I laughed at everything the host was saying. They showed pictures of my sketches and work from my college years. I felt a fire forming in my stomach, which spread throughout my body. The urge to throw up came back, but I swallowed my saliva, trying my best to keep my anger down.

The host was smiling as she talked about the abuse I went through on a Sunday morning. It just fueled my hatred for people. I feel disgusted with all of it.

“And now let’s see his fated lover, who can help with all of his trauma. The psychiatrist on duty, Lorcan A Kyrith!” I heard Lorcan take a deep breath after the host said his name, which I understood because I felt the same.

“Lorcan A. Kyrith is tall, dark, and handsome as he is known at the campus where he worked. He’s a very refined person and an alluring perfect match for Veda Éinrí. He has one of the highest IQs in a couple of years, plus he is a genius in psychology, with multiple degrees and awards. 

How did he become a criminal, you ask? Well, he’s not "really" a criminal. He killed his sister’s abuser and got brutal revenge. He tortured the poor man for half of a year, slowly bringing him to the brink of death each time before he reeled him back to life. Just like the man did to his sister, but the man did escape once. He found his sister, and put his hands on her, causing her to have a miscarriage with that Lorcan snapped. He did unimaginable things to that man, so bad that the crime scene cleaners said they had never in their long careers have they seen a man’s brain be all over concrete smashed up so badly. They had to get a full department of cleaners with machines to clean a factory to clean up.

But no one believed he did that, even to this day, people say it was a mental breakdown, and he was innocent. He still even works as a professor at his old college.” 

The host was eager and giddy while talking about our lives like we didn’t live through these things. Lorcan just stared at the TV with no emotion on his face.

“Veda Éinrí and Lorcan are the perfect match! All of our professional matchmakers paired them together every time. So this was destiny. All the couples have a week to get to know each other before the fun starts! So see you viewers next week!”

The female host yelled out the last sentence with so much energy I groaned, hoping I never meet her. Lorcan let out a laugh with a long exhale as I realized what I was going through.

“You want to hear the actual truth?” I asked as I leaned my head back so far so I wouldn’t see the host anymore.

“Sure, but want a drink first?”

“They have alcohol here?”

“A full bar. Not everything, though.”

“Can you make a cocktail?”

“Lucky for you, I was a bartender.” He said while laughing as he walked over to the black marble bar surrounded by bottles in a small corner of the dining room.

He tapped at the barstools for me to come over, which I did. I still couldn’t get over how they built my home. It felt surreal while being disgusting at the same time.

“Can you make me a mint julep?” I asked, expectingly.

“Oh, never thought you would like something like that.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Neither.” I raised my eyebrows with that answer, but let it go since this day was very overwhelming.

He quickly muddled the mint leaves with sugar syrup in a metal cup. Which he then put a lot of ice in it with a heavy pour of bourbon. He placed a straw in the cup and handed it to me. I took a long sip and felt refreshed. Even a little bit of my anger disappeared. As I enjoyed my drink, Lorcan just made himself an old fashion.

“You make a one fine drink, sir.”

“Why thank you.” We clinked glasses and took another sip of our drinks.

“So, story time?” I asked him.

“If you want to.”

“Well, we’re stuck with each other, so might as well get to know each other.”

Lorcan just nodded his head as he sipped away on his drink.

“The truth is, my father was a disgusting man. He brought kids and adults for his sick enjoyment and his friends. My mother left me there in that house. I had no one, but a few servants, but they will always choose themselves before me. Money rules the world.

He was obsessed with me as I got older, the more possessive he got. I was chained to a wall at sixteen like the rest of his “toys”.

Then he started to parade me around every chance he got, as I got closer to his desirable age, and with that, I knew I had to do something. I let him get comfortable. I stopped fighting him, and let him think I was finally trained. Then he got clumsy, and I became his downfall.” I laughed as I remembered. I zoned out, just looking at a statue as I talked.

“I couldn’t save anyone, but I remember all of their tormentors, and I made sure they didn’t have a peaceful death. I hope that little thing lets them rest a little easier. Then I knew I needed money, so I blackmailed every higher-up I didn’t kill, and for the ones I did kill. I paid random people to get plastic surgery to look like them. I made sure they wouldn’t betray me at all, which was the easiest thing in my entire scheme. Then I ran his business, and I did it so much better than him.

 It’s amazing what plastic surgery can do these days. Our medical industry is so amazing!”