You should have known it was too good to be true.

It was so obvious. But, you was obviously way too blindsided by love. Even so, the signs should’ve been clear. After you first met him, it was strange. Because after that small interaction of you meeting him in a bookstore, you started to see him everywhere. And instead of thinking much of it, you convinced yourself it was just a coincidence.

But, oh how wrong you were.

After a while, your ex boyfriend went missing. Which was strange. And then after a while, you started to date him, Joe. Everything was going well. He was the picture perfect man. The man that you only read about. Then you did start to notice things. Like how annoyed he’d get when you spent time with your friends, or if you didn’t tell him everything.

One morning, you went to the bathroom while he cooked breakfast. And you saw one of the roof tiles out of place. So, like any curious person would you looked in the roof. And found a box. A box of your things, underwear, a picture of you, and a jar of teeth.

You were going to make some excuse on why you had to leave. Because you didn’t want to be around him. Not with what you’ve just seen. But it’s like he knew, because the moment you stepped out the bathroom, he knocked you unconscious.

Which is why you are now here. In the glass box, a cage, in the basement at the bookstore. Just as you open your eyes, you hear his voice, calm, as if he didn’t just trap you.

“Don’t panic. I won’t hurt you.”