4
Daniel’s return was a shot of adrenaline for his leaderless team.
The competition was a high–profile event.
Countless investors had their eyes on it. Rising stars were all vying for a chance to stand out and secure funding.
On the first day of the semi–finals, a news notification popped up on my phone.
glanced at it.
He was wearing a perfectly tailored suit, his figure tall and straight, his features sharp. His rimless glasses gave him an air of calm intelligence.
He was a world away from the battered, broken man in the basement.
On the screen, he looked through the chaotic crowd and met the female lead’s gaze.
It was different from the hate–filled look he gave me.
In front of her, his eyes were always confident and determined.
As if to say, silently, I’ve got this.
He was brilliant, invincible.
I turned off the screen.
In the novel, the basement imprisonment was just an appetizer.
Later on, I would turn Daniel from a proud, noble young man into a dark, twisted psycho.
!would break every bone of his pride.
I would make him lose everything, so he could only look up at me from the gutter, clinging to me for survival.
And in the end, my love would turn to hate, and I would try to run him and his family over with a car.
I rubbed my throbbing temples.
That wasn’t love.
That was pure, unadulterated torture.
No wonder Daniel hated me.
I clutched the study abroad application that needed the dean’s signature, my legs pumping even faster.
Daniel.
Berlin is 5,300 miles from here, with a seven–hour time difference.
That’s the farthest I can get from you.
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