Chapter 4

Ashton sat on the edge of the bed and took my phone. Every time he deleted a contact, he glanced up at me. When he saw someone I messaged a lot, he asked me about them, looking like he was scared I'd get mad.

"This 'Balding Creep' is…"

"My boss. Delete him. Now."

"'Mr. Show-Off'?"

"A coworker who's obsessed with flashing his money. Delete him."

"'Your Mr. Right'?"

"Some sleazy guy at work who tried to hit on me. Delete him."

Ashton pressed his lips together, almost unable to hide the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he listened to me say "delete" over and over.

I thought he was just happy because he got to wipe out my contacts, but he said softly, "Cami, this is the first time you've been this lively since you came here."

I narrowed my eyes a little, tilting my head as I let out a chuckle. "You're gonna save today's recording again, aren't you?"

"Of course. You're such a darling." He reached out, ruffled my hair, then gently pinched my cheek. "It'd be perfect if you could always be this lively. You've been eating a lot lately, too. You finally put on a little weight."

When I finally got my phone back, I saw there was only one other person in my contacts besides him.

"That's my younger sister, Adeline. If you ever want a girl talk, you can message her." Ashton smiled tenderly, still giddy from cleaning up my contacts. "Don't talk to Bianca, though. She's not a good person."

I nodded. I didn't actually chat with Adeline about anything, though. Nothing felt worth bringing up, and I didn't really have the energy.

It was mostly just her sending me photos of places she went. I tossed back a few replies here and there.

I had no idea how many days I'd already spent down in that basement. As I read Adeline's messages, I genuinely felt the urge to go out for a split second.

Of course, it was only for that split second.

The second I imagined stepping out of this basement, facing sunlight again, and dealing with people again, I just felt drained. It wasn't the suffocating fatigue from before, but it still made me uncomfortable.

This quiet life underground was what suited me best. Unfortunately, even that peace got shattered.

I was lying on the bed, bored, tapping away at a game, when I heard noise upstairs and pushed myself up. I thought Ashton had returned, so I got ready to give him a hug as usual.

But the moment the police kicked the door open, I realized something was wrong. I snapped my head toward the stairs.

The light from outside was so bright it burned; I couldn't keep my eyes open.

Seth stood in the doorway against that glare, exhaustion and relief written all over his face. The second he saw me, he spread his arms wide as if he was some self-appointed savior. His voice carried this chilling, overblown sense of righteousness.

"Cami, I'm here to rescue you."

Looking at him, so convinced he was some hero sent by the heavens, I curled my hands into tight fists. I could only think of one thing.

Did Ashton have nothing but romance in his brain? He'd promised to help me wreck Seth and Bianca, but instead of doing that, he'd let them waltz right up to me.

I had no choice but to step up and handle this myself. "Enough. Drop the act already."