Page 140 of His Wicked Revenge

“My ankle, I twisted it.” Her voice is shaky as she waves a hand over her ankle.

I hum, staring at her ankle. “That’s unfortunate.”

“Yeah, so whatever game you’re wanting to play has to be paused. I need ice.”

Taking a few more steps toward her, I crouch down, the knife dangling between my legs. I cock my head to the side and narrow my eyes at her.

“What game?”

“This cat-and-mouse game.” Is that what she thinks this is? From the lack of confidence in her voice, I believe that is what she is telling herself. “It’s thrilling. I get it, but I can’t run anymore. Not with my ankle hurting.”

“The thing is, Veronica.” I grip the knife tighter. “It’s not a game.”

The moment she realizes that I’m not chasing her down for the thrill of it and that it’s not some kink thing I wanted to try out is the moment I’ve been waiting for. I wanted her to feel that fear deep down that I was capable of doing something crazy.

I wanted her to be scared of me.

And with the width of her eyes and how her skin has paled, she is terrified.

Leaning forward, I grab her wrist and yank her up as I stand. She yelps out in pain from the roughness of my fingers that dig into her skin and the pain radiating in her injured ankle. I don’t care, though. Let her experience this pain because it’s mild compared to what I have planned.

“Leo! Slow down!” she demands harshly.

“No can do.” I tug her along, but she fights back. Twisting around, I pull her into me and take her by the neck. “You’re lucky I’m not dragging you through these woods by your hair.”

“Wh—Leo, what is going on?” There is a tremble in her voice. Good.

“You’ll see soon enough.” I keep walking through the woods as she stumbles in my grasp behind me. Every so often, she hisses in pain, but I pay no mind to it.

When the clearing comes into view, I stalk past the car and toss her in front of me. She staggers but regains her balance. In the darkness, I can see the tears streaming down her face. There was a time when I hated seeing her cry.

Back in the asylum, whenever she allowed herself to cry, it hurt me to see her in pain. Seeing the tears trickle down her face right now, I don’t hold that hurt I used to. Because it’s the same shit as last time.

Everything is fake.

Every word she spoke to me. Every tear she shed.

It was all a game to her—a plan to set her free.

But now, it’s my turn to set myself free.

Veronica limps as she backs away from me. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and she shakes her head. “This isn’t you, Leo.”

“This is who you turned me into,” I tell her, keeping my steps light and my voice calm as I approach her.

She shakes her head again. “I know you are angry, but⁠—”

“Yeah, yeah.” I let out a dark laugh. “You don’t think I’m capable of doing something drastic.”

Stumbling back, Veronica gasps when she realizes how close to the edge she is. “We can talk about this. Whatever is on your mind, we can talk it out.”

“Talk it out?” I huff and lift the arm that is holding the knife. “The Queen of Keeping Secrets wants to talk it out? Be serious, Veronica.”

“I am serious!” Her voice jumps an octave, growing louder but still lacking confidence.

She’s lying.

“I don’t believe you.” I take another step toward her. “In fact, I never believed you.”