Chapter 2
My brain crashed, and it felt like every drop of blood left my body all at once.
I tried to speak, but nothing came out.
The two bodyguards behind me were dumbstruck. The younger one was already doubled over, gagging against the wall.
Doran seemed to hear the commotion.
He stopped what he was doing and slowly turned around.
Beneath the hood of his raincoat, his eyes shone with an unsettling brightness.
When he saw me, he looked completely unfazed. He didn't even bother to remove his mask.
He pulled off his blood-spattered goggles and shot me a casual smile.
It was that same indulgent smile I knew so well.
"Honey, what brings you here?" Doran said.
His voice cut through the sound of running water, clear as day.
He asked, "Are you here to get an early look at the ending of my new book?"
My world came crashing down in that moment.
My instincts screamed at me to run, but the scream stuck in my throat.
But it was like my legs were made of lead. I couldn't move an inch.
I watched helplessly as Doran took off his gloves and raincoat, coming toward me one step at a time.
He smelled strongly of blood and disinfectant, but acted as if nothing had happened. He opened his arms and wrapped me in a tight embrace.
"Scared you?" Doran said.
He gently patted my back, sounding genuinely sorry for me.
He said, "My bad. I should've warned you sooner."
I was frozen stiff, every inch of me screaming in terror.
The man holding me was my husband, with whom I'd shared my life for three years.
But he was also a devil who had coldly dismembered his first love right before my eyes.
I couldn't take it anymore. I shoved him off and doubled over by the wall, retching hard.
My stomach churned, but nothing came out.
Doran didn't get mad. He picked up a bottle of water, twisted off the cap, and handed it to me, gently rubbing my back.
"Rinse your mouth. You'll feel better," he said softly.
But right now, his gentle touch was scarier than any torture I could imagine.
The two bodyguards were so terrified that they bolted out of the room, stumbling and crawling over each other.
I could hear their frantic footsteps and shrieks filling the air.
Doran couldn't have cared less.
He looked for all the world like a patient husband, calmly taking care of his sulking wife.
Once I'd calmed down a little, Doran grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the couch, making me sit down beside him.
His hand was warm, but mine was ice cold, stiff as iron.
"Doran, you..." I finally found my voice, though it trembled uncontrollably.
I asked, "Did you really kill her?"
"Yeah," he said, like he was commenting on the weather.
Doran even took his time picking up an orange from the table, peeling it slowly, and holding out the sweetest first slice to me.
"Don't be scared. It's research for my writing," he said, like it was nothing.
I looked at him blankly, unable to process his words.
"Research?" I echoed, barely able to speak.
"Yeah," Doran nodded, pressing the orange slice to my lips. The sickly sweet juice exploded in my mouth, but all I felt was a wave of nausea.
"She said she was my most loyal reader and wanted to contribute to my new book," Doran said.
He smiled, his eyes forming a crescent moon.
"She told me it was her honor to be the model for the perfect murder in my story. She volunteered, Wynne," he added.
I couldn't believe that.
I didn't think anyone in their right mind would volunteer to be chopped up.
That had to be the most absurd lie I'd ever heard.
My body was still trembling uncontrollably, my teeth clattering together.
Doran sighed and hugged me tighter.
"Alright, let's go home. This place is a mess. It's no place for you," he said.
He stood up and cradled me in his arms, like I was a child.
I didn't resist.
I was too scared to even try.
I was terrified that if I so much as struggled, I'd become another pile of mangled flesh in the bathroom.
As we passed the bathroom door, I shut my eyes tight without even thinking.
But Doran suddenly stopped.
He bent down and whispered in my ear, "Wynne, open your eyes. This is my new piece made for you."
His voice was hypnotic, almost enchanting.
Like I was under a spell, I opened my eyes.
I took one glance, and my stomach heaved violently.
Doran smiled, completely unfazed.
He said, "Look, bones and flesh, all separated, the veins and structure so clear. Isn't it strangely beautiful?
"This is only the first step. Next, I'll pack them up and send them across the country, like in 'Blood Puzzle.' No one will ever find her whole again."
He carried me out of that hellhole.
Outside, the hotel hallway was deserted.
He even pressed the elevator button like nothing had happened.
When the elevator doors slid open, the polished mirrors reflected us.
He held me close, his expression gentle.
I was curled up in his arms, pale as a ghost.
To anyone watching, we looked like any other normal married couple.
No one would ever guess that a few minutes ago, this man had committed a gruesome murder.
When we got home, Doran laid me down on the bed and tucked me in.