Saving Faith... by Stephanie M. Colon (classic novels for teens .txt) 📕

Prologue

Faith

Faith Anderson had gone back to her boyfriend’s house. Fine he was her ex-boyfriend but that title only labeled him as such for about a day. She had been on her way home from her best friend’s house when she thought she would take the long way home. Walking by Owen’s house she initially didn’t want to go in. She didn’t really want to face what he had done to her but something pulled her into the building straight to his apartment. As she stood in the living room of the three thousand square foot condo she realized why she really wanted to be with him. It wasn’t because of him or because of how she felt about him. It was because she just wanted to live comfortably. She didn't want to have to work so hard to go nowhere with her life. Faith had so many things she wanted to do but she felt like every day was a struggle just to make enough to pay bills and feed herself. She didn't want to live paycheck to paycheck anymore. 

“I knew it was a waste of time coming here. There was no point in reasoning with you, was there Owen? These last two years have been a waste of our time hasn’t it? Did you ever really care about me or us?” Faith asked. She knew there was no reasoning with a man who had never really loved anyone, not even his family, but she felt like she owed it to herself to at least try. Why did I expect more from him? Why did I think he actually loved me? Why couldn’t I see what was wrong? I really thought we were in love. Oh wait that’s right...he’s been cheating on me for months from what I found out. I wonder how soon after we started dating that he started cheating. She thought to herself about the whole relationship they had. He’s been brainwashing me this whole time.

Faith still had hope that things would get better. That Owen would grow to love her. She had spent the last two years in what she thought was a relationship but she just realized it was all a lie. She had this fairy tale dream that they would get engaged in the next six months, and get married by time their third year anniversary had come up. She had spent so much time dreaming about where she would be in the next five years. Her life plan for herself had just gone up in flames and this was her last ditch effort in trying to save it, even if what he did was horrible. It was so tiring to think about her days before she met Owen, but he was brainwashing her the whole time. He never really loved me. He only wanted people to believe I was his one and only because of how it would end up looking to the world. Noone could know who he really was or what he really was. What the hell am I doing here? He is a manipulative, abusive, egotistical, arrogant little man.

“I don’t know why you came but just sit down on the sofa. I need to go shower. I do have things I need to do and you came at a bad time. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes. Then we can talk if you’d like as I get ready.” Owen explained. After he said what he needed to say he turned his back on her and went to his bedroom. Inside he was pissed beyond reason. He knew all females were whores. Even his own mother was a whore. She stepped out on her family, left her child behind, to follow as some man to the other side of the world and have another family never to look back. This time he planned to take out his anger on someone. If he hadn’t just gotten off the phone with his mother before his doorbell rang he probably would have just turned Faith away. That damn whore tried to call him and apologize for the last twenty years of his life. Tried to blame his father for her leaving him behind. Tried to tell him that she was going to take him but that his father tried to threaten her life if she attempted to take him. Of course he wouldn’t have gone with his mother. He was his father's sole heir. Why would he have left his life in comfort for a hovel in who knows where with a man he didn't know and children he would hate? It would have left him feeling different towards the woman if he had at least knew she wanted him when he was young.

Faith. He would not tolerate her disobedience. It was long enough now that she should know not to talk back to him. I groomed her enough by now that she should know her place with him. She should know he wouldn’t let her go far. He knew she was planning to leave and he was going to let her. He would have let her get away but he would have kept tabs on her. He would wait until he knew she thought she was free and he would bring her back. Who was she to talk down to him about being with other women when he knew perfectly well she was seeing other men. He may not love her but he decided she was his a long time ago and no one was going to take her, not even Faith herself.

Faith sat down on the sofa feeling awkward when she has never felt that way in this particular condo. It always seemed like home to her but now she felt odd. She decided to ignore it, thinking all she needed was to talk to Owen and fix their relationship. She hoped they could talk and maybe her time in a different city would defuse some of the tension. All those hours praying and dreaming of more and it never really involved Owen. She really was just wasting her time because the man she knew was meant to be by her side in those images was not Owen. She needed to leave now. Why am I even waiting for him to finish. I need to leave and I need to get out fast. Why am I sitting here waiting for a man who mentally and emotionally abuses me. Holy crap I’m being abused.

It’s a good thing after she had confronted him about his cheating she had told him she needed to go away for a couple months. In reality she was planning on moving which now with her new realizations was actually perfect timing. Faith would be moving in two weeks. Luckily she had a few friends Owen knew nothing about and they had helped her get a new job and found her an apartment. They were such good friends they even paid the first months rent for her. Faith didn’t understand why but she just had the realization that her friends probably saw her being abused and didn't say anything because they knew she wouldn’t listen. That’s why they were so willing to help her. Why they were so eager to help her. How could I have not seen any of this?

After having everything go through her mind and coming to so many realizations she started to panic. She needed to leave now. She needed to go home, pack, and leave as soon as possible. No waiting for two weeks. She needed to leave this city tonight. “Owen, I’m sorry I came. I thought we were going to be able to talk but I need to go now. Maybe we can talk another time?” She turned around to leave. Faith was so caught up in her thoughts that the next thing she knew there was a wet towel pushed up against her mouth and nose. She started to see black within a couple seconds.

Owen

Owen smiled down at the helpless little 23 year old. Since he had met Faith over a two years ago all he wanted was for her to do as he said and satisfy his needs. She was a lot harder to break than he thought. She was the first person who ever told him no. In his entire life no one had ever rejected him when he said he wanted something. He found that he did not like rejection at all. Owen thought himself as a man of superiority. No one had the right to say no to him. Knowing that she would not sleep with him, knowing that she told him repeatedly that she would not give herself to him at all made him angrier every time he heard her reject him. He knew she was giving herself to other men. There were times she would lie to him. He didn’t know why he allowed it but he did. He knew she would be good for his image when he finally took over his part in his father's company. He just needed to get her to be what he needed. Just a simple mouse of a wife who never spoke unless spoken to and who did everything he told her. He almost had her right where he wanted her. What had gotten into her that she all of a sudden left him? Why was she so shocked that he had been sleeping with other women. If she didn't give herself to him what was he supposed to do? He needed to get his pleasure from someone. He was a man after all. She would have been perfect but she just didn't want to follow his directions. She wouldn't have wanted for anything ever again if she had just done as he said. 

She had left him the day before when she saw that he had gotten phone calls from one of the women who was willing to satisfy him. He was sick of her rejection. He was better than anyone she would ever meet. He was the best a person like her could ever even hope for. Did she really think she would find someone better than him? Owen knew she was leaving soon but now he was unwilling to allow her to leave. So far he was already late but he couldn't pass up this opportunity. The way he saw this situation was if Faith wanted to come back here then she will suffer the consequences now. A nice little stay in the panic room will soften her up. If not he will have to look for other accommodations. If someone reports her missing they will send the police straight to his door. He would need to find somewhere else to keep her until he grew tired of her. Then he would have to decide to either keep her or get rid of her. The idea of getting rid of her was pretty tempting. Everyone will sympathize for him. She had no family so the only people who would really miss her are the people he knew and they would all worry about how he was holding up. Those other people she thought were her friends would all end up forgetting about her. He would make sure of it.

While trying to figure out what he would need for the next few days he picked up Faith and brought her to his closet. Owen took out everything she might find to escape the room. The only thing he left in there was the small built in cot he had to lower from the wall. He hated the damn thing but it was necessary if he ever had to use the room himself for an extended period of time. He then went to his