Caroline slowly drifted back to consciousness, the dull throb in her skull swelling with each passing second. Panic took hold as a bitter metallic taste filled her mouth. Blood. Her limbs were numb, tied so tightly that the rope had bitten into her skin. She lay on a damp concrete floor, the air heavy with mold and rust. Above, a weak light flickered, casting warped shadows across the peeling basement walls.

Her breath grew shallow as she took in her surroundings: crumbling pipes, mildew-stained walls, and the distant sound of dripping water. It wasn’t just a basement—it was a prison. Fragments of memory surfaced like broken glass—Ethan’s face, a sudden sting in her neck, then darkness.

Three days earlier, Caroline had come home early, hoping to surprise her husband with his favorite bourbon pecan pie and a bottle of red wine. But when she opened the door, laughter from the bedroom stopped her in her tracks. A woman’s voice. A stranger. She stood frozen in the hallway, her heart collapsing.

Ethan was with a woman, tall and graceful with platinum blonde hair. He stammered when he saw Caroline, but she turned without a word, the bag slipping from her hand.

“Wait, Carrie—please, it’s not what it looks like!” he shouted, rushing after her.

“What is it then?” she asked, calm but sharp. “You remember what the prenup says? You cheat, you lose everything. Tomorrow, I file for divorce.”

She left him standing speechless in the doorway, rage etched across his face.

She never made it to the lawyer. As she started her car, a sudden sting pierced her neck. Ethan loomed over her, a syringe in hand, eyes cold.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he whispered. “But I’m not walking away with nothing.”

When she awoke, she was here. Bound. Abandoned.

Hours later, Ethan returned. He lit a cigarette and sat on an overturned bucket, watching her like a hawk. “You’re officially dead,” he said coolly. “Got a coroner friend to forge the certificate—heart failure. They’ll never know. I’ll cry at your funeral and collect the inheritance.”

“You’re insane,” she rasped, struggling against the ropes.

“No, Caroline. I’m just finally free.”

He left her in that basement. The next time she saw light, she was being dragged through dense woods. Tall pines loomed overhead, their needles whispering in the breeze. Ethan tied her to a tree and stepped back.

“No one’s gonna find you here. Animals will take care of the rest.”

He drove off, gravel crunching under his tires until silence returned. Caroline screamed until her voice broke. Then, only the wind and the rustling leaves answered.

A shadow emerged from the trees. Caroline froze. Was it a wolf? Her vision swam with fear—then everything went dark.

When she came to, a gentle hand was untying her ropes. A rugged man, mid-forties, weathered but kind-eyed, knelt beside her. A large German Shepherd sat nearby, ears alert, tail thumping.