I had just finished the last spoonful of porridge, the warmth still lingering in my throat, when those familiar footsteps echoed from the corridor. No longer the bone-chilling scrap of metal, but a light, cheerful rhythm, like a child coming home from school.
Mike appeared at the cell door. He had changed into a soft black silk shirt, unbuttoned at the collar—looking so elegant and pristine that no one would believe those hands had just sculpted a hell upstairs. He smelled of rain and mint, with not a trace of blood left on him.
"Hime, was the porridge good?" He tilted his head with a smile, his jet-black eyes sparkling like stars, the frantic crimson completely gone.
I stood up, trying to walk, but my legs were still weak. In a flash, Mike was by my side. One arm slid around my waist, the other beneath my knees, lifting me effortlessly in a bridal carry.
"Let me take you home. It's too dirty here; it doesn't suit you."
I pressed my face against his chest, listening to his heartbeat—steady and calm, terrifyingly so. I whispered, my heart still heavy with worry:
"Mike... Yuchi and the CEO... what did you do to them?"
Mike paused for a split second, then leaned down to plant a soft kiss on my forehead, his voice pouting but loaded with meaning:
"Them? Oh, they're busy 'looking in the mirror' and learning how to smile. They'll never bother you again. Don't mention that trash anymore; it makes me jealous, okay?"
He carried me through the main hall. Strangely, not a single soul tried to stop us, and no sirens wailed. The entire building was as silent as a massive tomb. Mike placed me into a luxury car waiting outside, but we weren't heading toward my apartment.
"Mike, this isn't the way to my place!" I panicked.
Mike drove with one hand, the other tightly gripping mine, our fingers interlaced without a single gap. He stared straight ahead, a possessive smirk playing on his lips:
"Your home is wherever I am from now on. I've prepared a private 'kingdom' just for us. There, there will be no father, no corporation, and no one who dares to make you cry ever again."
I watched the ring on my finger glint in the light, suddenly realizing I had just escaped one cage only to step into another... grander, sweeter, but ten thousand times darker and more insane.
The car sped through the dark pine forests, the silence inside so heavy I could hear my own breathing. Mike's possessiveness left me caught between fear and guilt. I looked down at our interlaced hands—his grip was tight. I mustered the courage to break the silence.
"Mike... about what happened back there... the things I said..." I stammered, heart racing. "Are you... angry with me? I didn't mean it, I just wanted to..."
Mike slammed on the brakes. The car screeched to a halt on the deserted road. He didn't look at me, but his grip tightened until I let out a soft wince. He turned, leaning in so close his hot breath fanned against my lips.
"You're asking if I'm angry?"
He let out a soft, trembling laugh, filled with fragments of a broken soul. Mike reached up, his fingers tracing my cheek before stopping at my throat, his thumb pressing against my fluttering pulse.
"When you said I disgusted you, when you said I was just a loyal dog... do you know, Hime? My heart felt like you'd taken a scalpel and shredded it into tiny pieces. I planned to turn the whole world into a slaughterhouse to be buried with that pain..."
His eyes suddenly grew watery. He buried his face in my shoulder, his voice pouting yet trembling like a deserted child.
"Of course I'm angry. I was so angry I wanted to chain you up, to break those legs so you could never run away from me again. But Hime... I love you too much. Even when you said you hated me, I thought you were beautiful. I hate myself for not being able to hurt you, so I could only... take it out on that trash."
He looked up at me, the crimson returning to his eyes, but this time it was a desperate plea.
"Say it, Hime. Tell me you don't hate me. Even if it's a lie, I'll believe it. Just never say those things again. Because if you do... I don't know what I'll do to that precious father of yours."
I froze. Mike wasn't stupid; he knew exactly why I'd said those things. And now, he was using that very "weakness" to bind me to his kingdom forever.
The car fell into a thick silence, save for the rain drumming on the roof and Mike's ragged breathing right next to my ear. His gaze—filled with desperation, fragility, and a hint of madness—made my heart soften. Honestly, seeing a monster who just massacred a precinct trembling just because he feared my hatred... I couldn't remain cold.
I closed my eyes, my cheeks burning with embarrassment. I reached out, touching his slightly reddened ear, my voice barely a whisper:
"You idiot... I don't hate you. Those words... they were all lies."
Mike froze, his crimson eyes contracting before slowly returning to their original pitch-black. He held his breath as if he couldn't believe his ears. I took a deep breath, face turning beet red, and muttered:
"Actually... I... I love you a little, too."
Mike's entire world seemed to explode in a burst of sweetness. He didn't laugh; instead, his shoulders shook violently as he buried his face in my neck, inhaling my scent like an addict finding his fix.
"Say it again... Hime... just one more time..." Mike whispered, his voice hoarse with overwhelming emotion.
"I love you, okay? You troublesome butcher!" I snapped lightly to hide my shame, but before I could push him away, Mike tightened his grip.
He looked up, and this time his smile wasn't twisted or crazed. It was radiant and pure, like a child receiving the most precious gift in life. But then, his gaze turned profound. He leaned in close to my ear, whispering in a low, haunting tone:
"Since you said you love me... I'll give you a privilege. From now on, you can command me to do anything—kill, burn, anything. But in return..."
Mike lightly licked my earlobe, sending a jolt of electricity through me.
"You are never allowed to leave my sight again. Even in your dreams, you must belong to me entirely. You've just signed a soul contract with a demon, my Hime."
He stepped on the gas, and the car sped into the night. Our destination was no longer an escape, but the "home" where he had prepared everything to imprison me in this morbid love forever.