A Twisted Love: Betrayal's Bitter Taste

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flat, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "You

ering. "It's for your own good, Blaire.

"Or am I just inconvenient? Am I just exposing

the couch, her face buried in her hands. "Ember, I've made arrangem

on, known for its "rehabilitation" programs. A place where dissidents

ay, their faces impassive, their movements swift and

, struggling against their

a mask of detached concern. "It'

ken sound. "I wouldn't trust you w

in the empty hallway. Ember, her face pale but her eyes

id, her voice a low purr. "I

The last thing I saw was his conflicted expression, a flicker of something

struggled, I fought, I cursed, but it was no use. The orderlies were to

ure that looked more like a fortress than a healing sanctu

something else, something metallic and unsettling. A nurse, her face devoid of emotion, strappe

ed with a predatory satisfaction, a cruel smile playing on her lips. In her hand, she

ice dripping with venom. "Looks like we'

ck therapy. She was going to

I snarled, my voice hoarse. "You can try

ound. "Oh, we'll see about

izing pain shot through my body, my muscles convulsing, my vi

almost clinical, "tell me, Blaire.

a desperate defiance. "He's

pain was unbearable, a searing ago

ated, her voice unwavering,

ace, mingling with the sweat and the pai

Oh, Blaire. You're so stubborn. But we h

tter my mind, to erase my memories, to break my will. But I held on. I clung to the truth, to the memory

, sparked in my mind. I had to play her game. I had to l

, Ember. You win. I... I admit it. My father..

closer, her face flushed with victory. "Good, Blaire. Very go

osed defeat, basking in her

. With a sudden, explosive kick, I launched my foot forward, connecting squarely with her che

ster. I used the momentum, twisting in the chair, and broke free from

t pounding, adrenaline coursing throu

gaining her composure, her fa

r of motion. I grabbed Ember, who was still r

hoarse, a desperate strength i

Ember, caught off guard

she screamed, her voice

hilling smile touching my lips. "Yo

canning the distance. We were on the third

ce filled with a cold, desperate resolve. "My father.

glass shattered with a deafening crash, showering us with shards. One

ind roaring in my ears. I closed my eyes, a single