"Oh, it matters, Michael. It matters a lot. You see, I want to know everything about Lottie. Her favourite song, her pet peeves, her deepest fears. Everything." I felt a chill run down my spine.
"Why?" I demanded. "Why do you want to know?" She leaned in close, her eyes boring into mine as she tugged on the chains, my lips thinning from the pain that shot through my body.
"Because, Michael," she whispered, "I want to hurt her. And the more I know, the more I can make her suffer." My blood ran cold. This wasn't just about me or Anthony anymore. This was about Lottie, and the thought of her being hurt because of me was unbearable. From what I had heard, she had suffered enough already.
"Please," I begged, my voice breaking. "Leave her out of this." She laughed, a cruel, heartless sound.
"Oh, Michael, you should know by now. There's no leaving anyone out of this." I closed my eyes, feeling a tear slip down my cheek. I was powerless, chained and broken, and now my past was being used to hurt the person I loved most. I had to find a way out of this.
Realising she had been quite a while, I opened my eyes to see she had taken a phone call, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of something else in her eyes. She glanced at the screen and sighed, her whole demeanour shifting. She slumped down on a chair, her earlier playfulness and menace dissolving into something closer to anger and frustration.
I opened my mouth to taunt her, but decided better of it. For now, I could breathe easy and my chapped and sore lips had a moment of respite from that fucking gag.
I watched her closely, curiosity piqued by this sudden change. Her eyes glossed over as she began to mindlink someone. Her hand tightened around the phone, I could hear it screeching under the pressure. Whatever was happening on the other end of that call, was not good.
Suddenly, the tension in her hand eased, and she turned her gaze back to me. Our eyes met, and for a second, I saw something raw and vulnerable in her expression, until her mask slipped back into place.
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