12 apter An hour later, I was locked in the meticulously crafted cage in his basement. My only hope was a guy I hadn't seen in years, the unreliable kid from next door. The thought filled me with despair. Did he even know how to read the street names in the address I sent? I should have just called the police the second I had the phone. In my memory, Leo was a classic troublemaker. He was five years older than me. While I was still a good little girl with a backpack and pigtails, he was already running with a rough crowd, getting into fights and shaking kids down for lunch money. But because our moms were friends, he always looked out for me. Once, some bullies stole my allowance. Leo grabbed a stick and chased them for three blocks. He didn't just get my money back; he took all of theirs and bought me a bag full of candy. Then I got into a top high school and met Julian. Leo failed his exams and dropped out to work. We lost tou- ch. The rumors I heard about him after that were never good. He got a girl pregnant and abandoned her, he developed a gambling problem, he got into some serious trouble and ended up in jail... The image of the goofy, protective older brother faded, replaced by something much darker. Even when my own mother suggested I go on a date with him, my first reaction was disgust. How could I possibly pin all my hopes on him? I shifted, and the chains binding me to the bed frame clinked, the sound echoing eerily in the dark, sealed room. Before the noise faded, I heard footsteps on the stairs. Julian. He'd changed into a soft, beige sweater and gray lounge pants, making him look gentle and harmless. A faint smile played on his lips, his hair falling over his forehead, hiding the sharp intensity in his eyes. And this man wanted to kill me. He pulled the room's only chair over to my bedside and sat down. He placed something on the bed beside He'd found it in my purse. A signed divorce agreement. My signature was already on it. Julian looked at me, a wounded expression in his eyes, though the smile never left his face. "You have a temper," he said softly. "You're stubborn." "Before I saw this, I truly believed you were just angry, that you didn't mean it when you said you wanted a divorce." "Why, Monica? Can you really bear to leave me?" His words were so absurd I almost laughed. It was like I was seeing him for the first time. I stared at him. "You're planning to kill me," I said, each word a stone. "And you're asking if I can bear to leave you?" His expression didn't change. He actually tried to explain. "You heard the system. It's a mission I have to complete. But when it's all over, I'll get one chance to save someone." He looked at me intently, making a promise. "I won't let you die. Even if Lana is the 'female lead' of this world, you are the only one I love." " 17 "You don't believe me?" It wasn't that I didn't believe him. It was that I didn't believe a single word. Did he think I was still that naive seventeen-year-old girl who was so easy to fool? Julian sighed. "I really do love you," he said, his voice laced with regret. "But if you're going to fight me or this, I'll have to use... less gentle methods to achieve my goal." Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!