Chapter 2

8:00 AM

I woke up feeling utterly exhausted.

Looking down, I froze on the spot, as if struck by lightning.

Red marks adorned my calves, thighs, lower back, and inner arms, arising many thoughts in my mind.

In a state of utter confusion, I skipped my classes for the day and buy a few mini cameras to install in my room.

I suspected everyone I could think of.

Eventually, my suspicion settled on Paul.

A few days later, I encountered him at the club.

But I didn't have mind-reading now!

Having completed my handover duties at the club, I was just about to leave quietly,but Paul approached.

"Are you all set?" he asked with a faint smile.

I paused and replied, "Yeah, all done."

"Summer vacation is around the corner. You mentioned wanting to go to Maldives before, right? Would you like to come with me?"

The bite marks in his neck were subtle.

He reached up to touch the bite marks, and I averted my gaze, pretending not to see.

But he was quite candid, asking, "Did my girlfriend bite me? Is it obvious?"

I pondered and said, "Not really."

He chuckled and asked again, "So, are you in?"

I shook my head, "You should go with your girlfriend. I won't crash your date."

He nodded slightly, "Alright. Any other plans?"

"Going back to my hometown."

[I really want to lock you in my bedroom forever. Summer vacation would be a perfect time.]

My eyes widening in disbelief suddenly.

I try to conceal my shock,and asked him tentatively.

"I had a nightmare last night and pinched myself red all over."

[Is she flirting? So cute.]

Paul furrowed his brow and scanned me up and down, "Is it serious?"

[Her skin feels so soft. Unfortunately,she woke up when I inserted it. Maybe using her thighs next time….]

A wave of nausea rose from my stomach to my throat.

I hastily left the club and puked into a nearby trash can.

'Are you all right?"

Paul followed closely and anxiously asked.

I wiped my mouth with my hand, turned away, and said in a trembling voice, "Don't follow me."

He obeyed and didn't follow any further.

When I got home, I soaked in the tub from afternoon until night.

...Since he could get in, could he have installed cameras here too?

I hastily got dressed and scanned the house several times with the devices I bought.

Besides the cameras I bought, there were six cameras in total: two in the bathroom, two in the living room, and two in the bedroom.

I was going crazy...

The next day in class, Sandra leaned in close to me as usual.

"Paul bought Anshu a Chanel bag and gave her a car worth 600,000 yuan..."

She said admiringly while observing my reaction.

I frowned in distress, and she pretended to comfort me with a gleam in her eyes.

I didn't bother explaining that I felt nauseous just hearing the name Paul.

Gloomy sky, setting the tone for a troubled day.

Mark wore a beige hoodie, his fluffy curly hair and bright facial features radiating youth and vitality.

He walked back and forth on the sidewalk with a bouquet of roses, occasionally glancing around.

Upon seeing me, his face lit up with joy, and he ran towards me.

Sandra said ambiguously beside me, "Still playing hard to get? You might regret it."

I sneered, "You think they're handsome? I think Paul and him are just average."

Ignoring Sandra's ugly expression, I walked up to Mark and said, "Let's talk."

I waited until we reached the bio building's rooftop. "Paul wants us to stop talking." The lie tasted like battery acid. "I'm choosing him."

Mark's smile died mid-blossom. "You'll beg to take that back," he hissed.

Our talking ended unpleasantly.

Whatever he planned to do next, I don't care.

But I didn't expect him to be the one who ended up in trouble a few days later.

The news spread rapidly across the campus that terrorists had cut out Mark's tongue and eyes .

"Poor guy. Even if he survives, his life is ruined."

Sandra looked at me and said, "Aren't you going to visit? He chased you for so long. You're so ruthless."

I invited her to come along, but she made an excuse to decline, with contempt and resistance filled in her eyes.

I bought a bouquet of flowers to visit him.

The cardiac monitor beeped a morbid rhythm. Bandages obscured where Mark's eyes used to sparkle. His mother's Chanel No.5 had soured to despair. "You're his first visitor," she whispered.

He lay there peacefully , the man who had pretended to be cheerful had lost his former glory.

His bright smile had been stolen by the devil, leaving behind a human-like yet ghostly body.

The food on the table remained untouched, and the cold sounds of machines echoed in my ears.

...If I hadn't said those words that day.

Would he have ended up like this?

A flood of guilt and regret overwhelmed me.

Am I also a murderer?

I stayed by his bedside for the afternoon until his mother asked me to leave.

When I got back, I had another nightmare.

Moonlight through hospital blinds created prison bar shadows. His mutilated mouth formed silent curses. Or pleas. The distinction blurred when the morphine drip clicked.

I woke up scared, my back drenched in cold sweat.

Since I was awake, I decided to stay that way.

But soon, sleepiness crept in again.

My eyelids began to droop, and I felt exhausted and sleepy.

Something was wrong!

I scratched my skin with my nails,trying to keep myself awake.

I felt creeped out.

Drugged?

Where is the person hiding?

Under the bed or in the wardrobe?

Pretending to go to the living room for water, I left the bedroom.

I turned on the lights, put on the TV, and turned up the volume.

I wanted to call the police secretly but feared being heard, and it was midnight, so all of my friends were asleep.

I found a Facebook account I hadn't contacted for a long time – Paul's.

I sent a message, "Hi?"

He replied instantly.

I huddled in the corner of the sofa, my legs trembling uncontrollably.

I was terrified that the person might suddenly appear and cut out my eyes and tongue too.

[Wrong person, sorry.]

It took him a few minutes to reply.

[It's late. Who were you trying to reach, Sarah?]

Sarah?

It was the first time he called me that.

It made me even more frightened.

How should I reply?

[Sandra had a fight with her parents and wants me to keep her company...]

I typed out a long explanation and immediately walked towards the door after sending the message.

The time it took to open the door felt like an eternity.

Hundreds of horrifying scenarios flashed through my mind.

Finally,I sighed in relief when I reached the gate of the community.

I hailed a taxi to go to a hotel that's dozens of kilometers from here.

After showering, my tense nerves still wouldn't relax, so I stayed awake until dawn.

I didn't have the money to move houses.

As I worried about accommodation, I encountered Anshu, whom I had only seen on forums before.

She was gentle and graceful, waving at me on College Road.

I responded politely.

"My boyfriend's birthday party is next Tuesday. Will you come?" she asked.

I sense her hostility and defensiveness towards me,she must have heard the rumors about Paul and me.

"Oh,I didn't know about his birthday and bought tickets for Monday. Please apologize for me."

She seemed to relax after hearing that.

During our chat, she pulled out a golden necklace from a pocket.

"Paul gave me so many necklaces, I always throw them around. This one, I haven't worn it before. Here,take it."

I smiled faintly and declined, but she insisted and left it with me.

When I got back, I decided to sell the necklace for money.

The pawn shop gave me $8200 for it,so I extended my hotel stay.

When I left home in the middle of the night yesterday, I wanted to check the surveillance footage, but it was disabled, with its wires chewed through like rat-gnawed cheese.

It must be recorded on Paul's camera when I was installing my camera, But it's alright; I'll soon be hiding away in my hometown.

There's no way he'll come after me there.

But before that,I want to see Mark one last time.

Mark's emotions are all over the place. When I visited, he had turned his hospital room upside down.

His mother, tears welling up in her eyes, tried to soothe him, but to no avail.

Mark let everyone get out, curled up under the blankets, attempting to escape everything.

"Sarah, why are you here?"

Mark's mother has only one son, and to her, he means more than life itself.

She was pale in face,swollen in eyes,and disheveled in hair.

She's a far cry from the once eloquent, elegant, and gentle person she used to be.

"I came to see him," I forced a smile.

Mark's mother choked back tears and said, "Don't go in. He... he might hurt you..."

"Let me take one last look at him. I'm leaving soon," I pleaded.

She hesitated before nodding and warning me to be careful.

I open the door and walked slowly to the bedside.

"...Mark?"

The person cocooned in the blankets visibly trembled.

"Urgh!"

He couldn't speak properly, only making sounds, but I understood he was also telling me to get out.

I ignored his furious growl and placed the flower on the table.

[Why... why did you come to see me? Go away, go away...]

[I look hideous... Don't be afraid of me.]

[Should I turn her into this too? Can we still be together then?]