Page 12 of The Counterfeit Lover

Andreas is always in the background, making sure I don't try to escape, but he lets me take my time as I relax for the first time in forever.

Maybe it's also because the resolution in my mind feels clearer than ever before.

One would have thought that Lucero's reappearance would make me spiral further into madness. Instead, it's the opposite.

My mind is lucid, my resolve strong.

I know exactly what I need to do, and how I need to proceed.

Shemightbe alive now, but it won't be for much longer.

Closing my eyes, I'm back to that uninhabitable zone in my mind, the one that houses the thick wall separating me fromme.

Slowly, fragments fall to the floor, a small crack appearing in the wall.

Not even steel is indestructible.

There's a slender beam of light coming from the other side, and as I put one foot in front of the other, reaching the wall, I bring one eye to look through the crack.

The light hits my eye, making me squint. Yet as I blink, clarity is restored to my sight, and I'm met with a wondrous sight.

Another eye meets me. The same color, the same movements.

I blink, it blinks.

At that moment, whether I want to or not, I know I've already chosen my fate.

One punch. Just one punch and the wall will crumble to the ground.

Taking a deep breath, I bring myself back to the present.

One step at a time.

The crack is enough for now. Already there's something sinister enveloping me in noxious waves, poisoning my mind and my soul.

Or is it?

For some reason, I think I've been poisoned all along. I just disguised it well.

When the time comes, Andreas escorts me to a different part of the building. On the way, I let my gaze roam around my surroundings, taking everything in.

It looks like an abandoned factory in some parts, yet some areas look unusually luxurious to belong in a deserted place.

"You don't speak much, do you?" I ask him, curious if I can get anything out of him before we reach our destination.

He doesn't answer. He doesn't even glance at me.

"I know you can speak. I've heard you before."

Nothing.

Rolling my eyes at him, I stop trying. It's clear he has strict orders that he's respecting rather faithfully.

Leading me to a room in the back, I'm surprised to find it wholly decorated, a big table in the middle with Michele already seated at the end of it.

"Welcome," he stands up, a mock of a bow and a wink as he offers me a seat next to him.

"I'm impressed," I accept, getting myself comfortable. Then again, after days in that hovel, everything is a five star hotel.

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