Carl nodded. It was working. She was finally starting to get lonely. He could hear her hoarse voice. She was getting hungry and thirsty. She would be miserable after the blows to her ribs. It wouldn't be long now. Soon, she would be wanting him to return. Soon, she would be so afraid and desperate, that even though it had been clear she no longer loved him, she would want to see him.<br/><br/>As he sat silently, an idea came to him. Still moving quietly, he stood and kicked out of his boots in order to move silently across the wood floor, then entered the kitchen. Taking out a few items from the bags he'd carried in, he began preparing a meal. The frying pan was soon sizzling with bacon over the wood-burning fireplace. The smell, he knew, would be torture to her.<br/><br/>A smile spread across his face as he anticipated what she would do next.