Chapter 4

The comments exploded.

[What the hell? Did Keira get kidnapped?]

[Did Joanna do it? No way. She's been at the hotel this whole time.]

[The timeline doesn't match. When would she have had time to arrange a kidnapping?]

[Blake's lost his mind, hasn't he?]

"Blake, let go of me!" I gasped as pain shot up my arm. "I haven't even seen Keira! These past two days, I've been—"

"I really underestimated you, Joanna. You acted all heartbroken and devastated, then you went and had Keira kidnapped. You're really something else," he snarled.

"I didn't," I ground out.

Blake flung me hard onto the bed, then leaned over me, caging my head between his arms. "This is your last chance. Where is Keira? What did you do to her?"

His breath hit my face, laced with a rage so wild it was almost feral. In six years, I'd never seen him like this.

The comments started splitting into sides.

[Blake is terrifying…]

[But if Joanna really did kidnap Keira, then she kinda deserves this, right?]

[Open your eyes, people! When would she have had time to do it?]

[Could this be a misunderstanding?]

"I told you, I don't know where she is. Look at me, Blake. Have I ever lied to you in the last six years?" I asked.

Blake's eyes widened. For a second, he wavered.

"Keira's phone signal disappeared…" He stared into my eyes, his gaze as sharp as a poisoned blade. "…at the cafe you went to."

A chill swept through me. This was a trap. Someone had set me up.

My voice started to shake. "It wasn't me. I didn't—"

"Enough!" Blake suddenly straightened, pulling a folding knife from his pocket. Then, he grabbed my hand and pressed the blade against my wrist.

"Joanna Yarrow." His voice was so low that it was almost inhuman. "I know you hate Keira for taking me away from you, even though I was never yours to begin with. But you don't get to touch her. I'll ask you one last time. Where is she?"

The blade bit into the skin of my wrist. Bright red blood welled up instantly. Pain shot through my entire body like a live wire, and my vision blurred. Darkness crept in at the edges.

The comments went berserk.

[Blake has seriously lost it!]

[I'm starting to pity Joanna… She really looks like she has no idea what's going on.]

[Say something, Joanna! Lie if you have to! Just say something!]

I parted my lips, but all that came out was a broken rasp. "I… didn't…"

Scarlet blood spread across the clean white sheets. Blake's grip on my wrist was like an unrelenting vice. The blade dug into my skin; every pump of my heart made pain rip through me.

"One last time." His voice sounded like it was coming from far away. "Where is Keira?"

I parted my lips again, but no sound came out. My vision was going dark; all I could make out was the tight line of Blake's jaw and the crazed red in his eyes.

The comments flooded in like a tidal wave.

[She's about to pass out…]

[Blake, let her go! She's actually going to die!]

[Can someone call the cops? This totally counts as aggravated assault!]

[Where's the system? How is this level of violence still allowed?]

The system stayed silent.

Of course. In a romance strategy game, the female side character's life was never a priority. I was just an NPC, a disposable obstacle on the main couple's road to true love. I was the evil backdrop to show how kind the female lead was.

But I could feel pain. Real, searing pain.

"You won't talk, huh?" Blake pressed down even harder.

I heard the soft, sick sound of skin splitting, followed by a fresh, hot rush of blood. Black spots danced in front of my eyes, like static on an old TV that just lost its signal.

Just when I thought I might actually die like this, Blake's phone rang. The moment he saw the caller ID, his eyes widened. He answered almost immediately. "Keira?"