Chapter 4Heartless: The Devil's Bargain

I stood in the hallway, watching the happy family in the living room.

Julian was hugging Bella. Dad was transferring money to her account to cheer her up. My stepmother, Linda, was feeding her fruit.

It was the scene I had dreamed of for three years.

Finally, Bella smiled. She said she was tired and went to her room. But instead of sleeping, she grabbed a fruit knife and headed for the utility room.

"Quinn, you bitch. Three years in the loony bin and you still want my man? I'm going to carve up your face tonight."

I stepped out of the shadows behind her.

"Looking for me?"

Bella spun around, her face twisting.

"You dare come out? The men in the asylum couldn't satisfy you, so you came for my fiancé?"

She lunged at me with the knife.

I didn't flinch. I swung the hammer.

Crack.

It smashed directly into her nose.

Before she could scream, I shoved her own hand into her mouth.

"Shhh."

"Keep it down. We don't want to wake the others."

"It's no fun if you die too fast."

Pain turned her anger into terror. She whimpered against her hand.

I smiled, tracing the knife blade in the air.

"The director carved the word 'whore' into my skin over and over just to make you happy. Should I carve one into your face?"

"Oh, you want to know how I got out? It was easy. I just sliced through them, one by one... like this."

I pressed the knife against her cheek and sliced downward.

Blood sprayed onto my face. I felt a rush of adrenaline.

But she was weak. She fainted before I finished the first letter.

Pathetic. I held out for ten letters.

I dragged her by her hair toward her bedroom, humming a tune.

Who's next?