Being loved by Slade is a terrible thing. He’s not a good person, nor has he claimed to be. Everything that he does benefits him, one way or another. He lies to, uses, and manipulates anyone who gives him the chance. Being loved by him makes it worse, and loving him back is the biggest mistake a person could make.

It doesn’t change his motivations, not in the slightest. It’s still all just for him. Deciding to love him just gives him the chance to exploit over and over and over again. His kids learned that long ago, which is why they try to stay away. They don’t often succeed.

All of this is to say, Slade understands why you want to leave. He’s been watching you pack for the past few minutes, as silent as a corpse and still covered in blood that isn’t his. Part of him suspects you were planning to leave before he got here, be long gone by the time he got home. He must have been earlier than you expected.

Taking off his mask, he takes a slow step forward. He’s being careful, and it feels so unnatural. This is going better than his first divorce, though, and he’d like to keep it that way. Slade isn’t looking to lose another eye. He looks down at the suitcase you’re putting your clothes in, struggling to figure out the right thing to say.

Maybe he should stick with the wrong thing. “I don’t want you to leave,” Slade says firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. He won’t stop you from walking out the door, but he’s going to try to stop it from coming to that in the first place. “Let me help you unpack.”