13 After that day, Julian vanished. But I heard footsteps on the stairs again. A familiar figure slowly descended into the gloom. ...It was Zack. His eyes were vacant, unfocused. His movements were stiff and jerky, like a puppet on strings. But the way he held the small knife, the way he expertly drew it across my skin, was terrifyingly precise. As I screamed and struggled, trying to shrink away from him into the corner, I finally understood Julian's plan. He had used his 'system' to identify the person I feared and hated the most. Zack. So he sent Zack to torture me. Just like in my last life, he was going to push me to the brink of a mental breakdown. Then, even though I knew Julian was the one pulling the strings, I would be so broken that I wou- Id pray for him to appear, to save me. Julian knew me too well. We'd been classmates for three years, in love for seven, married right after college. He knew every little thing about me, every thought, every fear. He and Zack were playing good cop, bad cop, systematically dismantling my sanity. He never showed his face. But every time I woke up from the torture, a new object would be in the room- something of his, something to trigger a memory of a happier time, forcing me to remember the good even in the depths of my agony. One day, I opened my eyes again. But it wasn't Zack's demonic face I saw. On the bedside table sat a small, cute doll. Next to it was a note, written in his elegant, sharp handwriting. *Let's have another baby, okay? ^^ The blood from my arms had soaked through the filthy, stained sheets. My hair was a tangled mess, my eyes swollen and red. I stared at the words, at the smiling emoticon at the end. The last thread holding my sanity together snapped. "АНННННННННН!" BOOM! The door at the top of the stairs was kicked open. Someone leaped down the stairs, taking them three at a ime. Monica!" My screams died in my throat. I stared, stunned, as a tall man in black leather and combat boots appeared In the dark, filthy basement. He had a military-style buzz cut, and his handsome face was set in a fierce. ingry scowl. le saw me, saw the state I was in, and froze. Then, gritting his teeth, he took off his jacket and gently wrap ed it around me. "Don't be scared," he growled, his voice thick with rage. "I'm getting you out of here." Click. The sound of a gun being cocked. Behind Leo, Julian stood, his face devoid of expression, .a pistol aimec irectly at Leo's head. eo paused for a fraction of a second, but he didn't stop. He swept me up into his arms and turned to face ulian, unafraid. You think I came alone?" he said, his voice low and dangerous. I'm only going to say this once. Get out of my way." ulian didn't move an inch. He knew he was caught, but he wasn't worried. He laughed, a cold, humorless ound. "She's my legal wife. This is just a little... marital game. Not even the police can do anything about it." No one is taking her from me." .eo looked disgusted by his shamelessness. His arms tightened around me. "A game?" he spat. "You call his a game? Look at her!" The standoff was absolute. Julian wouldn't budge. Leo forced his anger down and dropped a bombshell that elt like a lightning strike, jolting my shattered consciousness back into a single, sharp point. 'If you have any shred of decency left, you'll let us go. Her mother... she's dying." 'She deserves to see her daughter one last time." Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!