Chapter 14

Leaning on the elbow rest, his chin sinks into his palm. He sighs, his gaze stuck on the empty wall. “No one likes me. Why does everyone leave me?”

“I like you,” the girl tells him. “You’re too hard on yourself.” She lays on the bed, trying to comfort him with her words. She wants nothing more than for the man to trust her.

His eyes remain unmoved. “You’re just saying that. I know you’re just like all the others.”

“No, not at all. I really do like you. You’re sweet, and sensitive, and I’ve never met anyone who understands me the way you do!”

His head turns as his eyes soften. “Do you really mean that?”

“I do. I really do.”

A gentle smile appears on the man’s face. He stands up, walks over to the bed, and sits down next to her. He runs his fingers against her forehead, brushing her hair.

It takes everything she has to hold back her tears. “Why don’t you tell me more about yourself? There’s so much I wanna know.”

“There is? Like what?”

She thinks, racking her brain to come up with a question that’ll make him happy to answer. Animals! Everyone loves animals! “What’s your favourite animal?”

The man’s eyes droop as he turns away once more. “I like puppies.”

He’s sad? Why’d that make him sad? “I love puppies! I have one of my own.”

“I used to, but they died.”

Shit! Wrong question! “Oh no, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.” The man says. “Puppies are just too fragile. Like babies, they die too easily.”

“I guess so. They are just baby dogs after all.”

The man kneels on the floor next to the bed, his face inches away from hers. “That’s why I like women. They don’t die nearly as easily as puppies.”

The woman forces herself to smile. “We’re stronger than we look.”

Hearing that excites the man. He stands up, grabbing the knife from the bedside table. “I’m gonna trust you. You wouldn’t lie to me like all the others, would you? You won’t die. You won’t leave me, right?”

A tear rolls down her face. She tries to rub it away, but her shackled arms won’t budge. “I won’t. I promise. I’ll stay with you forever, so please, please just put the knife down.”

“As soon as I can trust you, we can be together forever and ever! So please…” He stabs the knife into her chest, blood instantly gushing from the wound. He bends down close, watching the colour drain from her face. “Just this once, please don’t break your promise. Please don’t leave me.”

She coughs up blood as her consciousness begins to fade. Her feeling of hatred outweighs any of the pain she feels. As her eyes close, she has one final thought. I promise, I’ll kill you myself.