I clutched my stomach as I tried to stand on my feet, but then I heard it. It was the sound of the door being locked from the outside.
"Open the door … Mario! Open the door!" I yelled.
Panic crashed over me like a tidal wave. When I was little, my mother and I had been trapped in an elevator. I had watched her die right in front of me. Ever since that time, I suffered from severe claustrophobia.
Mario knew about this and yet he still locked me in.
My breaths came in ragged gasps. My limbs went numb. My vision blurred.
Outside, his voice floated through the door. "Come on, Tara. Daddy will take you and Mommy to stay in a five-star hotel."
Laughter echoed from outside the door as the three of them walked away. Then, the door shut and everything went silent after that.
Three years of marriage shattered in an instant. The whirlwind of changes that came with childbirth had caught me completely off guard.
For thirty years, I had carried myself with dignity, cherished my self-worth and approached love with sincerity and caution. However, I had still fallen flat on my face.