The Devil Who Claimed Me

A young doctor arrived and set up an IV quickly. As the cold fluid entered her veins, Mila felt a faint clarity returning. She looked at the young man, who was checking her vitals.

It surprised her to see a skilled doctor in a place like this.

"You?" Her voice was weak.

The man looked at her. "Hello, I am Remy, a doctor."

"A doctor?"

He smiled at her raised eyebrows. "Don’t worry. I’m professional," he explained, thinking she might be doubting his skills. "I know my job."

"The way you put the line, I can tell you are skilled," she replied. "But I didn’t expect to find a doctor here. Why are you with people like them?"

Remy paused.

"Dominic is cruel. And you serve him? Why? You could have served a hospital, saved lives. But instead, you are with a mafia gang, where killing is normal."

Remy didn’t respond immediately. He gathered his things slowly and closed his bag.

"I didn’t choose this world," he started. "Five years ago, I was kidnapped on my way home from the hospital and forced to treat a mafia lord."

Something flashed in his eyes when he recalled the incident. "Those people were dangerous. They could kill me. I had no choice but to obey."

Mila frowned. Her situation wasn’t different. She had also been dragged into this world against her will. But unlike him, she refused to accept it.

"If I resisted, they beat me, humiliated me, and treated me like nothing. I was just a tool to fix their wounds."

He sighed. "One day, I thought this was the end. I was injured in an explosion during a gang war. They left me alone to die. No one looked back. No one cared whether I lived or died. They all ran."

Silence enveloped them for a moment.

"Then Dominic found me. He looked scary. I thought he would kill me."

Mila stilled, her heart racing faster.

"But he didn’t," he added. "When he saw I was still breathing, he took me with him. He gave me a place to live."

Remy met her gaze. "He didn’t have to save me. After all, I was a nobody to him, a stranger. He could leave me."

His gaze turned meaningful.

"You think he is a monster. But not everyone sees him that way. Ever since I joined his gang, no one raised a hand on me. No one disrespects me."

Mila’s expression remained unmoved. This wouldn’t change her perspective about Dominic. To her, he was still her captor.

"You are alive because of him," Remy continued. "He is protecting you from danger. You should be grateful to him."

"I am in danger because of him," she shot back. "If he never entered my life, I wouldn’t be here in the first place."

There was no gratitude in her eyes, only resistance.

"I won’t forgive him."

Remy realized he couldn’t change her mind with arguments. "Rest." He stood up, grabbing his bag. "Eat properly. You will be fine soon."

Before leaving, he warned, "Don’t do anything reckless."

He left.

Outside, Dominic was pacing. The moment he saw Remy, he paused.

"She will be fine," Remy assured him.

A small breath escaped his mouth.

But Remy’s face tightened with worry. "I heard you got injured. Let me check."

"It’s just a scratch," said Dominic, his tone dismissive. "I’ll go see Mila first."

"Alright, you can see her. But you should come to the clinic afterward."

Dominic nodded.

It was only then that Remy left.

Dominic entered the room. For a second, he stood there, watching her. He wanted to pull her to his chest, check if she was okay. But he didn’t move a bit, his expression hardening.

"Was this your plan? Starve yourself until you get what you want?"

Mila looked at him, eyes dull but stubborn. "I’m tired. I can’t stay locked here anymore."

Her voice was hoarse. "I wanted to see you, talk to you. If I don’t get out of here, what is the point of living?"

"So you decided to kill yourself?" His features tensed further.

"If that’s what it takes to see you..."

He fell silent. He wanted to tell her right then, ’Fine, you are free. Just don’t do it again.’

But he stopped himself. He had already made that mistake once. He couldn’t put his faith back in her easily.

"You are saying you missed me."

Mila faked a smile. "You are full of yourself. I don’t miss you. I wanted to see you because I needed your permission to get out. That’s all."

"Nice excuse." He stepped closer to the bed. He leaned down, his face inches away from hers. "Admit it, Mila. You can’t live without seeing me."

She lifted her hands and pressed them against his chest. "Don’t be delusional."

She tried to push him, but she was too weak.

"Am I?" He held her hand and put it on his heart. "I can feel it."

Mila’s eyes were wide. "What?"

"Your heartbeat," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "It’s fast."

Mila couldn’t lie. Her heart was really beating faster than normal. A while ago, when Remy checked her earlier, her pulse had been steady.

Why did it spike now? Was it really because of his closeness?

"Say it. You wanted me here. You wanted me by your side."

"That’s not true." She tried to dismiss it.

He held her chin and lifted her face a little. "You are a terrible liar, Mila." His face was so close that his lips almost brushed against hers as he spoke.

Mila’s breathing hitched. She should have pushed him. She should have hated his closeness. But her body betrayed her.

Instead of resisting, she felt drawn to him. Her lips tingled. Her body leaned subtly forward, craving for his touch, for his kiss. She wanted to taste him, feel him again.

It was strange. And she hated herself for it.

"Your body is more honest than you," he said, brushing his knuckles down her cheek. "You want me. You just don’t want to admit it. It’s okay. I can understand. You are upset with me."

"Then let me get out of this room. It’s suffocating here."

Her pleading gaze almost disarmed him. But then he reminded himself of what she had done last time.

The guards had complained. They were worried she would do the same thing again and hurt more people. If Mila acted like that again, it would be hard for him to protect her.

He had no choice but to stern with her.

"I won’t unlock the door just because you are being stubborn." He stepped back. "You are still weak now. Recover first. Then I’ll think about letting you out."

Mila’s eyes dimmed, but she didn’t argue.

Dominic called the maid and told her to bring soup.

The soup was served a while later.

Mila drank it quietly.

Dominic stayed, making sure she finished every drop.

When she finished the soup, she looked up at him. "How long are you going to keep me locked here?"

"If you behave, I’ll consider it."

He walked out.

Mila’s expression changed instantly. The softness vanished. Her eyes turned cold.

"If you want me to behave, I will. But you can’t keep me here for a long time."