Chapter 2

Dora POV:

The scalding water eventually turned cold, mirroring the emptiness in my chest. I toweled myself dry, my movements stiff and robotic. My reflection stared back, a stranger with haunted eyes. This body, this face, had been his to mold, his to use. The thought made my skin crawl. Exhaustion, a bone-deep weariness, pulled at me. I collapsed onto the cold sheets of the bed, the bed we had shared for three years, and fell into a fitful, dreamless sleep.

A heavy weight shifted the mattress. A familiar scent, a mix of expensive cologne and alcohol, filled my nostrils. Dawson. He was back. I tensed, my eyes clamped shut, feigning sleep. His hand, warm and possessive, slid onto my waist, pulling me closer. His lips grazed my neck, sending not shivers of pleasure, but revulsion through me.

"Mm, little bird," he mumbled, his voice thick with drink. "Didn't think you'd be asleep yet."

He tried to turn me, to deepen the embrace. I resisted subtly, instinctively. My body, which had once craved his touch, now recoiled.

"What's wrong, Dora?" His voice held a hint of annoyance, a slight edge I hadn't heard before, or perhaps had chosen to ignore. "Don't tell me you're playing hard to get tonight."

I forced out a weak cough. "I... I don't feel well, Dawson. My head aches." It wasn't a complete lie. My head was pounding with a pain far deeper than any physical ailment.

He sighed, a frustrated puff of air against my ear. "A headache? Again? You've been... distant lately, haven't you?" He shifted, propping himself up on an elbow, his shadow falling over me. "Are you getting tired of me, little bird?" There was a possessive growl in his voice, but also a strange undercurrent of vulnerability that almost, almost, made me falter.

But then I remembered Arleen, the "prescription," the 10,000 encounters. The vulnerability was another trick, another facet of his manipulation.

"No, Dawson," I whispered, my voice sounding hollow even to my own ears. "Never. Just, truly, not feeling well."

He chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. "Oh, Dora. Always the delicate one. You know I love it when you play coy." He leaned in, his heavy body pressing against mine. "But not tonight. Tonight I need you."

A wave of nausea washed over me. "Dawson, please," I pleaded, my voice barely audible. "I can't."

He pulled back abruptly, a surprised look on his face. "Can't? What do you mean you can't? You've never said 'can't' before." His eyes narrowed. "Are you actually refusing me?"

My heart pounded. The naive, dependent Dora would have crumbled, apologetically given in. But that Dora was gone, shattered into dust. "I... I just need to rest, Dawson. Really."

He stared at me for a long moment, his gaze piercing. I could feel his anger brewing, simmering beneath the surface of his practiced charm.

"You know, Arleen never gives me this trouble," he muttered, almost to himself, but loud enough for me to hear. The name, like a poison, seeped into my veins.

My breath hitched. "Arleen?" I asked, my voice dangerously soft. "Is that what this is about, Dawson? Is this part of your 'cure' for Arleen?"

His eyes widened, a flicker of genuine shock on his face. He quickly composed himself, a cold mask replacing the surprise. "What are you talking about, Dora? Are you hallucinating? You know I love you."

"Love?" I almost laughed, a bitter, broken sound. "You love the 'clean, naive, pliable' prescription, Dawson. You love the easy target. You love the woman who won't 'taint your reputation.' Don't you?" My voice rose, cracking at the edges. "Don't you dare pretend you love me! I heard you, Dawson! I heard everything!"

His face hardened, all pretense of affection gone. But then, a strange, almost manic denial flickered in his eyes. "You heard wrong, Dora. You're confused. You have amnesia, remember? You don't know anything. I found you, I saved you, I gave you a life. How could you ever think I don't love you after all I've done for you?" He gestured around the luxurious bedroom. "Look at this! Everything is yours! Everything I've given you!"

"I am not a possession, Dawson." My voice was a shaky whisper. "I am not a tool for your therapy. And I am not part of your sick game to be 'pure' for Arleen!"

He flinched at Arleen's name again, but quickly regained his composure. He reached out, trying to cup my face. "Sweetheart, you're overreacting. You're upset. We can talk about this in the morning. I promise everything will be clear then." His words were smooth, practiced, designed to placate.

Just then, his phone buzzed on the nightstand. The screen lit up, displaying a name that made my stomach clench: "Arleen."

Dawson' s eyes darted to the phone, then back to me, an almost imperceptible hesitation. But it was there. The hierarchy was clear. He snatched the phone, his practiced smile instantly returning, a forced cheerfulness in his voice. "Arleen? Darling, is everything alright?"

His tone shifted, becoming laced with a tenderness, an urgent concern that he had never, not once, shown to me. He sat up fully, his back to me, completely engrossed in the call. "What? No, no, don't worry, I'm coming right away. Stay calm. I'm on my way."

He swung his legs out of bed, grabbing his clothes. He didn't spare me a glance, didn't offer a word of comfort, not even a fleeting apology for leaving. Arleen's distress, whatever it was, completely eclipsed my pain, my tears, my shattered world. He rushed out of the room, the door clicking shut behind him, leaving me alone in the vast, silent darkness.

I curled into a ball, clutching the sheets, feeling utterly exposed and hollow. The bed, once a sanctuary, was now a cold, empty tomb. The super blue blood moon, a silent witness, cast its silvery light through the window, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air. The faint, ancient whisper of my past called to me, louder now, a desperate plea for escape. He might have been my entire world, but he had betrayed that world. There was nothing left here for me. Nothing but the gnawing ache of a broken heart and the cold, hard certainty that I had to leave.

And I would. Soon.

The next morning, Dawson returned, acting as if nothing had happened. He breezed into the bedroom, a cheerful whistle on his lips. "Morning, sleepyhead," he said, pulling back the curtains, letting the harsh sunlight flood the room. "Arleen had a little mishap last night, clumsy as ever. Needed me to play knight in shining armor." He winked, as if this were a charming anecdote, not another stake through my heart. "But all's well that ends well. She's fine now, just a sprained ankle."

I stared at him, my face devoid of emotion. He didn't notice, or pretended not to.

"Listen," he continued, oblivious to the chasm between us. "Arleen wants to meet you. Said she's worried about you, after my mother mentioned your little 'funk' in the last few days." He smiled, a perfectly sculpted, empty gesture. "You know how she is, always so caring. She insisted we have lunch today. My treat, of course."

My stomach churned. Meet Arleen? The woman he was "pure" for, the woman who was the reason for my three-year-long emotional torture? "I... I don't think I can, Dawson," I said, my voice flat. "I'm still not feeling well."

His smile faltered. "Dora, don't be difficult. Arleen is looking forward to it. It's just lunch. Besides, you know how important it is for you to make a good impression on her. She's family, in a way." His tone hardened subtly. "You wouldn't want to displease her, would you? Or me?"

He was no longer asking; he was commanding. The dependent Dora might have obeyed, but this broken, newly awakened Dora felt a surge of defiance. "I said I can't," I repeated, firmer this time.

His eyes flashed with annoyance. He grabbed my arm, his grip surprisingly strong. "Enough of this nonsense, Dora. You're coming. You owe me this much." He pulled me out of bed, his eyes blazing. "Get dressed. Now."

I stumbled, my body a puppet on his strings. There was no escaping him. Not yet. I would play along, for now. But my mind was already miles away, planning my escape.

An hour later, I was seated opposite Arleen Coffey in a chic, sunlit restaurant. She was impeccable in a cream-colored silk suit, her silver hair perfectly coiffed. She exuded an aura of refined elegance that made me feel even more acutely aware of my own awkwardness, my own raw edges.

"Dora, darling," Arleen purred, her smile warm, yet her eyes held an unsettling glint I hadn't noticed before. "Dawson told me you've been feeling under the weather. You poor thing. But you look absolutely radiant today, despite it all."

Her compliment felt like a thinly veiled insult. I glanced at Dawson beside me. He was beaming at Arleen, a look of utter adoration on his face, a look I had once believed was meant for me. It was a stark, brutal contrast to the cold, distant gaze he'd given me earlier. The realization solidified in my gut: I was not radiant to him. I was merely a prop, a temporary fixture in his life, and he was making sure I knew it.