Betrayed by Trust

Chapter 14-

As the days go by in complete solitude, Demi is left to confront the reality of her situation. The days blend together in a painful, endless blur. She's lost all sense of time, with no way to tell how long she's truly been in the room. The only thing she knows is that no one is coming to help her, that she's truly been abandoned.

She's left to wrestle with her thoughts, to face the consequences of her own actions, and to confront the anger and hatred that Rowan had felt towards her.

The sound of the phone ringing startles Demi. She scrambles for it, picking it up before the call can end. She's desperate for any kind of communication, for anything to break the unbearable solitude.

"H-hello? Hello?"

"My my Demi Bennett, looks like you are in quite a predicament."

Demi's throat tightens as she recognizes the voice on the other end. It's someone new, someone other than Rowan. She's both relieved and filled with dread at the same time.

"Who is this? How do you know who I am?"

"Because I am watching you right now" It was a distorted voice, but it was a man's voice

Demi's eyes go wide as the distorted voice tells her that they're watching her. She glances at the camera that was in the corner of the room. Her heart rate speeds up as she responds.

"W-what do you mean you're watching me? Can... Can you see me right now?"

"Don't look so scared, dear, in the end we both want the same thing. So I'm here to help you."

Demi's eyes narrow in suspicion at the mysterious offer. She can't understand why this stranger would be willing to help her, or what they're hoping to get in return. Still, the thought of escape from this lonely hell makes her hesitate.

"Help me? Why... Why would you want to help me? What do you get out of it?"

The voice was losing patience with her as he spoke.

"Revenge, you want it, I want it."

Demi's eyes glint with understanding as the man speaks. The mention of revenge sparks something in her, rekindling the anger and sense of injustice that she had pushed down in this room.

"Revenge? You're willing to help me get revenge?"

The voice was clearly annoyed.

"Unless you want to die in that room because I can make that happen as well."

The threat hits Demi hard. The reality of her situation, the very real possibility that she could die in this room, is something she'll do anything to avoid.

"N-No! I don't want to die here! I'll... I'll do whatever you need me to... Just... help me get out of here! Please!

"Get Rowan."

Her heart leaps as the man gives her a simple instruction. She has to get Rowan, and in exchange she'll get her freedom... It seems too good to be true.

"Get. Get Rowan? How do I do that?

The man sighs in frustration ready to give up on her and hang up on her for asking stupid questions.

Demi panics as the man's annoyance at her question becomes obvious. She hastily speaks up desperate for him not to hang up.

"No no, wait! I'm sorry I'm sorry, I can do it! I can get her, I just..."

Demi bolted upright in her bed, her heart racing as she realized it had been a dream. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she looked around the room. Her relief that she had woken up from that nightmare was quickly shattered as she looked around the room. She was still in the same isolated room she had been in before. She wasn't at home in her bed. It had all just been a dream. Despair and fear crept back up as the realization hit how truly trapped, she was.

Frustrated, she runs to the door and pounds against it and tries the door and to her surprise it was unlocked.

Surprise filled Demi as she realized that the door was open. She had tried opening it in her dream but found it to be locked.

A spark of hope flickered to life inside her as she pushed the door open and stepped outside into the hallway.  She was free.