Page 3 of Say You're Mine

Her smile widens, genuine warmth lighting her eyes. "Of course. We're all here to help you, Mr. Deveaux. I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but things will get better."

As she turns to leave, a plan begins to form in my mind. This nurse, with her kind eyes and gentle demeanor... she could be useful. A potential ally in this sterile prison.

"Wait," I call out, infusing my voice with just the right amount of vulnerability. "I... I don't even know your name."

She pauses at the door, turning back to me with a soft smile. "It's Sarah. I'll be on duty for the next few days, so you'll probably be seeing a lot of me."

I nod, letting a flicker of relief show on my face. "Thank you, Sarah. It's... it's good to know there's at least one friendly face around here."

As she leaves, closing the door behind her, I allow myself a small, triumphant smile. The first piece is in place. Now, I just need to be patient, to play the long game.

I force myself to eat, choking down bland mouthfuls of mystery meat and overcooked vegetables. I need to keep up my strength, to be ready for whatever opportunities might present themselves.

As I eat, my mind drifts back to Cara. Is she thinking of me? Does she lie awake at night, aching for my touch the way I ache for hers? Or has she already moved on, grateful to be free of the dark obsession that binds us together?

The thought sends a spike of jealousy through me, hot and vicious. No. She's mine. She'll always be mine, whether she wants to admit it or not.

I close my eyes, picturing her face. The curve of her cheek, the fullness of her lips, the storm-grey of her eyes. I'll find my way back to her. I'll reclaim what's mine, even if I have to tear this place apart brick by brick to do it.

Just hold on, baby. I'm coming for you. And when I do, nothing in this world will ever tear us apart again.

The rest of the day passes in a haze of medication and monotony. I'm escorted to a group therapy session, where I sit in sullen silence as my fellow inmates bare their souls to a room full of strangers. I nod in all the right places, make sympathetic noises when expected, but my mind is elsewhere.

Always on Cara. Always plotting my escape.

As night falls and the ward grows quiet, I lie awake in my narrow bed, staring at the ceiling. The drugs they've pumped into me make my limbs feel heavy, my thoughts sluggish. But I fight against the fog, forcing my mind to stay sharp, to stay focused.

I replay every moment of my time here, searching for weaknesses, for patterns I can exploit. The night shift change, when the corridors are quieter. The brief window between medication rounds. The way Sarah's keycard hangs just a little too loosely from her belt.

Slowly, painstakingly, a plan begins to take shape. It's risky, fraught with potential for failure. But it's all I have. My one shot at freedom, at finding my way back to Cara's arms.

I close my eyes, letting her image fill my mind once more. The softness of her skin, the warmth of her breath against my neck, the way she'd whisper my name like a prayer.

"I'm coming, Cara," I murmur into the darkness, my voice barely a whisper. "Wait for me. Please, baby. Just wait for me."

As sleep finally claims me, my dreams are filled with her. Cara, writhing beneath me, her nails raking down my back as I bury my cock inside her. Cara, laughing in the sunlight, her hair a halo of gold. Cara, her eyes wide with fear and betrayal as I reveal the depths of my obsession.

I wake with a start, my heart pounding, my body slick with sweat. The first hints of dawn are creeping through the barred window, painting the sterile white walls with shades of pink and gold.

A new day. Another chance to set my plan in motion.

I force my lungs to breathe deeply, to center myself. I can't afford to let my emotions get the better of me, not now. Not when I'm so close to freedom.

As I hear the first stirrings of the morning shift change, I school my features into a mask of docile compliance. Let them think they've broken me, tamed the beast within. Let them believe their drugs and therapy have done their job.

They have no idea what's coming. No inkling of the storm that's about to break over their heads.

I am Juniper Deveaux, and I will not be caged. Not by my mother, not by these doctors, not even by my own fractured psyche.

Because a love like ours? Obsessive, consumptive, transcendent in its intensity?

It won't be denied. And it'll salt the fucking earth before letting anything stand in its way.

Chapter two

Cara

Dusk bleeds into dawn, an endless cycle of meaningless hours as I lie awake, staring at the shadows dancing across the ceiling. Sleep eludes me, chased away by the relentless pounding of my heart, the sickening churn of my stomach.

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