"Are you afraid of me?" Alexander''s voice echoed in the room, a questionced with a hint of incredulity. "Why would you be afraid of me?"Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    He leaned in closer, his eyes searching hers, trying to decipher the emotions hidden in their depths. "What have I done to you?"


    His voice was insistent, persistent, questioning not only her but himself as well. "Tell me, what have I done to make you fear me?"


    Under his relentless questioning, Quinn closed her eyes, hershes trembling slightly. Hadn''t he done enough already? Did he really believe that by sparing her life, he hadn''tmitted any wrong?"Quinn!" His voice, thick with anger, echoed through the room, his grip tightening to the point that Quinn couldn''t help but open her eyes.


    Outside, lightning shed, its brilliance piercing through the windows and casting an ethereal glow on her tear-streaked cheeks. "Why won''t you say anything?"


    His monologue continued, unanswered, as Quinn remained silent. Indeed, why couldn''t she speak? She loathed herself for her silence. If only she could have spoken, things might have been different. She wouldn''t be isted from the world, and he wouldn''t resent her for her silence.


    Spending time with such a mutepanion would drive anyone to the brink of insanity.Alexander, too, closed his eyes momentarily. When he opened them two secondster, he had managed to quell the raging fury within. He released Quinn, pulling her into an embrace, his voice filled with a mixture of resignation and helplessness. "Don''t look at me like that."


    Quinn''s lips remained sealed as she listened to the rhythmic beating of his heart. Tears streamed down her cheeks unchecked. He held her for so long that Quinn thought she might suffocate in his arms before he finally released her. He cupped her face, gently wiping away her tears, and even sat down on the cold ground with her. He leaned in close to Quinn, his intentions clear.


    But what flooded Quinn''s mind were the nightmarish images from her dreams, Valerie''s gruesome face, and the metallic scent of blood.Instinctively, she turned her head to avoid his lips. His kiss missed its mark,nding on the corner of her mouth.


    A miss by an inch felt like a mile.Alexander turned her face back toward him, his hands firmly in ce as he gazed intently into her eyes.


    As if to prove a point, he kissed her assertively. Their eyes locked, the sensation was indescribable, as mundane as eating a meal.


    After a stubborn moment, Quinn felt a sharp pain on her lip and instinctively closed her eyes. As she did, he pressed the back of her head, deepening the kiss. Quinn suddenly found his actions juvenile andughable. Wasn''t it just self- deception?The kiss was dominating and intense. By the end, Quinn tasted blood in her mouth.


    But Alexander didn''t let go. He bent down to kiss her again.Quinn clutched at his shirt as the cold from the floor seeped through, the thunderstorm outside growing fiercer, with rain hammering against the windows, mournful and relentless. The vi was as silent as ever.Looking up at his face, illuminated by the lightning, it seemed more alien and terrifying than ever before. Quinn felt groggy, unsure how much time it took to move from the floor to the bed.Her hands dangled lifelessly, her vision blurred, and his face began to lose its sharpness. In her daze, she heard him whispering in her ear. She struggled to listen, but the overwhelming drowsiness closed her heavy eyelids.