Isabelle stopped rubbing Sarah’s back and grabbed her hair, moving it so that it didn’t fall into the bucket. They hadn’t taken a bath in way too long, and the last thing Sarah needed was vomit in her hair.
“The situation is horrible, I won’t lie or try to sugarcoat it,” Isabelle replied. “But feeling sick while with child is extremely normal. I felt horrible throughout both my pregnancies.”
“Great,” Sarah complained, sitting back and wiping her mouth. “At least one thing about this experience is normal.”
Isabelle handed Sarah a wet cloth. “I assure you that many women feel this way.”
“Maybe it would have been more tolerable if I had a loving husband and weren’t locked up in a cave in the middle of the desert.”
She was being sarcastic and bitter. Isabelle could not blame her daughter for being so angry. She was angry too. No, she was beyond angry; she was furious and desperate. Sarah had told her what Quincy had said about taking her away and marrying her. That had been days ago, and according to Sarah, he hadn’t mentioned it again. They were both hoping that he hadn’t meant it.
“I’m hungry,” Sarah complained. “I want real food, the kind you made back at home.”
Isabelle smiled at this. Despite the fact that Sarah was tiny, she used to eat a lot. Since they’d been abducted, they hadn’t really had any good-quality food. The food they ate was given to them simply because they had no other choice. There was a good possibility that the men simply didn’t know how to cook or that they were just giving them leftovers or horrible food because they could.
“You mentioned that Quincy said he would do anything to make you feel happy and safe,” Isabelle stated, recalling what Sarah had told her.
Sarah shook her head. “We both know he didn’t really mean that.”
“Maybe he did,” Isabelle said with a shrug. “Maybe his idea of making you happy is just very different from ours. You should try to ask him for specific foods and see if he would give them to you.”
“I don’t know...” Sarah trailed off. “I don’t really want to ask him for anything, or he might use it.”
“How is he going to do that?” Isabelle asked. “He’s already got you locked up here and is abusing you. There isn’t much else he can do.”
Sarah was quiet for a little while, clearly thinking about what her mother had said. “You could take the baby away from me when it’s born.”
Isabelle raised a brow. “You really think he would do that? That would mean that he has to look after the kid himself, and anyway, you said you didn’t want the baby.”
Sarah’s hand moved to her belly. “Just because I don’t want him, doesn’t mean I want Quincy to have him.”
Isabelle took Sarah’s hand in hers. “I honestly don’t think there’s anything you can do that will make our situation worse than it already is. Ask Quincy for whatever you want and see if he will give it to you.”
There was a big possibility that Quincy would simply laugh at Sarah for asking anything of him, but there was a chance that he might give her some of what she requested, and that chance was worth taking. Even if it was just a simple meal, it might help lift Sarah’s spirits and give her the will to carry on.
“Okay,” Sarah agreed. “I’ll ask him and see what he says.”
“Good. You need to take care of yourself and the baby as best as you can.”
Sarah was still holding her belly. It wasn’t visible that she was pregnant yet, but if you knew how skinny she really was and looked closely enough, you could just see the bump starting to show.
They didn’t have to wait long to see whether Quincy would grant Sarah’s wish. Not even ten minutes after the conversation, the door opened, revealing Quincy and two of his men.
He smiled at Sarah but completely ignored Isabelle. “Come,” he said, holding out his hand. Sarah looked at Isabelle and then stood up, taking his hand. They both knew what was going to happen next.
Isabelle watched as Quincy left with her daughter, closing the door behind him. Brian and the other man with him turned their attention to Isabelle, and her stomach contracted. These men didn’t deserve to be called men. They were monsters.
“Looks like it’s just us today,” Brian said with an evil smile on his face. “No pretty girl watching us from the corner of the room.”
The other man, Isabelle thought his name was Roy, walked closer to her. “That daughter of yours is quite a looker. It’s a shame Quincy doesn’t like to share.”
“He must be getting tired of her by now,” Brian added. “Maybe if we all asked really nicely, he would let us have a taste.”
Isabelle felt like yelling or punching them, but she couldn’t afford to do that. Anything she did would simply make what was to come much worse. These men liked taking their frustrations out on her, and she wasn’t sure how much more she could take. The only thing she could hope for was that Quincy would refuse their request.
They were done with Isabelle long before Quincy returned with Sarah. He simply led her into the room, kissed her on the forehead, and then left again.
“You okay?” Sarah asked, sitting down beside her.
