The music continued, but the atmosphere turned icy.

Francis' expression was dark as he looked at Bernard, then at me standing by his side.

He forced a laugh after a tense moment.

"Alright, I'll give you a shot. Win, and you can take her with you."

His gaze lingered on me. I knew he was waiting for my reaction, eager to see me crumble, to see me plead.

However, he was bound to be disappointed.

I set down my glass of water and approached the card table. "What do I need to do, sir?"

His expression grew even darker. "Are you in for this bet?"

"I'll leave it to your discretion," I answered.

That response seemed to infuriate him. I could see his grip on his wine glass tighten, his knuckles turning white.

"Fine, let's bet."

The cards were dealt, and the game was on. I did not get the rules of the game, but the vibe? That I could read like an open book.

Everyone was as still as statues, barely breathing.

Francis' grin was chilling, while Bernard's face turned to stone.

The final card hit the table. Bernard had it.

Francis gave a round of applause.

"Awesome," he said, standing up. He strolled over to me, his hand heavy on my shoulder, his grip tight enough to grind bone. "Time to hang out with Mr. Collins. Have fun tonight."

Bernard slung his arm around me. "We're getting out of here."

I walked out with him, not daring to glance back.

I could feel Francis' eyes drilling into me, like lasers trying to zap through my spine.

Once we were in the car, Bernard broke the silence. "He's playing games. He wants you to grovel."

"Yeah, I get it," I muttered.

"So, where to?" the driver asked.

Bernard shot me a look. I rattled off the address from the scrap of paper.

We had not made it far when a blast of headlights flooded our view. Francis' ride was on us in a flash, screeching to a halt right in front.

He stormed out, his face a thundercloud.

"Mr. Collins!" he roared. "Where do you think you're taking her?"

Bernard stepped up, shielding me. "I won fair and square; she's mine."

"She belongs to me." Francis glared at me. "Natalie, come here."

I stayed put.

That was when the night exploded with the sound of a gunshot.

A bullet sliced through the dark, gunning for Francis.

"Hit the deck!" I shoved him down hard.

The bullet ripped through me instead, and I collapsed on him. His eyes went wide, real terror flickering there for the first time.

"Natalie…"

Gunfire answered back. Bernard's crew was not having it.

The world started to spin, pain crashing over me like a wave.

Francis' voice was calling my name, fading into the distance.

Then, everything went black.

...

When I came to, I was in a hospital bed, every inch of me screaming in pain. Breathing was like being stabbed over and over. However, even worse than the bullet wound was the withdrawal: the drugs had their claws in me, and they were not letting go without a fight. My body shook uncontrollably, my hospital gown was drenched in cold sweat, and my lips were raw from biting them too hard.

Voices drifted in from outside the room: Francis and Nora.

"She'll pull through." Francis' voice was cool, laced with a sneer. "She loves me. She can't live without me."

"However, sir, she seems to be in a lot of pain." Nora's voice was barely a whisper.

"Pain?" Francis' laugh was sharp and icy. "The antidote's got its own poison. I'm switching her to something else to keep her alive longer. What's a little pain compared to death?"

Their footsteps trailed off.

I lay there, my gaze fixed on the ceiling as the pain grew and my sanity started to crumble.

I wanted to scream, to beg him for the drugs, to go back to that stupid, numb peace I once knew.

However, I could not.

The door swung open. Francis walked in, the small silver bottle glinting in his hand.

He looked worn out: dark circles under his eyes and a rough stubble on his chin. He sat down beside me, watching as I writhed in agony.

"Pretty bad, huh?" he asked.

"Medicine…" That was all I could manage to gasp out.

"Tell me you need me," he whispered, brushing my damp hair from my forehead. "Not the drugs. Me. Say it, and it's yours."

I stared into his eyes, seeing my own pitiful reflection.

"I...need the medicine."

"No, that's not it." He shook his head. "Try again. Who do you need?"

The pain was swallowing me whole. I clutched at his wrist, my nails digging in. "Please...the medicine..."

"Say you need me."

"I need you!" I screamed. "I need you, Francis! Give me the medicine! Please!"

He wore a grin of triumph as he tipped two white pills into my hand and watched me swallow them. Then he kissed me, hard, his tongue tangling with mine, not stopping even when the pills went down. My clothes did not stand a chance; they were torn away in seconds.

I was powerless to fight back. The pain from my injuries and the agony of being without medication: it was a living nightmare.

There was no pleasure in that, only a desperate wait for the numbness that should follow the medicine. However, relief did not come. The pain lingered. My mind stayed sharp.

With all the strength I could muster, I shoved Francis away. "This...isn't medicine."

"It's a different kind," he said, panting as he tried to explain. "You need to live, Natalie, to really feel what you feel for me without the drugs."

I got it then. He did not want me to just give in; he wanted my heart, my real feelings.

However, he did not understand that my heart had died a long time ago, back when the Davis family took my parents from me.

Sure, that new drug kept me cool, and it took the edge off the pain.

However, it was just the edge. The deep, wrenching pain that made me wish for death was fading, yet the sharp stabs in my bones were as cruel as ever.

I felt like the Little Mermaid, fresh on her new legs, each step a dance on blades.

Was that what being alive felt like?

Death seemed better.

That was what I thought until the bleeding started, a faint seep from my wounds. Francis pulled away, fixing the chaos of the bed.

"You'll see," I whispered.

"See what?"

"The real me."

I threw the covers off and got up, my legs barely holding me. However, I made it to the door, one shaky step at a time.

"Where are you going?" Francis called after me.

"I need to get some air." I shrugged into my jacket, forcing a half-hearted grin. "Want to come with?"

Ever since I snapped back to reality, I hardly ever asked anyone to hang out.

Francis was totally up for it.

The hospital was pretty swanky, and Francis had hooked me up with a room on the 18th floor. Below us, Newvale City glittered at night like a fake starry sky.

I shoved the window open, and the night air rushed in, icy and sharp, cutting through the pain for a second.

It felt amazing. "Hey, Francis, what do you even like about me?"

He paused, searching for words. "I'm not sure. The moment I saw you ten years ago, I just knew I had to have you."

"Had to have me..." I snorted, a bitter edge to my laugh. "So, I never had a choice? I couldn't even just zone out and get through life?"

Francis looked worried. "Natalie, you're going to make it. We've got tons of time. Just hang in there..."

"I'm done hanging in there!" I shouted, and with that, I swung myself over the windowsill.

"Natalie!"

Suddenly, I was not falling anymore.

Pain exploded in my shoulder.

Francis had snagged my arm, his eyes wild with fear. "Stop it! Don't be an idiot!"

"It's not idiotic," I said. "It's the sanest thing I've done in a decade."

"Get back here! That's an order!"

I could not help but laugh. "You can't order me around, Francis. I'm not under your spell anymore. Your chains? They're gone." I looked up into his tear-filled eyes. "Take a good look. This is the real me, the one who'd rather die than love you again."

"No way!" Francis clutched my hand, pulling with all his might. "Natalie, I saved your life, and that means you're mine forever!"

My hand shook as I fished a handgun from my coat and pressed it to Francis' forehead. "You were never what I wanted."

The shot echoed, and Francis' grip slipped away.

I plummeted down, and the last thing I saw was the look in Francis' eyes as he noticed the bullet hole by the window and turned to me.

Did he think I was going to end him?

No, I could not.

He was right about one thing: my life was his to save, so I returned the favor.