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CHAPTER FOUR — ❛ THE HEARTBREAK STILL LINGERS ❜
I tried to see the good in many devils. A lot of them showed me their true nature, but I stupidly ignored it. I wanted to believe that beneath all that darkness, the core of their soul was still pure. Sometimes, we need lies to survive and this one was mine. The world was already grim enough on its own. I didn't want to admit to myself that most people were tainted by evil.
My ex-boyfriend wasn't always a bad man. He grew up in a regular middle-class family, he had many friends in high school and he had big dreams of becoming a famous novelist. His issues started developing only after he got abandoned by his mother. The woman cheated on his father and left them for a different, better family. He would never admit it out loud, but he never forgave her for what she did and she was the reason behind his strong distrust in women.
Instead of chasing his childhood dreams, he followed a newfound obsession with violence and became a crime journalist. With time, he built a cult following that was willing to commit murder, facilitate abductions and even sacrifice their lives in his name. That was why I knew that even if he was behind bars, I still wasn't safe from him. In some people's cases, it's better to never catch their interest and Shinjae was one of them. Two of his past girlfriends were dead, simply because they tried to leave him like his mother did and I almost became his third victim.
'' I missed you. '' Shinjae had the type of eyes that made it easy to fall in love with him. He was looking at me the same way as when we were still together, like I was his sun, his moon, the center of his universe, even in the cold visiting room of Seoul's penitentiary. It was a very dark place and I was the one who put him here.
'' Really? I didn't miss you at all. Honestly, I was hoping that I would never have to see you again. ''
His smile faltered and he started picking at the cut on his cheek. His handcuffs rattled when he moved and some guards glanced in our direction, to check if everything was okay. '' You promised me forever, Chito. That's not something that you can just take back. ''
'' That was before I knew that you're a psychopathic killer. '' I tiredly sighed and snapped in frustration: '' Stop touching that wound already! You're going to make it bleed again. What happened to you, anyway? Has someone made you their bitch here in prison? You've been here for six months, but you look like you're doing okay. ''
'' Prison is not enough to break me. I will always know who I am. ''
I tilted my head to the side and coldly replied: '' Is that so? Then, you should stop threatening the guards and saying that you'll kill yourself if I don't come to see you. ''
'' Only if you promise to come visit me again. '' His lips stretched into a sly smile. '' Don't look at me like that, Chito. I have to do something to chase my boredom away, don't I? The days last longer when you're stuck in prison. If you don't find a way to keep yourself busy, you start going crazy. ''
