Page 14 (1/2)

There was only one thing the void wanted Greedily tearing me apart, it asked for Livvie It wanted my hopes, my dreahter we had shared “Mine,” the void had decreed Only Livvie could make me whole, and as soon as I had realized it, I couldn’t stop looking for her -- Caleb

CHAPTER ONE

I’ging In fact, you probably know too s and know them far too well

It’s been a long time since Captive in the Dark; today is Friday, February 8th, 2013 In May it will have been four years since I sat in a tinted sedan and conte Livvie I’m twenty-nine now and I finally know it for a fact So thirty in August Livvie is eight years my junior, but you wouldn’t know it by the way she talks to ) Livvie and I have changed considerably froed so nicely, I will endeavor to tell you the story you want to hear

Before I move on, a word about names They were very i Shakespeare asked, “What is in a name?” I can tell you—a whole hell of a lot

Livvie is now naed her naraainst her kidnapper and rapist (that’s me)

However, you know her as Livvie and so I’ll continue to call her that for your benefit, but of course, that would beg the question: Who am I?

Am I Caleb?

Am I James?

I’ve often askedand have always come up with a different answer Perhaps the only truthful answer is, “I am both”

Caleb will always be a part of est part I want to be James

Jaon He was raised by his reith respect for women but also a need to display his masculinity to e but took tio and see the world He met Sophia at The Paseo de Colon and fell instantly in love

James never met anyone named Livvie He never hurt her

We know different We know the truth So, for the purposes of this story you begged me to tell—I am Caleb

I am the man who kidnapped Livvie I am the man who held her in a dark room for weeks I’m the one who tied her to a bedpost and beat her I’m the one who nearly sold her into sexual slavery But, most importantly, I am the man she loves

She loves me It’s quite sick, isn’t it?

Of course, there’s more to our story than can be surmised in a few short sentences, but I’this, I don’t need to make those justifications You’ve already made your own

You’re reading this because you want to know about the rest of the story You want to knohat happened that warht I ed all over again

It didn’t happen exactly as Livvie said She’s been very kind toof our story The truth is far more… complicated

Livvie would have you believe we kissed and it was all that needed to be said

I wish it had been so simple The part about the kiss is true She kissed me It had been a year since we touched A year since I’d watched her walk away An entire year since she killed forher off at the Mexican border covered in blood She kissed me and my head did swim I can tell you unabashedly, it was probably the happiest I’d ever been before

Then she slapped me Hard I think my head vibrated

I re to jail now”

“How could you?” Livvie asked I could hear the pain in her voice and it gutted me

I believed she’done last time to fuck it up It was the le ether in ive s I’d done

“I won’t run, Livvie I’ll let theain” I couldn’ther face sust toward me I didn’t want to remember her that way

Slowly, the longest minute of my life ticked away I couldn’t hear any sirens; there weren’t anye

“Never see you again? How stupid could you be? You can’t just walk into ain I won’t let you, Caleb Not this time”

And if you can believe it… she slapped ain