"That's bullshit," I said, crossing my arms.

"Believe what you want," he shrugged, "You can't save him either way."

I gritted my teeth, wanting to tell him he was wrong, but having nothing to back up my argument. I'd been hoping, that in time, we'd just figure it all out. But that idea was getting more and more distance as time wore on.

He walked over to where the disembodied arm lay across the room and picked it up.

As we came back over to where I stood he said, "Yeah, that's what I thought," and he chucked the arm at me.

I flinched but caught it. The limb felt like holding a fish wrapped in linen. My stomach lurched.

A sinister grin speed across his face and pulse of anger rocked me.

I grabbed the arm by the bicep and smacked him across the face with it.

He didn't topple over like I'd wanted him to, in fact, he barely reacted. Until I heard a light growl rumble in his chest.

He snatched the arm out of my hand and snapped it across my face before I could flinch. Surprised, I lost my balance and fell backwards not the rug.

"I guess I still have some things to work on with you." He growled, grabbing the front of my top and pulling me upright just enough to drive his own hand into the side of my face.

The force drove me back to the floor. It took a moment for me to uncross my eyes before I looked back up at him. My vision was spinning, but I could still see the shit-eating look on his face.

"I can see how angry you still are," he said, "But I would suggest thinking through how you react."

My blood was boiling, but I knew I had to contain myself. He could destroy too much to test my luck any more than I already had.

He put is hand out and I jumped, but he just held it there, offering it to me.

I took a deep breath and took it. He pulled me to my feet gently.

He raised his hand again and I jumped back, but he only laughed and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. I could still feel my blood pulsing under my cheek.

"Go clean yourself up, dear. I'll see you in the morning." And then he kissed my lightly on my tender cheek and walked back over to his chair.

I took the gesture as a dismissal and left hastily. There was no way I wanted to hang out in there.

I hurried up the stairs back to the room and locked the door once I was inside.

I didn't even know what to do. It's not like I could react the way I wanted to.

I went into my bathroom to check how I looked.

My cheek was red and angry looking. When I tried to touch it the skin felt raw.

That was going to leave a mark. It would be weird to explain in class tomorrow.

I groaned, I'd forgotten that I had class the next morning. I was tempted to go back down and remind him that I had to be taken back to campus the next day, but I wasn't risking going down there again.

I washed my face carefully and crawled into the bed, leaving the lights on and setting an alarm on my phone to wake up early enough to get myself together.

There was a collection of texts and calls from Lorne, Donna and the like, which I had systematically ignored all day.

Of all the questions they could ask, I neither had the ability nor interest in answering. Lorne probably had them all believing I was a cheater, coupled with my roommate being in the hospital and my sudden disappearance, I probably looked like I'd gone off the deep end. If only it were that easy.

I couldn't imagine what they would think once news speed of my engagement. The word sent a shiver through me, but I'd already come to the terms the fact that he wasn't joking. I was quickly learning he was not the type to kid around.

My sleep that night was light and jumpy. Every time I heard even the smallest noise I was immediately projected from my unconscious state.

And every time I felt both relief and disappointment at the sight of the empty room.

As freaked out as I was to have to stay in the creepy house, there was one person here who I was dying to see. And every time it wasn't him my heart sank a little bit.

When my alarm went off the next morning I drug myself out of the cushy bedding. It would take a lot of makeup to make myself look like I wasn't near death.

Upon walking into the bathroom I noticed that rings had been moved around quite a bit. There was a bottle of the same bruise cream I'd put on my hands, but there was also something missing, and it didn't take me long to figure out what it was.

I walked out of my room, not bothering to try and talk to the silent guards by my door.

That bastard was somewhere in this house and he had some explaining to do.

I found him sitting in the living room with his feet propped up on the coffee table while he watched the news.

"Where's my Zoloft?"

He looked up at me lazily. It was strange to see him like this. I'd seen him in blood covered rags and fancy suits, but thus was by far the most disarming choice of clothing. It looked so normal.

He was adorned with plaid pajama bottoms and a worn band tee shirt. A mug of coffee with Garfield's face painted on it rested in his lap.

"I had them get rid of it." He said bluntly and turned his face back to the TV.

I snapped myself out of my surprised state, "Why would you do that. I need that."

"If you're going to throw fits you don't get to gave extraneous things like that."

I scoffed, "So you're scolding me? Like I'm a child?"

"If you'd like to think of it that way, sure."

"Well you can't just take that away, people go through withdrawals when they cold turkey stuff like that."

"Only for a few days."

"But I need it. It was perceived to me because I have a chemical imbalance in my brain."

"You made it what, 18 or so years without it, I'm sure you'll be fine," he stood up, "Plus, no wife of mine is going to be on medication like a crazy person."

A little bubble of rage inside of me popped and I smacked the mug out of his hand.

As the mug shattered on the ground, sending waves of coffee out to stain the white furniture, I immediately knew it had been a bad idea.

Before I could even lift my head up all the way to look back at him I felt the impact of his blow right at the top of my cheekbone.

I stumbled back but managed to avoid falling backwards.

"Congratulations, you've officially unenrolled yourself from school."

I nearly laughed as I stroked my throbbing cheek, "You can't do that."

He just sighed and stepped past me towards the doorway, "You seemed like seem like such a smart girl, but you're really bad at showing it."

And then he left.