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Four months ago
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“James, what do you want for breakfast?” Lily asked, opening the pantry and staring at the contents.
“Pancakes?” he shouted from his bedroom.
“Sounds good!” she yelled back.
Lily pulled the pancake mix and other ingredients from the pantry and started heating the skillet. By the time she was flipping the last pancake, James snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She resisted the urge to scream and pull away. Lily turned around to kiss him, and he greedily kissed her back.
“Thanks for making breakfast, darling.” He stroked her cheek with fondness. “This may work out after all. If this continues, you can sleep in my room soon.”
Lily bounced on the balls of her feet, excited about the prospect of being able to leave her room more frequently and having more freedom. Because surely that was what he meant. And if so, that meant the potential to escape. All she had to do was wait a bit longer . . .
“Let’s eat,” James ordered, picking up the plate stacked with pancakes. “Get the maple syrup.”
Lily obediently trotted over to the fridge for the maple syrup and set it on the table.
James rewarded her with another kiss. “Thank you.”
She sat beside him, and they ate breakfast together, which had become their typical Saturday morning routine. James only worked on weekdays, so they could spend the entire weekend together. Although sometimes he had papers to grade, lessons to plan, meetings with parents, or other teacher responsibilities.
“Shall we watch a movie later? I bought more popcorn and Hershey’s bars.”
Lily plastered a smile across her face. “My favorite snacks. You’re the best.”
“Anything to make you happy, Lily.”
This was their life now. Over the past month, Lily had adjusted rather quickly to the changes. Her relationship with James was better than ever, or so he thought. Maybe she was becoming a better actress. Nine months had passed, but every day stuck in the house was an eternity.