Dustin pried my fingers off one by one, staring down at me from his full height. His voice held no trace of warmth. "Of course I remember."
"But if I don't do this, how will you ever learn your lesson? How will you stop tormenting Alice?"
No matter how I struggled, I couldn't earn a single look of mercy from him.
All he saw was that insignificant red mark on Alice's forehead.
He couldn't see the blood on my face. The swollen handprint. He could only see Alice.
A wretched laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
I gasped for air like a fish dragged onto dry land, my body limp, boneless, as the bodyguards hauled me into the basement and tossed me inside.
The heavy door groaned shut. In the last sliver of light, I saw Alice nestled in Dustin's arms, peering over his shoulder at me, her lips curving into a smile as sweet as it was venomous.
I closed my eyes in despair.
Darkness swallowed me whole. I spiraled into endless panic, endless terror, until consciousness slipped away entirely and everything went black.
### Chapter 5
When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the hotel. I had no idea when or how I'd been brought here.