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But, I’ll relish in their downfall just as they would have done to me.

Gavin and I leave the room and continue our search for the rest of the group. I’m aching to find Jamal first, but I also kind of hope we don’t find him until last so I can inflict every ounce of pain from the past two years onto him so he knows how it feels. I think I’ll be happiest when he’s gone.

For now, though, we find Ronnie and Anya rounding a corner in our direction and pull them into another room. This one is simply furnished with a bed and dresser, so I plop my ass down on the bare mattress and watch gleefully as Gavin tortures and kills Ronnie and Anya. Their screams of pain do something to me that I can’t explain, but I have to admit that I’m starting to really enjoy watching Gavin do his thing. Once we’re done here, I’ll have so many things I want to ask him.

Starting with how the fuck he became a serial killer.

One by one, we pick off each of my former friends until we finally get to Jamal. He’s banging on the front door and trying to pull it open, but of course it won’t budge.

“Let me the fuck out of here!” he yells frantically.

Devil Man and a tall woman are standing off to the side. The woman is holding her stomach and laughing while Devil Man’s shoulders shake with quiet laughter. The sight is comical, but something in my own stomach twists knowing what’s coming next.

For the past two years, I’ve given so much of myself to him and have gotten nothing but pain in return. For two years I’ve been so in love with this man that I was willing to take his abuse if it meant he could feel better about himself. He’d made me feel so insignificant to him, like I was a burden, all because he wanted my money. This is all his fault. He’s made his decisions, and now he’ll have to lie with them for eternity.

“Jamal.” My voice is calmer than I'd expected given how anxious I’m feeling.

At the sound of my voice, he turns around. The sight of his tear-streaked face almost gets me, but I push down all of those warm and loving feelings I once had for him. Now, standing here with him knowing what’s about to happen, I feel absolutely nothing for him.

“Why, Aliyah?” he asks quietly.

He starts to take a step towards me but stops and looks over my shoulder. I follow his line of sight to where Gavin stands behind me with his scythe in his hand and his mask back on. Though his face is covered, I don’t miss the unmistakable rage in his eyes.

“How could you hurt me so badly for so long, Jamal?” I ask him, countering his question. “I’ve given you two years of submission and servitude—of love—and the whole time you were just using me for my money? Was there one part of you that ever loved me?”

I hate the way my voice cracks when I ask him that question, but I have to hear him tell me the truth.

His throat works as he swallows roughly. “I’ve always been fond of you⁠—”

“Stop lying to me,” I cut him off coldly.

“What do you want me to say, Aliyah?” he snaps, his usual angry self coming through.

Something in my throat catches when I say, “That you never loved me.”

He exhales and drops his head defeatedly. “Fine. I never loved you. I did like you when I first met you, but you were never the one. After you told me about your mom’s money, that was the only thing I was interested in, the only thing I cared about. So I made you fall in love with me so we could get married and I'd get all of that money when you died. There, are you fucking happy now?”

My thoughts go blank as what he’s just admitted to me finally settles in. This will make his death so much more bittersweet.

“I’m getting bored,” the girl off to the side says.

“Shut up, Syn,” Gavin says in a harsh tone. The girl huffs a breath and crosses her arms over her chest. Her black bob sways almost comically when she snaps her head in my direction and shoots daggers at me.

Is this Gavin’s wife?

That’s not important right now. What is important is getting done what needs to be done so Gavin and I can get out of here.

“You’ll never get away with this, you know,” Jamal says, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I shrug nonchalantly, but deep down, I'm so afraid of the consequences of tonight. How will I be able to explain what happened here tonight? What will I tell Jamal’s parents?

Gavin’s hand lands softly on my shoulder before running soothingly down my spine where it rests on my lower back. I’m so addicted to the way he touches me.

“Are you ready, little one?”

The next hour goes by in a blur. I sit back and watch as Gavin slowly tortures Jamal. It gives me great pleasure to see my husband enduring so much pain.

Much like Megan, I wanted Jamal’s torture to be symbolic of everything he’s ever done to me.