Chapter 82.

I grabbed a pair of scissors, cut the straps from behind, and immediately sewed them back on. When she was fully dressed, I let out a long sigh of relief. It was definitely something I never imagined I would be able to say I’d done in my life.

“Well, let’s get to the locksmith to get the handcuffs taken care of.”

“Why are you in such a rush, Mr. Genovese?”

“The sooner this is over, the better.”

I only just woke up, but I was already exhausted and wanted to go back to sleep. I didn’t get paid nearly enough to put up with this sort of shit.

When we left the room, we passed by the washroom on the way out. It was only then that I came to a certain realization. My back straightened up and I froze in place stiffly when I stepped on something cold and metallic.

“What’s wrong? Why’d you suddenly freeze up?”

“That would be…”

“You’re acting pretty suspicious right now. Did you suddenly remember where the key is or something?”

“It’s not quite that I remembered where it is. It’s just that…”

“What?”

“I think I’m stepping on it.”

She shot a wide grin my way as she arched her body forward toward me.

“Is that so?”

“It might be.”

“Could it be that you actually knew it was here the entire time, but you secretly wanted to perform such lewd acts with your boss?”

“I know it looks bad, but I swear I really didn’t though.”

I stiffly bent over and checked; sure enough, the key I’d desperately searched for earlier was maliciously sitting there like a little devil looking up at me from beneath my right foot.

“Hmm. What a perverse employee, to think I would be plotted against like this.”

“You sure don’t look like the one who’s been plotted against. Rather than me plotting against you, are you sure you didn’t plot against me?”

“Did I? Would I really need to plot against a little employee like you?”

“You did, didn’t you?”

“Who me? Never~”

Did I really get played somehow?

“By the way, Mr. Genovese, you questioned me quite a bit despite my innocence. As your boss, shouldn’t I be the one questioning you right now? Why did you skip work without calling?”

“Geh. I have the right to remain silent.”

“Oh? Do you have a guilty conscience? Is it something unspeakable? Something so shameful that you can’t bear to tell anyone? Something that could incriminate yourself if spoken of?”

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“It’s not.”

“Then tell me. Your answer will determine whether you keep your job.”

I let out a sigh before I answered her question, “Haaaaah. It has to do with Adele.”

“Oh? Did you meet her again?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“And what happened?”

“I guess you could say... a lot of things happened.”

“Like what?”

“In summary, I suppose, in a way she’s dead.”

“Dead? Did you actually lose it and kill her or something?”

“Of course not! Do you think I’m that crazy?”

“You’re crazy enough to handcuff your boss who was only wearing a towel just a few short minutes ago.”

“You’re the crazy person who sleeps over at a guy’s house without their consent. Whatever, forget it. A few things happened, and it seems she’s lost all her memories of me. She’s acting like a perfectly normal person without any mental problems now.”

“Isn’t that great? Wouldn’t it be the perfect chance for you to have a normal relationship with her now that she’s recovered?”

“She’s not the same person I fell in love with. She doesn’t remember anything about me. It hurts just looking at her. If I stick around her, I’m also afraid that she’ll relapse into her former self one day.”

“Aren’t you just running away like a coward?”

“I’m not just running away like a coward. I am a coward.”

“It’s good if you know that.”

“Did you still love her despite her craziness?”

“I think... I did.”

“That’s surprisingly cute. Would this be what they call imprinting? What was it that people often liked to say again? Your first love is the hardest to forget?”

“Maybe...”

“What about your other exes? Do you have feelings for any of them still?”

“Yeah. There is one other among my ex’s I still have feelings towards.”

“Oh, is that so? Which one would that be?”

“Why do you care?”

“It’s just pure curiosity. Maybe it’s also just a bit of lip service.”

“Haaaaaaah. My second ex… probably.”

“That’s rather surprising to hear.”

“Despite using me as a means to complete one of her contracts. She was still the woman who picked up the broken pieces of my heart and put it back together. She was one of the only people I was able to open up to about everything that was on my mind.”

“I see. Contrary to Adele, would you consider ever getting back together with your second ex if she turned out to not be a psychopath and remembered everything about your time together?”

“If we could have a normal relationship, if she dropped her profession as a hired killer and turned over a new leaf I might seriously consider it.”

“Hoh? That’s quite a dangerous idea in my opinion.”

“Why?”

“Even if she turned over a new leaf, she would surely have made enemies who would very likely threaten your life.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I’m not thinking straight right now. I’m just in a weak state of mind after the recent shock that came with the entire Adele ordeal.”

“Well, that’s just assuming that anyone actually knows your second ex’s identity to begin with. Cheer up, maybe you’ll run into her and fall in love with her all over again, all while never realizing a thing.”

“That’s never going to happen. I was just a tool for her to utilize. Whether she really loved me, or whether it was all in my head, I’ve been starting to question everything about my life recently.”

“Hmm, you really think she wasn’t madly in love with you in the end because of how she left you hanging like that?”

“Why would she love me? There’s not a single lovable thing about me. Even when you look at me, all you see is an empty hollow shell of a person, right?”

“Didn’t I tell you to stop second-guessing yourself like that all the time?”

“Haaah. Right. Sorry.”

“Anyway, hurry up and unlock the handcuffs.”

I did as she requested. I picked up the key from the ground and inserted it into the keyhole. The moment her hand was free, she raised it and thrust her palm against my chest. Riddled with incomprehension written all over my face, I was thrown off balance, lost my footing, and fell backward. 

She leaned forward intentionally, falling along with me, and landed on top of my body. Along with a clicking sound of the shackle locking into place, I felt when it clamped down on my right hand. I looked on in confusion as she took the key and tucked it away deep between the valley weighing down on me, pinning my body to the ground.