7. Darkness
{Andrea's point of view}
Taking Philip's hand, I knew he had changed drastically since we first met. The warmth in his blue eyes is gone now. Where there was trust and love, there is now resentment and disloyalty.
Philip has a darkness in him now.
Like the man I had married didn't exist anymore. Your love for Milton killed him, I told myself.
"You can still let me go. I know that I was wrong. I should have never had the affair," I said, feeling tears building up in my eyes. I would never regret loving Milton, but I did regret hurting Philip. Turning him into this monster. I felt responsible for him coming unhinged. I should have honored my commitment to Philip.
"You are right. You shouldn't have. Anyone but Milton. He was so jealous.
Wanted to take what is mine. He wanted to be me," Philip says looking the ground.
"Be serious, Philip. You know that Milton loves you," I said harshly.
"No. Going behind my back with you was not love. If he was a real friend he would have never gone there in the first place. Now come on, I will give you that bath," he says pulling me into the other room. There I see the added on apartment in the back of the house. There is a huge lock on the door. Once I was in there I would not get out. I would truly be trapped.
I could not allow that to happen, I told myself.
I stood there as he opened the door for me, refusing to move. I could not give up my freedom so easy.
"Come on, Andrea," he said grabbing my arm.
"I am not going in there," I said pushing him with all my strength, surprisingly knocking him to the floor.
He looks at me shocked. I notice that I pushed him into a shelve, where a glass vase fell on him. I see a little blood on his arm. I cut him. For the moment, he is looking at the blood to make sure the injury isn't serious.
Before he could get up, I start to run quickly. Where had he hidden my cell phone? If only I could talk to Milton, my parents, or anyone that could help me.
I opened up his desk drawer in the living room, but no phone is there. Too obvious, I think. I hear him behind me. There is no more time to look. I had to make a run for it.
Suddenly I hear the phone ringing. It's on top of the kitchen counter. I grab it quickly without thinking, heading toward the front door.
I rushed outside, feeling the warmness of the sun on my skin. For a moment I think everything might be okay. Until I look around I realize that there isn't another house for miles. No neighbors. No one to help me. This house Philip has taken me to is a lake house, completely isolated from everyone. There is nothing I could do, I realized.
Where the hell had he taken me?
Without thinking I took out the phone dialing Milton's number. I should have be running, instead I decided to hide behind a large group of trees . I just needed to hear his sweet voice, then I believed everything would be okay somehow.
"Andrea. Are you okay? I have been calling for you days," Milton said on the other line, clearly concerned.
I felt frozen unable to speak, Milton was so close but still too far away. Hearing his voice made everything worst. Because I knew chances were that Philip would kill me before Milton could ever find me. Tell him that you love him and say goodbye. That is all you can do now.
"Andrea, can you hear me?" Milton said loudly, as I could hear the phone breaking up.
"Yes," I said feeling a strong arm wrap around me. A sick feeling in my stomach started to grow. My crazy husband had found me without any trouble. He probably followed me the whole time, I decided.
The idea of screaming on the phone for help, or throwing a rock at Philip comes to my mind. These thoughts are quickly dismissed when I feel a gun being pointed at my back.
"Tell him it's over. That you don't love him. Your life depends on it," He said, somehow knowing that I had called Milton. Not that it was that hard to guess.
"Andrea?" Milton said again in a troubled voice.
"I am sorry Milton. You were right. We should ended it before. I have decided to stay with Philip. He is my husband. We have a daughter together, and I think it's better this way," I said trying to sound convincing.
I feel Philip's arms wind around me, and I am forced to lean against his chest. On his face is an evil smile.
Whether I had ran away or not, I knew he would have forced me to make this phone call to Milton. Hurting me was not enough. Philip wanted Milton to suffer too. And he knew I was the only person who could truly break Milton's heart.
"Andrea, I know where you are coming from. But you said so yourself that you are in love with me. How can you stay with him, if you are really in love with me? I can't let you go. Just come home and we will start our new life together," Milton pleaded with me.
"I don't want a life with you, Milton. I don't love you. The truth is you can't compare to Philip at all. He is confident. You are so socially awkward that I am surprised you can even speak in a courtroom, much less run your own law firm. I know the first time we made love that it was difficult for you. I could not even touch you in certain places," I said knowing how much those words would hurt him. Still I did not have a choice.
" I will admit, Philip is better with people and more assertive. But you still love me. I know you do. And as for my intimacy issues, I worked through them with you. I am ready to have a relationship now. I can't accept that we are over," he said, not wanting to give up.
"Philip is my husband, and he needs me. I have to focus on him and my daughter. There is no room for you Milton. I had to tell you that. We are over," I said forcing the words from my mouth.
"If that is what you want Andrea, okay. But I will always love you. No matter how you feel about me. I just want you to be happy," Milton promised me.
I wanted to scream that I loved him too, however the gun pointed at my back stopped me.
"Goodbye," I said to Milton, feeling that my heart was being torn into a million pieces. He hangs up the phone, I turn around to look at Philip who looks pleased.
"Time to go home now, Andrea," he says forcing me into the house by gunpoint.
Once inside, I am locked up in the apartment. Looking around I could tell it took him a while to set it all up.
Maybe he had been planning on taking me here way before the affair?
Could he be more controlling than I thought? Did it even matter anymore? The damage was already done. All I could do now is hope that he did not kill me for attempting to escape and causing him a minor injury.
Several hours later Philip returns bringing in a brown bag of fast food. His voice sounds low and rough.
"Guess your boyfriend was upset when you ended it. But you had to do it. Or else he was never going to leave us alone."
"Where are we, Philip? What state?" I said not wanting to talk about the heartbreaking phone conversion I just had. Thinking Milton was doubting our love was too much. I hated that I hurt him.
"You know what Andrea? For someone who wants to be a lawyer you can be a dumbass. You escaped and had a cell phone. You could have called the police or 911. Instead you called Milton, who had no way of helping you. So you are either really stupid or you wanted to get caught. And I think that what is you wanted. You wanted me to find you," Philip whispers in my ear.
I said nothing, but force myself to choke down the food he brought. Then I close my eyes when he takes me to bed. After he is finished with me, I am left alone locked up in the small apartment. There are no windows and only one door. I was trapped, but I was still alive.