Chapter 3

My hands and feet were bound.

Everything was dark. What methods did these people use to deal with traitors? Cutting off hands and feet, drawn-out torture, throwing them into a ditch to feed rats…

Until the blindfold was removed.

A bare bulb swung overhead. I looked up, staring at Damien, who was wearing goggles.

Was it to prevent blood from splattering on his face?

He gripped my chin, forcing my head up.

"Do you know what kind of punishment awaits you?" he asked me.

I stared at him in silence.

He gave me a small smile.

"Why are you trembling?"

Then, he took out his phone, set it on a stand, and aimed the camera at us.

"Kira, I told you, you wouldn't be a traitor."

…But he took the torture tool and brought it down on his own hand.

I had seen many gruesome scenes, but this was the first time I was truly terrified.

Then, I heard Molly say,

"Damien can't bear to punish you. But rules are rules, Ms. Kira. The mistake you made can only be borne by Damien in your place."

"I truly don't understand why Damien ever fell in love with you!"

…Soon, Damien couldn't hold on any longer.

The next second, he collapsed onto my lap.

Blood was everywhere. I stared at his finger, now on the floor.

Until he chuckled softly.

"What are you crying for? We'll just reattach it."

White-clad medical personnel rushed in, collected his severed finger, and lifted him onto a stretcher.

Before they left, I heard his soft sigh.

"Stay with me, okay, Kira? Forget your old life. If you betray me again, I swear to God, I won't be able to take it."

Later, I was locked in Damien's room.

I remembered when he first took me in.

I was wearing ragged clothes, standing among a line of girls for them to look over.

He had never taken an interest in me; I had provoked him step by step.

I needed to extract information, and before coming here, I had studied how to become his lover.

And then he fell in love with me.

"Who are you starving yourself for?"

Outside, the rain relentlessly lashed against the window. The man, his hand wrapped in gauze, leaned against the doorframe, watching me.

I hugged my knees.

Until he walked to the bed and pushed me back onto the blankets.

"Do I look like I'm in the mood to coax you?"

Angry, he gripped my head, forcing me to face him.

"Do I need to feed you?"

I took a breath.

He picked up a nearby bowl of soup, took a mouthful, and forced it into me.

I just felt his body was burning hot, searing me until I couldn't breathe.

"Kira, what in God's name are you thinking?"

He stopped feeding me halfway, then gripped my throat.

He asked me viciously.

I stared into his eyes, deep and mesmerizing.

"Damien, how's your hand injury?"

I held his fingers.

The severed finger had been reattached, but terrifying scars remained at the base of each finger.

And he probably wouldn't have the same dexterity as before.

As the howling wind swept into the room, I realized he was only wearing a thin shirt.

"Damien, did the powerful figure behind you punish you?"

I asked him softly.

He leaned on my shoulder, seeming tired, with heavy dark circles under his eyes.

"Yes."

"Do you regret it?" I asked him.

He chuckled softly, then sat upright.

"Regret what? Regret meeting you? I regret it to death. But what can I do? Could I ever bring myself to kill you?"