Verity:
"Your sister didn’t come to see you either," I said with a pout. "And she isn’t going to."
I leaned closer, putting on an exaggeratedly dramatic tone.
"She went to Jenna and apologized. Told her she had no idea her scumbag brother had victimized so many girls."
I pressed my lips together theatrically as tears began gathering in Oliver’s eyes.
"Even your parents have backed away. Nobody wants to see you."
It was a lie.
But watching him look so disoriented and devastated made it strangely satisfying.
"You know what? Your sister was the first one to distance herself from you. Jenna got everyone’s sympathy. She’s getting her life back, and every single video of her has been deleted from your phone."
I tilted my head.
"All those videos you kept are gone. And if you happened to send one to someone else and they try to upload it, they’ll end up exactly where you are."
I lowered my voice.
"So I’m pretty sure nobody is going to make that mistake. In fact, if someone realizes they have one of those videos, they’ll probably destroy their own phone before risking it."
I bent forward, planting both hands on the edge of his bed as I stared down at him.
"You’re wondering why I’m talking to you like this, aren’t you?"
I clicked my tongue.
"Seriously? You still haven’t figured it out?"
My voice dropped to a whisper.
"You and your sister thought you were both so clever, didn’t you? You thought you could do whatever you wanted and never face the consequences."
I reached for one of his fingers and slowly bent it back.
Oliver whimpered behind the oxygen mask.
"Shh. Don’t make a sound," I warned, pointing at him.
Then I leaned closer.
"Do you know your videos are going viral now? Just like you people made my brother’s videos go viral."
This time, I wasn’t holding back.
Oliver wasn’t a threat anymore.
Tears spilled freely from Oliver’s eyes, and at the mention of his videos, he squeezed them shut.
"That’s exactly what you did to my brother, isn’t it?" I whispered. "Except he was innocent."
The second those words left my mouth, Oliver’s eyes flew open.
Panic slowly overtook his expression, as though something had finally clicked.
He was beginning to realize that I had been lying to them all this time.
"Don’t do that," I murmured.
I slowly ran my fingers through his hair before gripping it tightly and pulling his head back.
Oliver cried out behind the oxygen mask, his fingers twitching helplessly against the mattress. The handcuffs securing him to the bed left him unable to do anything.
"Did you seriously think you could feed me some bullshit about my own brother and I would simply believe you?" I muttered.
The slight shake in my voice should have told him exactly how much anger I had been carrying inside me.
"I came here for revenge."
I tilted my head, studying him.
"And so far, it seems like I’m doing a pretty good job."
I shrugged.
"You know, Theodore and Jaguar are both completely in love with me."
It felt unbelievably good to finally say it aloud, especially to someone who was my enemy.
The shock on Oliver’s face only made it more satisfying.
"In fact, your sister’s fiancé once cuddled with me," I added casually.
Oliver’s breathing immediately quickened beneath the oxygen mask.
"But don’t worry. That’s not even everything." I leaned closer. "There’s still so much left."
I paused deliberately.
I said it because I wanted those words to stay with him.

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