From the age of sixteen until I graduated with my Master's degree, I spent ten years with Valentine.
When his foster father slapped him for his biological son, I was there, sitting with him on the rooftop, watching stars all night.
When he was kicked out of his house, I brought him home, holding a flashlight and stepping through thick snow to get him out from under the eaves, where he was trembling in the cold.
When he was falsely accused of stealing research, I sat with him in the bushes all night, waiting to meet the investor.
I spent ten years filling "myself" into his entire life.
But at the moment his love reached its peak, I left without hesitation. How could he not go crazy...
When I woke up, I was lying on a large bed in the basement.
The overhead light was glaringly bright, and I raised my hand to shield my eyes.
My gaze landed on the golden chain on my ankle, and I fell silent for a moment.
It was gold, thick, and sparkling, encrusted with small diamonds that shimmered under the light. I sighed.
Round and round, it seemed that this was the only ending.
---
The overhead light was too bright, almost as if it was directly in my eyes. I wanted to sleep, but the intensity of the light kept me awake.
There were no clocks or windows in the basement. I had no idea what time it was, nor how long I had been here.
It was torturous.
When Valentine came in, I was staring at the chain on my ankle, counting the diamonds on it. He sat beside me and wrapped his arm around my waist. "What are you thinking?"
"I was thinking that your way of solving problems is really brutal."
I muttered, "Valentine, this won't solve anything." He smiled but didn't answer my question.
Instead, he said, "If you give me a promise, I'll let you go. How about it?"
"What?"
"Promise me, you'll never leave again."
He said, "Swear on your parents' lives in the real world." My mind went blank for a second.
The next second, I shook my head. "That's impossible."
"I can't make such a vow..."
"Then there's nothing I can do."
Valentine patted my head, as if petting a disobedient cat.
His voice was soft, "I'm afraid you'll have to stay here for the rest of your life."
Valentine said he was waiting for my answer at any time. At first, I didn't understand what he meant.
It wasn't until he stopped bringing me meals that I belatedly realized in horror—he wasn't letting me eat anymore.
My stomach burned with hunger, and I curled up, clutching my stomach, my head spinning with stars in my vision. The door opened.
Valentine entered with a syringe, forcibly lifting my arm and injecting me with a nutrient solution.
The cold needle pierced my arm, and I shuddered instinctively, tears involuntarily spilling from my eyes.
I was afraid of pain. Afraid of injections.
When I was sick and had to get an injection, I always buried my head in Valentine's chest to avoid crying. Back then, he would comfort me, hugging me gently:
"Be good, it'll be over soon. This is the last time, we won't have injections anymore, okay?"
The liquid in the syringe was slowly pushed into my body, chilling me to the bone. I couldn't help but cry out to him:
"It hurts, Valentine, it really hurts!"
His movements stiffened for a moment.
But it was only for a moment.
"In the past, I comforted you, cared for you, treated you so well, but none of it was cherished. You still threw me away like I was trash."
"I heard some people need to be treated badly, to make them realize how rare 'good' can be."
"Training a dog and training a person, there's really no difference."
When the dog doesn't obey, it needs to be punished. The same goes for people.
This was the punishment he gave me.
"But it really hurts." I pleaded with him, "Valentine, please don't do this."
---
The atmosphere in the basement grew eerily quiet. He pulled the needle out and threw it into the trash can.
"I've been fooled once before."
"Let you go, let you calm me down, and after the world stabilizes, you'll leave without hesitation... Should I go crazy again and bring you back?"
"I know there are people you care about other than me, but I'm sorry, I only have you."
He picked up another syringe from the tray, disinfected it with alcohol, and without hesitation, stabbed it into his own arm.
"If you can't eat, I'll starve with you, surviving on nutrient injections."
"You hate me, resent me, just stick more needles into me, even use a knife if you want... but you can't leave."
He buried his head in my neck, lowering his voice as he begged me:
"Baby, please pity me."
"If you leave again, I'll really go mad."
