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HALLIE

A s soon as my boots hit the ground, I clutch the nearest tree like it's the only solid thing left in the world.

I have no idea if I’m the last contestant. I don’t know where The Hunter is. And right now, it doesn’t matter.

Because I’m the prey.

And he’s coming for me.

I suck in a deep breath, adrenaline boiling in my veins, my chest heaving like my lungs forgot how to function. I shove off the tree and move silently. Every twig crack and every shift in the wind hits like a gunshot to my senses.

I don’t run. Not yet.

The second I do, it’s over.

I wait. Assess.

Nothing moves.

So I run.

I bolt for the camp, the trees slicing past me like shadows. I barely get a few feet before I hear him.

Heavy, deliberate steps.

He’s behind me. And he’s way too close.

I force my legs to move faster, the air burning in my throat. I weave through the trees, cutting right, making sharp turns, anything to shake him. But he’s there. Right there.

So close I can feel his breath against my neck.

So close I can smell him.

And suddenly—I’m back in that chase with Conan. My body remembers.

The panic. The heat. The ache that burned under the terror.

I spot an opening, a sliver of moonlight spilling into the clearing by the tents. I’m weak, but I push forward. I can’t let him catch me.

His breath hits my skin again, and I cry out, flinging myself forward.

But his arms wrap around my waist and we slam into the ground.

And the moment we hit the dirt, the second his hands touch my skin, I know.

Familiar.

Safe.

No fear.

Just heartbreak.

My eyes squeeze shut. My mouth can’t form a scream.

He rolls on top of me, and I’m frozen, breathless.

Silent.

I fight him, clawing and kicking, but he doesn’t move. Doesn’t speak. Doesn’t hurt me.

He just holds still like he’s waiting for me to understand. And when I finally give in, my body heaving with breathless sobs, I open my eyes.

And there they are. His eyes . Behind the black mask. And my world ends.

I don’t need to see more to know what’s coming.

But I do.

I shake my head, eyes slamming shut, praying this is a nightmare I’ll wake up from.

“No. Please.”

He peels my mask off slowly and freezes. His finger brushes my cheek, so soft it almost breaks me. My eyes fling open.

He pulls at the bottom of his mask. Every second is dragging like it’s trying to kill me.

Then he tosses the fabric to the ground. And I sob, it's raw and broken, as I stare at the man who made me feel safe. The man who looked after me. The man who I thought was falling for me.

The man who promised he’d never hurt me.

“You piece of fucking shit,” I whisper, choking on the words.

My sob is violent. I cover my mouth, shoulders shaking.

No.

Not him.

Not my Conan.

He wouldn’t do this to me.

He showed me the darkest parts of him, not this.

This—this isn’t him.

If I close my eyes, maybe he’ll disappear. Maybe this version of him will vanish, and I’ll wake up to the man who made me feel alive.

“Hallie.”

His voice shatters me. A blade wrapped in velvet.

“Get off me!” I scream, slamming my fists into his chest. “Get off!”

He finally moves, sitting back on his heels, and I suck in a desperate breath.

“Hallie. Look at me. Please, baby.”

I scramble backwards, stumbling to my feet. He rises too, and I step further away.

“Stay away from me.” My hand flies out to stop him, trembling violently.

His face—God, his face—is all anguish. And it almost ruins me.

Good.

“This is the real you?” My voice cuts like venom.

“Unfortunately. Yeah.”

His breath stutters. Mine breaks.

“I’m so sorry, trouble. Please, let me explain.”

I hide my shaking hands behind my back. I won’t let him see me fall apart.

“Nothing to explain. I’ve just lived it.”

“It’s not what you think.”

“Conan. I want to go home. Or am I now eliminated?”

My voice is cold. Detached. But inside, I’m dying.

Would he kill me? I know too much. I know everything. I’m a liability.

“I’d never hurt you, Hallie.”

I laugh. Hollow. Shattered.

“You wouldn’t? Well, what the fuck do you think you’ve just done to me? You’ve not just hurt me, Conan. You’ve fucking broken me.”

This isn’t pain.

This is annihilation.

“I—I didn’t know it was you. Before it was too late.”

“Now you’re just fucking lying to my face. How is New York, by the way? Training hard?” I seethe.

He lets out a ragged breath. His eyes, they’re full of sorrow. Like, he really is telling the truth. But how can he be?

He is just trying to save himself. He’s been caught. And now, I’m doubting if anything is real. I need to leave.

My chest starts to close in on me and I rub along my collarbone, trying to relieve the pressure building.

“I just want to get as far away from you as possible.”

His bloodshot eyes lock on mine. I can’t breathe.

“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. How can I make this right?”

He wipes his tears away like they’re not cutting him apart.

“You can’t. Just let me go. Not just from these woods. Pretend you never met me.”

He grips his hair, pulling at the roots.

“I can’t pretend I never met you, Hallie. Because the weeks I’ve known you have been the best time of my life. I can never let that go. I can never let you go.”

I press my hand into my chest like I can stop the pain.

But it’s everywhere.

He didn’t just break me. He burned me.

“You need to forget me. For both of our sakes.”

He shakes his head, desperate.

“I know I won, but I don’t want your money. I want nothing from you. Give it to the girl who came second. I just want to leave now.”

His eyes beg me to stay.

“Tell me how I can make this right…”

“Unless you have a way to turn back time, beastie, that’s just not possible. Don’t waste your time trying.”

It hurts. Every word. Every step away from him feels like ripping my soul apart.

Heavy footsteps approach.

I glance past Conan to find Declan and Finn moving toward us. Grim. Silent.

Declan places a hand on Conan’s shoulder and pulls him aside.

“Dr. Quinn, please just take me home. I won’t tell anyone, you have my word. I’ll hand in my notice, I’ll move away. I don’t want any money. I just want my dog and a new start away from this…” I glance at Conan. “Away from him .”

“Hallie, I’m really fucking sorry,” Finn says.

My eyes widen and I step back.

Is he going to shoot me?

They all promised to protect me. But maybe I needed protection from them.

“I meant I’m sorry for what’s happened. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Relief nearly takes me to my knees.

Finn stays cold, unreadable. But then he shrugs off his jacket and places it over my shoulders. I wrap it around myself like armor.

“I—I can go home?”

He nods, hand shoved deep into his pocket.

Finn steps closer.

“Just turn around and walk away, don’t look back. Just let him go. We will look after him, don’t worry,” he murmurs.

I glance back once.

Conan’s wrecked. Declan tries to reason with him, but it’s like he can’t even hear.

My heart splits down the center. But I do what I have to.

I turn.

Finn leads me away.

“Hallie! Hallie! Please!”

I stop. My eyes close, a sob dragging through me.

“Enough, Conan. Let her go,” Declan orders.

I don’t want to look. I can’t. I’m not strong enough to watch him fall apart.

It doesn’t matter how much pain he’s caused me, I can’t watch the man I once loved break in front of my eyes.

“Don’t leave me. I’m begging you. Hallie!!”

His screams echo through the trees like a dying animal.

I glance up at Finn. His jaw tightens, pain flickering in his usually calm expression.

“Finn, please don’t let him near me,” I whisper.

He nods once.

He gets it.

“Just keep walking. Reggie and Rowan are on their way. They’ll drag him back and sort him out.”

I nod, but my body is giving out. My heart’s in pieces.

When we reach the mansion, Finn unlocks his Mercedes.

“I’ll drive you home.”

Images of my dad’s death flood me. Again, Finn is there to hold me together.

I'm broken again, and Finn, he's calm.

I climb in, and he hands me a blanket. I rest my head against the cold glass, trembling.

“You okay, Hallie? Like, seriously? That challenge, it’s a lot. Do you want me to check you over?”

I glance at my arms—cut, bleeding. Doesn’t matter. Nothing matters anymore. I’m numb.

“No. I just want to go home. I’m fine.”

We drive in silence.

When we reach my street, I don’t wait.

I bolt from the car.

My front door bursts open, and Lily stands there, barefoot and frantic.

She catches me before I fall. We drop to the ground and I sob like I’m dying.

Years of grief.

All of it.

Ripping from me like a scream I’ve held in too long.

“Hallie, what happened? I’ve been worried sick,” Lily whispers, her fingers running through my hair.

I shake my head.

“I—I can’t talk about it.”

She leads me inside.

I’m still covered in dirt.

Still in this fucking lace lingerie.

Still shattered. With my heart left in those woods.