I chickened out because I was a chicken. I couldn't ask Veronica about Halloween because I didn't want to know, and it was also because I didn't want Rogue to win. He couldn't take another thing from me.

Veronica and I hung out at the pool house. We ate and swam in the pool, and she told me about the American elites, who was whom, and the latest gossips. By the next hour, I forgot the conversation I had with Rogue. I decided that I liked Veronica, and nothing he said was going to change my mind.

After we finished swimming, I left the pool house to take a shower. I darted up the stairs, and in my room, I stripped off my bikini and jumped into the shower. Less than ten minutes later, I got out and dressed in a loose sleeveless dress. It was navy blue, and the color complimented my skin so well. With wet hair, I jogged down the stairs and checked the pool house to find Veronica gone. Not gone exactly. Her things were left behind on the chair.

Walking out of the pool house, my eyes followed the trail of water in the hallway. I didn't think about it. I decided to follow it. The trail stopped in front of a black door. It wasn't locked. I twisted the handle to open it, silently pushing the door in. There was another hallway, but this one was small. There were only two double doors in front of me, with dimmed lights that flickered in the small hallway.

I laid my hands flat against the door and pressed my ears to listen, but I didn't hear anything. I knew Veronica was inside because the water trail had stopped there. Quietly, I opened the door and peeked in. It was a huge room. I couldn't see anything inside because it was dark. Only a single light flickered under the body that was knelt on the ground.

It was Rogue. He was shirtless. His back was turned to me. His head was bent. Red marks marred his skin, making me suck in my breath. It looked like—Rogue raised a leather whip and brought it down to his back. The sound of it meeting his skin cracked. My hand flew to my mouth to hold in my gasp. Wide-eyed, I shook as I watched him hit himself again. Every hit was like a knife through my chest.

What was he doing? Why was he doing this?

I couldn't take it anymore. I started to go in to make him stop, but I halted when Veronica appeared from a dark corner. My breath caught. She slowly took the whip from him and threw it across the floor, then knelt in front of him to level her eyes with him.

Veronica grabbed his head with both of her hands, and I saw her lips moving, but I didn't know what she was saying. Rogue shoved her to the side, and she fell. I sucked in another breath. She stayed like that for a few seconds, pained and broken, it was all over her face. Then I watched as Rogue crawled over to her, grabbed her shoulders, and whispered something to her, and then he was hugging her. I didn't realize how much it bothered me until I felt physically ill, watching them hug so tightly, connecting through their pains and emotions. It made me dizzy. I curled my hand into a fist, watching them embrace like friends shouldn't embrace.

Rogue pulled away from the hug and cupped her face. Veronica nodded, then crawled out of his arms to stand behind him. She knelt on the ground and touched the red skin of his back, where he had repeatedly hit himself. Her lips touched his bruises, softly and lovingly. Ice ran through me. I needed to leave, but I was glued to my spot. I couldn't look away. She was tracing her tongue on the lines the whip had made, and then I heard her sobbing.

His hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her in front of him again. When he crushed his lips with hers, I bolted. I ran out of there like I was chased by lightning. I didn't stop until I was in my room and I collapsed on my bed. Breathing, I struggled to control my emotions. I curled up in bed and hugged myself.

What the fuck had that been? Why didn't they tell me they were seeing each other? Why would Rogue pretend as if he was attracted to me? Why would Veronica tell me all those things about him only to go and kiss him? Wasn't she married?

I screamed into my pillow. It bothered me so much. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw there in that position. Kissing. Touching. Like they were old lovers, tending to each other's pain and suffering. I bit hard on my lower lip as dizziness overrode me. Didn't Rogue said he didn't want anyone to save him? Then why was he letting Veronica in like that? Or did he lie to me because he needed a good reason to get away from me?

Beth, this shouldn't upset you. Why should you care? You should be worried about getting out of here. Your priorities should lie with finding your friend. What Rogue does is none of your business. With that said, I hugged myself and refused to come out of the room.

An hour later, Veronica barged into my room. Her face lit up when she saw me, and she raced to get on the bed, wrapping her arm around me as her head hit my pillow. I froze. Part of me wanted to shove her out of bed and watch her fall, wondering if Rogue was going to rush in and tend to her. Wondering if he was going to yell at me and then kiss her.

I noticed she had changed out of her bikini. She was wearing flared jeans and a black tank that was tucked inside the high waisted jeans. Did she have extra clothes in the house that she kept for when she comes here? The question had me freezing again.

Fuck. Calm down. None of your business, remember?

"Your room is nice," she commented, breathing on my face. "For a kidnapped victim." She laughed.

"I'm his guest now, remember?" I couldn't help the words leaving my lips bitterly. Veronica didn't notice the slight change in my tone, or me in general. Why would she? She was probably still high on Rogue. She didn't smell like sex to me, but she could have showered and washed him off her. I was suddenly gloomy.

She unwrapped herself from me and straightened, keeping her hands behind her head for support as she looked up at the ceiling. "Do you want to leave? I could make that happen."

"No," I harshly responded without thinking. Honestly, I didn't have time to think about the response. All I could think about was her wanting to throw me out so she could have Rogue to herself, which was so stupid because I didn't want him.

Her brows went up with a smirk, and I struggled to come up with a better answer. I wanted to kick myself. Why did I have to go and sound like a jealous, needy person? Shit. What would she think now?

"I...I mean..." Stuttering didn't help me because she was still grinning ear to ear.

I sat up because I felt my point wasn't going to get across lying down. Tucking my legs, I decided to correct myself. "Rogue isn't going to let me go. I tried that, but he wants to find Hanna first before he can do that. You're welcome to try." Please don't try it. What the fuck was I saying? I wanted to get out of here.

"There are ways I can get you out of here without talking to Rogue."

A pained smile cracked my lips. "Really?"

Veronica sat up and copied my position. "I think I could sneak you out without anyone noticing. It would be so easy, Beth," she said with so much enthusiasm. "Everyone knows me here. They won't suspect me. I have the gate codes. If I come back at night, no one will question it. I could knock out the guards with spiked food or drink. Rogue had trained them not to take anything from strangers, but I'm not a stranger. Doesn't that sound great?!"

"It does!" I matched her enthusiasm but ended up sounding lame. I really needed to calm down. Veronica genuinely wanted to help me. There was no reason to hate her. What I needed was to escape this house before it became the end of me. It was so scary how my emotions were able to betray me in the span of two days. I needed out. "When do you think you could do that?" I sounded desperate, and I was desperate.

"In six days."

"Six days?!" I practically screamed. So much could happen in six days. My emotions could be heightened in those days, and what would be next? My destruction?

"Keep your voice down," she scolded with a frown. "It can't happen in less than six days because Rogue knows something will be up. I usually disappear after I come to his house. If I come back here tomorrow or the next day, he would wonder and then poke. If he gets a sniff of what we're doing, it will be the end of you and me both."

Me, I could see happening, but her? Not so much. So, did that mean he didn't love her? If he could love her, he wouldn't dare hurt her. So it was just sex between them?

"Beth!" she snapped at me, gaining my full attention again. "Did you hear me? You have to stay put until after six days. That's the only way I can help you."

I nodded, defeated. I could try and hold on for that long. Should be easy.

Veronica stuck her hand in her pockets and pulled out a phone. My eyes widened at it. She had a phone with a touching distance. My eyes tracked it eagerly. A few seconds ticked past as I gawked.

Then she handed it to me. My head snapped up to meet her eyes.

"The guards thought I brought only two phones, so they took it away, but the joke's on them, I had another one tucked away." She pressed the phone into my chest. "Call whoever you want to call, but do it fast and don't tell them anything, please. Just hear their voices, tell them you're fine and end it."

What?

I glowered at the phone. All it would take was for me to call my mum. Call her and hear her voice. Talk to dad. I could finally inform them of what had happened to me. I wouldn't even have to beg them to come and get him. They would bring the police with them.

And yet, with the phone being so close to me, I couldn't take it. I pushed it back to her with a shake of my head. "I can't," the words left my mouth in a whisper. She stared at me in confusion. "If I use it, I'm scared I will cave and tell my parents everything. To save you from getting into trouble, I would rather not use it." Later, I would call myself stupid for abandoning this chance.

Veronica's faced warm, and she grinned so big. She looked happy. "Thank you." She tucked away the phone. "You're such a good friend. For a second there, I really regretted showing it to you because I knew you would have told your family what happened." She laughed. "Thank god, you declined."

Yeah, I'm so stupid.

-

"I was wondering where you were." I drew my eyes up to find him leaned against the wall, arms and ankles crossed.

"Were you?" I questioned, leaning my head back against the headboard as I stared at him with lazy eyes. After Veronica had left, I had remained in my room. Rogue didn't find me until two hours later. I was wondering what he had been doing in those two hours.

His lips arranged into a self-satisfied smirk. "You do know you could walk out of here, right? Watch a movie or read something?"

"What do you want, Rogue?"

His gaze waged war with things far too deep and dangerous for me to know. Why did it make me feel drugged? "To see how you're coping," he answered.

The surge of complicated, unknown emotions battered me, so I closed my eyes. "With?" Something hot and needy was springing to life inside me. It was strong.

"The absence of your new friend."

My eyes snapped open, his baritone making me slightly drunk. "Then how about you be my new friend?" I challenged. If he was so interested in my friendships, I guess I could spare another one. Maybe I might know who the real Rogue Slade was. He stared at me attentively when I added, "Friends share secrets, don't they? So, go ahead and tell me what the doctor diagnosed you with."

Shit. Did that just come out of my mouth? Beth, you dummy.

Thankfully, he didn't seem offended by the question. Instead, he looked uninterested. "Does it matter? I don't check all the boxes because they don't say shit about me, Beth. There's no diagnosis."

The shock and power of his voice almost made me forget who was standing in front of me. My head shifted slightly side to side in a very clear and surprised gaze. "So, you refused to see a doctor?"

"On the contrary, I saw a doctor once. It's just too bad that she couldn't see anything wrong with me."

A sick feeling flooded my stomach. "You're lying."

He pinned me with an unreadable expression on his face. "Am I? Maybe I'm not the crazy one."

"What do you mean?" I didn't know what prompted me to ask. I was pushing, perhaps even crossing a line, but if he wasn't shushing me or getting angry over my questions, maybe I had a chance.

"What do you think?"

"Stop talking to me in riddles. Tell me what you mean by that."

He grinned. "You're a curious little thing, aren't you?"

As if from a distance, I heard my own voice saying, "Veronica told me things about your childhood and what you did to your classmates." I let my eyes stayed on his face to see if I could see it crack, anything to tell what was going on inside his head, but nothing. Nada.

"Maybe she lied to you. Maybe she did all of that and not me." A dark smile played on his lips.

My stomach turned over, and my skin felt like it was crawling. "She wouldn't do that," I whispered, not sounding confident in my own ears. "You want to confuse me."

"You want to confuse yourself. I'm only stating facts."

"You lie."

Rogue nodded. "Perfectly, but you could never know when I might be lying." I had never seen someone wield words with such confidence than him.

The numbness encasing me was fading, and I could feel myself beginning to shake. "Don't play games with me, Rogue. I don't like it," I said, as questions ran riot inside my head.

His grin turned a bit monstrous. "My desires above yours, remember?"

Yes, I did remember.

My head hurt. I couldn't keep up. "What do you plan to achieve? Both of you? You're confusing me, but one of you is lying," I whispered, but my tone crackled with anger, fierce and bright.

He laughed. The sound landed aggressively between us, smoking with ice, danger, and secrets. "Or we could all be liars, haven't you thought about that?" His reply was instantaneous. "Veronica does her thing. I do my thing."

A few hours ago, he was saying a different thing.

"But you said you're cut from the same cloth, and you're childhood friends," I reminded him. "Your goals have to be the same." Unless he was lying to me, which I knew he was. He would do anything to see that Veronica and I never saw each other again. That couldn't happen. She was going to get me out of here.

His hazel eyes flashed with so much darkness I would never see the night again without thinking of him. "Not necessarily."

I opened my mouth to ask another question when he lifted a finger to silence me as he looked down at his watch. When he raised his head again, he wasn't smiling.

"Look at that, it's time to go." He spun around and started to leave.

"You haven't finished answering my questions!" I called back ferociously. "I command you to stop!"

Rogue paused, then turned. He regarded me with a dark look, another different side to him that scared me the most. "You forget that I give the orders around here," he said with a little warning. "I command you, Beth, not the other way around. Don't be foolish next time, and don't confuse me with someone else. I'm still the man who had you dangled from the ceiling and who hospitalized your sister's boyfriend. I'm not your friend." Throwing me one last look, he vanished out of the door.

His steps echoed.

Panic swooped in, suffocating me instantly. The room squeezed, and I sucked in a breath.