Chapter 0073

SIN

As I step into her room, I see Mae sitting on the bed, awake. She's handcuffed and lost in thought. She looks up at me, and her eyes are full of anger and fear.

"You're going to regret this," she says.

I don't say anything. I place the tray on the bedside table and stand next to her keeping my distance as I place my hand into my pocket.

"You can't keep me here forever," she says.

"I can try," I say.

She glares at me, "You're a monster."

I shrug, "Maybe I am."

"I hate you," she says.

"You can try to, see how that turns out for you," I reply. If there is anything I've come to understand about her, it's that she is slowly beginning to realize that I am all she has even though she is not ready to admit it.

"You can hate me all you want," I continue, my tone even, devoid of any malice or satisfaction from the situation. "But it doesn't change where we are. You are not leaving my sight, not even for a second."

Her anger seems to simmer just below the surface, her breaths coming in short