AFFECTION

ADELINE'S POV

I had to cut myself intentionally today while I was doing the dishes because I wanted an opportunity to talk to Colton alone. Veronica immediately ordered Colton to take me back to my room and take care of the mess I created. She wasn't particularly happy with me and I thought she might have even slapped me. But we have only a few more days till auction day and she wants us to be perfect. She wants absolutely no flaws on our bodies.

"Are you crazy?" Colton says angrily as he shoves me into my bathroom. I didn't mean to cut my arm so deep. I guess the adrenaline rush and the suicidal thoughts got to me. it hurts but at least Colton is here and I can talk to him.

"I needed to talk to you." I say simply as I twist my face in pain. "It worked, didn't it?"

"So, you cut yourself?" He says angrily as he focuses on cleaning and dressing the wound on my arm.

"Did you talk to Dante?" I ask him hopefully. I need to know if they were able to come up with a plan.

"Yes." Colton says simply. "I told him what you asked me to tell him. Everything is set. Once he gets my sister, I'll leave from here and go to him."

"Okay. Okay good." I say as my heart pounds aggressively in my chest. I know how easy ti is for everything to go either so well or so wrong. I know how easy it would be for Veronica to put a bullet in my head if she finds out Colton and I have a plan to leave this place. I know how easy it would be for Colton's sister to be in danger if we don't carry out this plan properly.

However, I can't help but hope. Surely the universe will give me a break. I haven't been able to stop thinking about Naomi. I don't know what Veronica intends to do with her. She keeps her locked up and doesn't treat Naomi like the rest of us so I know she has other plans for her and that bothers me. I think she's using Naomi as bait in case Liam and Dante try anything. She doesn't have time to start training Naomi like the rest of us since she was brought here a little bit later.

I can only think of one end for Naomi. Death. I shudder as the negative thought attacks my senses.

"Once you're out, tell them about Naomi." I say as i flinch in pain when Colton touches a sensitive spot on my wound. "Tell them to be careful. Veronica might kill her."

"I know. I'll tell them everything they need to know before they blindly come here. I promise. Besides, Veronica won't suspect that Dante has something to do with my sister being saved. She doesn't know I'm in communication with him. She'll think I got my sister out all by myself so you don't need to worry about her taking it out on Naomi." He explains.

"Okay." I say calmly. He finishes up with my wound and the stands up to examine my face. he gets so close to me that we're only inches apart.

"You lost a lot of blood." He says calmly.

"I do feel dizzy." I say as I feel a headache coming along. They don't feed us much here, so for me to lose blood is not a good sign about my health. I let out a breath and rest my head on Colton's chest in the bathroom. I start hallucinating at the loss of blood and suddenly I can see a distant memory.

I feel Colton tense up underneath me, but he doesn't touch me, he doesn't push me away from him either. He just stands there and lets me rest my head on him.

"Do you want to know how I ended up here in the first place?" I ask Colton as I feel myself drifting away into a light sleep.

"Tell me." He says.

"My parents wanted me to marry Adrian Wellington and I was not having it. I don't know where the idea came from but I decided to steal from him. Dante and Liam knew about my plan. I didn't find out about how dangerous Adrian was until the very last minute, but Dante, Dante always knew that Adrian was involved with erotica. He didn't warn me and I don't know why. I guess he thought he could protect me from Adrian but it was too late. Adrian was a psychopath and when he found out what I was doing with Dante behind his back, he did horrible things to me and then he sent me here."

I feel a tar run down my cheek as I remember the unpleasant memory. "Did you know I was a very popular therapist?" I ask him.

"You don't need to talk about yourself in the past tense." Colton inputs but I just ignored him.

"I helped so many people out of dark places. I hated my job at first but then, I grew to love it. I fell in love with helping people in need. The smile on their faces when they realized that they were finally healed of their minds. It was everything to me. I had a good life. I loved my little life. I don't know how things got so bad but I guess shit happens."

I start sobbing as I narrate my entire life story to Colton.

"I was never close to my parents. I doubt they have even realized that I'm missing. They're probably busy somewhere on vacation and enjoying the profits of their new company. With the money that I risked and lost my life trying to get for them…" Hot tears fall from my face as I talk and resentment, it builds up inside of me until I can't stand it anymore and, in this moment, I hate my parents more than I hate anyone else in the world.

"Adeline…" Colton says with a soft voice. His voice is so soft and smooth as he calls my name that it reminds me of flowers and a sunny field.

"I'm tired Colton. I really hope this works. Every day, I feel myself getting more and more insane in this place. Every day, I just want to give up and accept that I'll never escape erotica. I don't know how much more fight I have in me. if this plan doesn't work, then I'm done for. Veronica will either kill me or send me to a pl ace so dark that I will never be able to escape for the rest of my life and it scares me Colton. It scares me so much."

He finally wraps his arms around me and holds me steadily as I sob.

When I remember that there are no cameras in our bathrooms, I think it's such bullshit. They want us to think we have privacy but they make us wear close to nothing. It is another play at our psychology. I hate this place so much.

"Everything is going to be okay, princess." Colton says. I want to say he cannot guarantee me that. This isn't some hide and seek game. These are dangerous people we're going up against and anything can happen. They're always one step ahead.

I stop talking and let Colton carry me to my bed. I don't know for how long he sits in a corner to watch me but I know when I wake up, he won't be in my room anymore and I'll be left to the loneliness of the four walls that surround me.