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The little ceramic dish is in pieces beside the door. One of the bottles from his vanity has broken against the wall. The stool is on its side. Clothes are hanging out of the dresser drawers and scattered across the floor.

“Oh.”

I knew better. You don’t leave fragile things with a new doll until you know how he handles being upset. I got excited because Jamie is sweet and I wanted everything ready for him. That was careless.

Then I see the jewelry box on the floor with its lid cracked. “What did you do?”

Jamie is standing beside the bed exactly where I told him to stand. He’s wearing the choker I bought him. It looks even prettier than I thought it would.

“I woke up locked in a fucking room!”

“You broke everything!”

“Because you kidnapped me!”

“I made this for you!” I’m shouting now. “You ungrateful little shit.”

Jamie flinches.

“You want to throw things?” I grab one of the shoes from the floor and throw it at him.

It hits his stomach. “Are you fucking serious?”

“You ruined your room.”

“It’s not my fucking room!”

I throw the other shoe.

“Jesus Christ!” He catches that one against his chest and stares at me.

I close my eyes. One breath. Two. When I open them again, Jamie hasn’t moved. I set the baton on top of the cart where I can reach it and smooth my hands down my skirt.

I look around the room again. I step over the broken ceramic. “This isn’t how good boys behave, Jamie.”

His eyes flick to the baton.

“Now I have to punish you.”

The anger falls away, leaving him wide-eyed and quiet. Much prettier.

“What?”

I take the ruler from my pocket.

Jamie looks at it, then at me. “You can’t be fucking serious.”

“Give me your hand.”

“No.”

I wait.

He looks at the ruler again. Then the cart.

His breakfast is under the little metal cover, but he can probably smell it. I made eggs and toast to go with the potatoes from the roast. Nothing too heavy until I know how his stomach handles the first morning.

“I’m not doing that.”