Chapter 3
PART 3:
Ethan started sighing when Emily came home tired.
Then he accused her of embarrassing him by “playing nurse” when she could have been attending family events.
Then came the first apology after the first slammed door.
“I’m under pressure,” Ethan said, holding her hands. “You know how my family is.”
Emily forgave him.
Then came the first time he grabbed her wrist hard enough to leave a mark.
He cried afterward.
He brought flowers.
He said he hated himself.
Emily hid the bruise from her mother.
Not because she thought Victoria would judge her.
Because she knew her mother would come like a storm.
And Emily was still trying to save her marriage.
That was the mistake that nearly destroyed her.
The Prescotts were experts at appearances.
At dinners, Ethan touched the small of Emily’s back and smiled for cameras.
Margaret called Emily “our sweet girl” in front of donors.
Brandon joked that Ethan had “married up in looks, at least.”
Everyone laughed.
Emily learned to laugh too.
At home, the mansion felt different.
Thick walls.
Locked gates.
Staff loyal to Margaret.
Security cameras no one gave Emily access to.
A family that controlled every room, every conversation, every version of the truth.
When Emily finally told Ethan she wanted time apart, his face went blank.
“You don’t leave a Prescott,” he said.
She thought he meant divorce would be messy.
She didn’t know he meant the door.
That night, her car keys disappeared.
Her phone was taken “so she could calm down.”
The guesthouse lock was changed.
Margaret arrived the next morning with tea and a smile.
“You’re exhausted,” she said. “We’re going to help you rest.”
Emily stared at her.
“You mean keep me here.”
Margaret tilted her head.
May you like
“You’re being dramatic.”
👉 For two days, Emily was trapped in a mansion where every locked door was designed to look harmless.
