me. He barely even formed full sentences and spoke to me as if I was a dog.

With every step I took my pace became slower. It was getting harder to stand but my hope spiked when I saw us heading to a dining table in the middle of a large room. The room itself was plain but the table was decorated with foods of all kinds.

I eyed Antonio cautiously as he sat down at the head of the table, but soon sat beside him once he gestured impatiently to do so.

I sat silent staring at my lap, unsure of what to do. I could feel my captors burning eyes on me, yet remained still like a statue.

"Eat."

I wasted no time.

I grabbed food, stacking it all up on my plate. Bread, chicken, roasted vegetables. My mouth watered and I dove in straight away. The food tasted heavenly and l couldn't help but let out a moan. Then I remembered my aching thirst and took the glass that was by my plate before eagerly chugging its contents - all the while Antonio's eyes on me, and only me.

He had not touched the food, so I only presumed he had already eaten. I felt awkward gorging on food while he sat there watching me. My cheeks grew hot as I imagined how greedy l looked but I was so starving that I pushed the worry aside and continued to eat my food.

Once the hunger had settled l sat back in my chair and slowly moved my gaze to Antonio who just stared at me.

"Now Alice, l am sure you have questions for me but l am not yet in the mood to answer them. However, that may change if you do exactly as I tell you."

I started nervously nibbling on my lip and fiddled with my hands which were now placed in my lap.

"I am going to have one of my maids take you upstairs, where you will wash and change. Then you will wait on the bed for me. Although you may be tempted to ask the maid to help you escape, I can assure you that all my staff are carefully selected and will remain loyal to me. Clear?"

I nodded slowly.

"So are you going to be a good girl or do I need to put you back in the basement?"

The thought of even stepping back into that dreadful place made me shudder.

"I'll be good..." my voice came out more like a broken, horse whisper. That was certainly not my intention. I wanted to seem strong but I was too scared and was never an actress anyway.

"Linda" Antonio beckoned and soon enough a blonde woman, around the age of 30 or 40 came forward.

Her hair was neatly tied back into a low bun and she had no makeup on her face. She was quite pretty, though slight wrinkles appeared on her face she still looked good for her age. She was a bit taller than me and wore a maids outfit, which consisted of a black knee length dress with a white apron over the top of it. She stood waiting for her instructions as her boss spoke.

"Portala nella mia stanza. Falla lavare e poi vestita con quello che lascio fuori per lei. mi aspetto che sia pulita, asciutta e pronta sul mio letto entro un'ora." (Take her to my room. Have her washed and then dressed in what i leave out for her. I expect her clean, dry and ready on my bed within the hour.)

I did not understand what he was saying but assumed he was just repeating what he had already told me so wasn't particularly anxious due to the language barrier.

I was very uncomfortable. I was sitting in a tub naked while a random woman washed me. I had repeatedly insisted I was capable of doing so on my own but she ignored me. It was just embarrassing, especially when she began to shave me. I couldn't comprehend why she and Antonio couldn't just leave me to wash on my own. I had been doing so for the last however many years of my life and was fully able to do it now.

My energy was back, though I was still a little tired. It was currently night time, as I noticed from the clock in the bedroom as I sat in a towel waiting for Linda to bring my clothes. I reminded myself to try and figure out the date so I could see how long it had been since my abduction.

Linda returned soon enough with my clothes. There was a set of white lacy lingerie and a silk pair of white shorts with a matching top. Hesitantly I slid them on.

It wasn't until I was staring at my reflection, Linda brushing my hair that I realized the severity of my situation once again. I had two options here. Try to escape now, while I have the chance of getting out, or to comply which leads to no risk of repercussions but who knows when the chance to escape would next come.

"Please help me. My name is Alice Green, I'm a psychologist and have been taken against my will. Just please call the police. I need help. Please!" I looked at the woman in the eyes through my reflection and begged her.

She instantly dropped the hair brush and without so much as a glance back at me.

Shit.

I was already regretting my decision to ask for help, Antonio had warned me.

But then I realized that I hadn't heard her lock the door. Surely it wouldn't hurt to try and get out....if I was going to be punished already for asking Linda for help I might as well make the most of the opportunity I had in front of me.

Quickly I stood up and ran to the door. If I even had a chance I had to act quickly. My hand reached hesitantly for the door knob, and I quickly pulled myself out the room. I paused for a second before stepping over the bedroom threshold, somewhat expecting a siren to go off or hundreds of guards to swarm around me. But there was nothing.

I glanced around the hallway and saw the staircase. My body was pumping itself full of adrenaline as I jogged down, my eyes straight ahead of me on the front door.

This was it! No one was around, I was going to escape this man and go straight to the authorities. I needed to memorize the house's whereabouts too so that I knew where to send the police. Because the Marino's were such high status criminals their location was unknown to most people. That's why police had so far had no luck in finding them.

My hand reached out for the door latch, ready to sprint out as fast as I could to avoid being caught when suddenly, I was pulled back by a harsh grip on my hair - causing me to fall back onto the hard floor.

I looked up and saw none other than Antonio who stood with his hands in his pockets and smirked at me. He let out a sinister laugh before speaking, "So you thought, even after my clear warning, that you would try to escape?"

I looked down as I found my way back to my feet, too scared to respond.

"Stupid Cagna (Bitch) did you really think my maid would help you! As soon as she left you I was informed of your useless attempt, then I told security to get out of the halls. I wanted to see how far you would go."

God how could I be so stupid. Of course an experienced man like this would never be stupid enough to leave his captive alone in a unlocked room. Fuck.

"What's the matter sweetheart?"

He came closer and cupped my cheek in his hand. Though as I started to speak he lowered it slowly.

"Are you going to hurt me?" I hadn't even noticed that I was crying.

Suddenly my heart lurched to the side and my body would have dropped to the floor if Antonio hadn't caught me in his arms and roughly thrown me over his shoulder.

"Yes I am."

I let out a choked sob and clutched my cheek where he had landed his slap. I saw him heading back to the basement, me in his arms, and started to squirm in an attempt to get free. But his grip was too firm.

I expected him to put me down into the cell I had spent several days of my life in, but when I looked up my heart stopped. The room was painted black and there was a line of harsh white lights on the ceiling. But the walls were decorated with all sorts of torturous devices. There were whips, chains, knives, ropes and so much more amongst things I didn't even recognize.

My eyes widened from fear, I searched Antonio's hoping to find an ounce of sympathy in them but he only seemed amused by my reaction. What the hell was he going to do to me?

"On the chair now." My attention was redirected to the metal chair that was bolted to the floor. I presumed so that no one could shift their position.

I didn't move but reconsidered when he threatened to worsen my punishment. I figured there was nothing I could do now.

The chair was cold and I was almost bare, only wearing a thin pajama set, so I shuddered from the feeling. I was shaking, partly because of the sudden temperature drop of the room but mainly from my terror. My abuser then tied my wrists and ankles to the chair with the restraints already attached to it. I tried to move them but they were fastened so tight that my joints ached, so I soon gave up on that attempt.

I sat still, as I hoped if I behaved now that he would go easier on me, I highly doubted it but it was definitely worth a try. It was then I noticed him grabbing some fabric. My brows knitted together in confusion, he couldn't hurt me with material, could he?

My opinion quickly changed when he shoved it over my face and then after a few seconds water gushed over my face. I then realized what this was. Waterboarding.

I struggled against his grip, I couldn't breath and was battling against the flood of water which attacked my face violently. Then he whipped away the cloth, just as I was about to lose consciousness. I gulped in air hungrily, thinking it was over, but he once again began choking me on the water.

He repeated this action at least 10 times, all though I lost count. He would leave me struggling under the force of the water just long enough until he could feel I was starting to lose consciousness and then he would give me a break before continuing.

He only stopped when I stopped struggling, I would silently feel myself getting strangled by the waterboarding torture and wait for it too all be over. I had lost all my energy now, it was pointless trying to fight back - these restraints were built for grown men with muscles and I had never even been to a gym.

I hung my head, hair dripping and my sodden clothes clingy to my skin, whilst my body was released from the chair's iron grip. I was then lifted up, bridal style, by the devil himself. The last thing I heard once my vision darkened was the echo of his footsteps before I fell into darkness.