He shakes his head, "I-I had to. Please, Amelia. I lo-"

I press my finger over his lips, "No, Gabe. You didn't have to, just like you didn't have to do those terrible things to all of those people... to me."

"Able, tie his hands." I say flatly. Able appears behind him and swiftly does so.

"Do you remember that night? When you put me in the bull's belly? I thought I was going to die. You made me think that that would be my fate, and for hours I sat in there, soiling myself and shaking to the point that I thought my skin would fall off."

Gabe glares at me as I continue, "The fear you provoked in me was unimaginable. I'll never forget it. Just like I'll never forget how you raped me, or how you killed Kat. I'll never forgive you."

"You wouldn't." He grits out.

A grim smile stretches across my face as I nod slowly, "I will."

A dark chuckle escapes him as Able unclips the chain from around the tree branch and drags Gabe off of the crate. Gabe stumbles, his knees hit the earth as he bows his head, and his contempt filled eyes never leaving mine.

"Crawl behind me, slave." I growl as Able hands me the chain which is still cinched around Gabe's neck. I pull and yank relentlessly until we escape the confines of the woods. The bull still sits proud next to the house, in the same place that I spent that fateful night.

I stop and turn to Gabe who is still on his knees. He's lost a lot of blood, so he's incredibly weak, too weak to fight.

"Amelia." He rasps, "Please, don't do this. I'll let you go. I'll let you go."

I shake my head as I kneel down. I'm eye level to him as I grasp his hair and pull his head back, "How many times did I beg, Gabe. You are mine now. I own you." I release him and nod to Able, who grasps Gabe from under the arms and pulls him to the bull.

"You'll regret this!" He exclaims as Able forces him inside of the belly of the bull. The door clangs shut before it is latched.

Able walks around the side of the house and produces a gas can. He soaks the wood below and we stand shoulder to shoulder as we stare at the bull. Gabe is banging against the hollow walls, his screams of defiance never faltering. I click the lighter repeatedly, just as he did to me, igniting more fear than I ever thought possible.

"Do you want me to do it?" Able whispers.

I shake my head slowly, "No. I need to do this."

And with that I kneel down, taking a dry leaf and igniting it.

"Goodbye, Gabe." I whisper before throwing the leaf onto the wood. It ignites automatically, and soon after the bull's screams drown out Gabe's as the smoke billows from its nostrils, clouding the sky.

We stand together until the fire dies out and the screams cease along with the smoke.

Able rests a hand on my shoulder. "You're free, Amelia."

The tears spring to my eyes as I rest my hand over his.

I'm free.

Epilogue.

"Dubbed "The House of Horrors", Gabriel Thibault is thought to have brutally murdered hundreds of people as a hired hitman."

"How does this guy get off with killing all of these people? How did such atrocities play out right under our noses?"

"Bodies have been located throughout the Appalachian Mountains surrounding the Thibault home."

"A room containing all types of torture devices has been discovered inside of a secret room within Mr. Thibault's study."

"More than fifty people have been connected with Gabriel Thibault, all are facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder. Including Mayor Tony Bellarose."

"I'll tell you, the medical examiner is having a hell of a time identifying these body parts which have been scattered throughout the property."

"Gabriel Thibault is a man who can disappear without a trace, and that's exactly what he's done."

1 Year Later I lay on the plush carpet of my grandmother's living room watching the blinds sway with each breath of air from the surrounding windows. Finding solace in my grandmother's home as I once did when I was a child.

The specks of dust are swirling gracefully each time the wind kisses them.

"Du?" Gabriel says as he sits before the blinds, reaching out to touch the particles.

I smile as I crawl over to him, "Yes, that's right. Dust."

A big smile spreads across his face as he claps his tiny hands. Green eyes, the same ones that I'd become so accustomed to stare back at me. Though, these are not full of contempt, they're full of happiness. He's a beautiful baby. He looks just like his father.

In the past year, my name has been plastered all over the news stations.

"The Woman Who Survived Hell"

I did survive the unthinkable. But I didn't do it alone. If not for Able, I still would have been there.

Gabe was disposed of in a way that he will never be found. People assume that he'd been afraid that he'd been figured out, and he vanished. He would be capable of doing so with his wealth. My father's name was tainted when his secrets were exposed. His body has yet to be found.

My mother didn't want to believe it. She eventually had to though. The evidence was there, and I testified against him. She resented me at first, but she's coming around.

The prosecuting attorneys originally tried to paint me as a conspirator in Gabe's crimes. However, there was no evidence that supported that. To my surprise, people began to come forward. Including Esmerelda, Benedict and even Dr. Kerr. Their testimonies supported the fact that I was in fact a captive.

I tried to locate Kat's parents to tell them about what happened, but unfortunately they both passed. Once her body was located, we held a small funeral for her.

I sold Gabe's estate, with the exception of the land where my son is buried. I still visit him every weekend, placing flowers and stuffed animals around his little grave.

Gabe's home has since been turned into a museum. Thousands of tourists have already flocked to it over the past year. I've not stepped foot in that place since we escaped. It's a chapter that I want to forget. Reliving the events in court were enough to make me seek out countless hours of therapy.

Everyone assumed that Gabriel was mine and Gabe's son, and I kept it that way. Dr. Kerr and the staff each gave me their word that they would not disclose otherwise. I promised Kat that I would love him as my own, and I do. I love him with every beat of my heart. He's a constant reminder that beauty can be found in the darkest of days.

I'm twenty-one now, and in my short life I've lived through more than I'd ever thought possible. I met people that I would have never met otherwise, I found a strength within myself that I didn't realize would ever exist.

I thought that my life had ended when Gabe took me, when my father allowed it, when Gabe raped me, and when I lost the baby.

Life didn't end though. Once I survived one horrible thing, I moved on to the next, and I kept doing that until I was finally freed after almost two years in captivity.

"Hon, Able's here." My grandmother says with a huge smile plastered on her face.

Since my escape, Gabriel and I have been staying with her on the ranch. That is therapy in itself. Waking to the rooster every morning, taking little Gabriel out to walk the property and feed the chickens.

"Alright," I say, eyeing her suspiciously, "Let me get Gabriel's things together."

She waves her hands around dismissively, "No need, he'll be staying with GG."

"Okay..." I say.

Able peeks in with a bright smile on his face, "You ready beautiful."

I walk towards him cautiously, "Sure, but can someone tell me why you two are acting so weird?"

Able walks to me and grabs my hand, pulling me towards the front door, "I don't know what you're talking about."

I laugh as I swing my purse over my shoulder. I look over my shoulder to my grandma June as she holds Gabriel, holding his arm up and making him wave, "Say bye bye, momma."

He smiles, "Buh momma."

"Bye baby." I whisper before Able yanks me out the front door.

He opens the passenger door to his truck and helps me in.

Once he gets into the driver's seat, I look towards him with a raised eyebrow, "Okay, what is going on."

He turns on the stereo and shakes his head, "Calm down, sugar. Sit back and enjoy the ride."

I shake my head as I lean back in the seat, smiling as we begin making our way down the long driveway.

We've been dating since my escape. He's an amazing man, and incredibly sweet and patient with me.

He's stopped doing his "odd jobs" and now works in construction.

After about twenty minutes or so we pull into a long driveway with a cute, white picket fence surrounding it.

"What's this?" I ask.

"Oh, I just wanted to show you a house I've been working on."

Once it comes into view, my breath catches in my throat. It's absolutely adorable and looks like a manor. The brown crisscross siding against the white makes me think of Germany, as does the steeped roof. It has vines growing up the sides and the rounded front door reminds me of a fairytale.

"Wow." I murmur as I look up at it through the windshield.

Able parks and looks over at me, "Wait until you see the inside."

I nod as he runs over to my side and opens the door for me. He grasps my hand and leads me to the front door.

My eyes travel around the interior. It's cozy and whimsical, reminding me of a hobbit house. Well, a hobbit house big enough for normal sized people that is.

"This place is amazing, Able." I whisper.

"Wait till you see the bedroom." He says excitedly as he drags me upstairs.

My breath catches in my throat when I see a small round table dressed in a white tablecloth. A small votive candle sits in the middle of the table accompanying the low lighting of the many other candles throughout the room.

"Happy one year, baby." He whispers into my ear, wrapping his arms around me.

I smile as he gently pushes me to the table and pulls my chair out. There are two flutes and a bottle of champagne resting on ice.

"This is wonderful, Able." I say as he sits across from me.

He pours us each a flute and raises his glass, "To us."

"To us." I repeat. Something shiny catches my eye within the flute.

I bring it closer to my eyes and see the tiny bubbles rising from a beautiful, princess cut engagement ring.

"Able..." I breathe out, and in a flash he is kneeling beside me.

His beautiful eyes implore mine with so much emotion as he holds up a key, "Amelia, do me the honor of being my wife. Live here, with Gabriel and I. Make me the happiest man in the world. Please."

Tears spring to my eyes as I nod slowly, "Of course."

He grabs me from around the waist and pulls me to him. His lips crash into mine as his strong arms wrap around my body. He pulls away and brushes his nose against mine, "You just made me the happiest man in the world."