Victoria felt immense pain before her eyes opened. Her left shoulder was on fire and it felt like it was on the verge of dislocating. She opened her eyes, preparing to move her arm. Instead, she heard a clattering of metal on metal. Handcuffs. No wonder she was sore, her arm had been handcuffed above her head, connecting her to the metal headboard.

For the first time, she took a long look around the room. It was set up like a small studio apartment, but Victoria doubted anyone lived here. There were no pictures or decorations on the walls, no dishes or cups, not even a candle. Even the beige comforter she was on top of appeared to be brand new.

Victoria squeezed her eyes shut, desperately trying to remember anything. She remembered asking Conrad to stay with her last night. She refused to tell him about Eric Palmer. Why hadn't she just given in and let him take control of the situation. Was Eric to blame for all this? She remembered waking up early for her morning jog. She let her mind entertain the notion that maybe she had gotten injured or fainted while running. Maybe this way a simple gesture of kindness. And then the memory can flooding back. She kept glancing behind her while running because she felt eyes on her. She didn't see anyone and told herself that she was being paranoid. And then she heard her name. She turned around just in time to see the large branch swinging towards her. Suddenly she remembered who called her name.

"I see you're awake." Eric said offering her a cup of coffee. She shook her head, unwilling to risk being handcuffed and drugged on the off chance he had slipped something into her drink.

"My shoulder hurts. Could you uncuff me, Eric? Please?" She silently reminded herself to stay calm and be nice. She was not in a position to push his buttons and she didn't know how his temper worked.

"I can't let you go right now, but I can switch arms to give that one a break. You've been out of it for a while." Victoria sat silently as he pulled a second set of handcuffs out and handcuffed her right hand before releasing her left arm. She rubbed her sore shoulder while keeping her eyes locked on him.

"How long have I been here?" She finally asked.

"You've been asleep for about 5 hours now. You slept the whole car ride over, too. I had to carry you to the car-"

"-after you hit me in the head with a branch." She said flatly.

"Victoria, I am truly sorry about doing that. I'd never want to hurt you. I just needed to get you somewhere where we could talk." He said. She tried to keep a straight face as he ran his hands along her cheek and through her hair, which was now tangled. Inside, she was cringing at how rough and callused his hands felt against her skin.

"Why did I need to be here to talk?"

"We just needed to be alone."

"Eric, I don't understand. What is so important that you couldn't just talk to me before?"

"Don't you see? I'm saving you, Victoria." Victoria felt her heart drop. Her worst fears were confirmed. Whatever Eric was after wasn't as simple as paying a ransom or seeking revenge. He wanted something more. He wanted her.

"Saving me from what?"

"I've known you since middle school. You were so sweet and shy and beautiful. And then everything happened with your trial. I happened to read an article or two about you. And then after flight 197 you became more frequent in the media. These past few years, you're name has been drug through the mud. You deserve better than that. I'm going to treat you like you deserve."

Victoria resisted the urge to remind him that by his line of thinking, being held captive and struck in the head was what she "deserved." She had never regretted anything more than she regretted not mentioning Eric to Conrad. Who knew how long it would take him to figure out what she had been worried about. Even if he could discover Eric Palmer, who knew if Conrad would be able to save her.

"Victoria, I'm going to make things right for us. We're going to have an amazing life together. It may not seem like it now, but one day you'll love me as much as I love you." Victoria offered him a weak smile, but was silently screaming for Conrad to come save her.