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“I called to check in once a week. The other guards usually answered and they liked to chat.” He clenches his fists. “I had to sit down here and listen to the pain and agony he was subjecting Claire to everyday but she never broke. She never gave up my name.”
I nod. “And?”
“And he finally lost his patience and killed her,” he snarls through gritted teeth and I suck in a breath. It’s what I expected but still somehow shocking to hear. “Which is why you now have to pay for your father’s sins.”
I glance over at the tray. “What are you going to do to me?”
“Dominic systematically tore my girl to shreds. He broke her and so I’m going to break you and sew you back together again. For the rest of your life, you will be a physical representation of the one I lost.”
The instruments on the tray rattle as he reaches for the scalpel and I jump, sucking in a breath as the room spins. He pulls a remote out of his pocket and points it at the camera set up at the edge of the bed.
“The camera is rolling again so make sure you show him what he’s done to you.”
I close my eyes, my lip wobbling and my hands shaking as I wait for the pain to come and then I feel it. There’s pressure against my shoulder followed by a sharp burning sensation that claws its way down my arm. Gasping, I open my eyes and look over at my shoulder as Devlin pulls on a pair of gloves and grabs the needle and thread. He starts humming the tune of Don’t Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin as he threads the string through the needle and I stare at him in horror.
The whole thing is bizarre and I wonder if I drifted off to sleep at some point in the night. Is this just a dream? Or am I really living this moment?
Devlin grabs a piece of gauze off the tray and dabs the incision in my arm as I hiss and try to pull away from him. Arching a brow, he grabs my arm and shoves the needle through my skin as I whimper. It burns the entire time he’s pulling the thread through and the room spins as I try to focus on my breathing. I can’t pass out. I have to remain conscious and ready to flee if I get the opportunity.
When he finishes stitching up the first cut, he grabs the scalpel and positions it adjacent to the first cut before slicing away from it. I writhe on the bed, screaming as pain radiates all the way to my fingers and tears leak out of my eyes. He continues humming the song. He grabs the gauze again and repeats the process from before.
When I’m stitched up, he starts again. Time and time again, he tears through my flesh as my stomach flips and the room spins around me. I don’t notice the camera anymore, screaming through each cut as agony rocks through my body.
“Please, no more,” I choke out when he gets to my wrist and he sighs, reaching up and cupping my face with the bloody glove.
“Even though your pain causes me such pleasure, I am sorry that it’s you on the receiving end of this. You are the one thing on this earth your father cares about and I can’t stop. Not until he experiences my anguish.”
He moves the scalpel to my chest and cuts across my collarbone as I scream and darkness creeps in on my vision. As the needle starts piercing my skin, Lincoln’s smiling face pops into my mind and I wonder if I’ll ever see him again. I spent so much time pushing him away and now, I’d give anything for a few more seconds just so I could tell him how much I love him.
