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I knew what she was planning. I agreed to go check on the "mermaid."
At the apartment door, Jessica attacked from behind, hitting my neck hard.
I fell, pretending to be knocked out.
Jessica, eyes red, took off her mask.
Her face was covered in burn scars, dark marks, and cuts. Unrecognizable.
She was disfigured.
She lifted her shirt. Her skin was a mess of wounds.
It was horrifying.
She cried bitterly:
"You have no idea. That mermaid is a monster."
"The legends and online posts are lies. Mermaids aren't gentle or kind. They love torture!"
She sobbed, saying the Siren cut her with his scales, stabbed her with needles, pulled out her nails, held her over the stove fire.
He controlled all her devices, cut her off from the outside.
She'd been living in hell.
She pretended to be obedient until he fell asleep, then escaped.
I blinked slowly:
"Why didn't you call the police? Why bring me here instead?"
Jessica smiled bitterly:
"Wendy, why do you have everything? Your parents adore you. You got into a top school easily. You have a boyfriend who loves you. Everyone likes you!"
"And me? What did I do wrong? My parents divorced. No one wanted me. I had to drop out and work. Everyone looks down on me. You only befriended me to make yourself look better!"
I stared coldly, disgusted:
"After all these years? I stood by you, got you jobs, took care of you, had my parents treat you like family, introduced you to friends—and this is how you repay me?!"
Jessica wasn't listening. Full of hate, she said, "If you really care about me, why won't you die for me? If you die, I can have your life."
She dragged me into the apartment.
I smelled blood and something foul.
The nearly seven-foot Siren King was there, slapping his sharp, blade-like tail on the floor.
He smirked, pure evil.
Jessica trembled, falling to her knees, begging:
"I brought you a sacrifice. Do whatever you want with her. Just let me go."
She tricked me into taking her place.
The Siren King picked me up, examining me.
Jessica looked hopeful, groveling: "She's healthy, intact, a marine bio master's student. Torturing her will be more fun."
Just as she thought she'd succeeded, the Siren King's tail slapped her hard across the face.
She was thrown back, stunned.
I relaxed. "I thought you were breaking our deal."
The Siren King gave that faint, mocking smile.
Like, "Just messing with you. I keep my word."
Funny. So-called civilized humans lie and cheat. But this brutal, man-eating Siren honored promises.
