Ben stands up and walks towards us. I stare at him. Watching him tread the floor of my private space makes me nauseous.

"Aren't they cute?" He taunts us, always wearing that bad smile.

"Well, go away!" orders Stella, with a black gaze.

The nurse looks down on me. I squint my eyes, the anger rising within me.

"Why? I, too, want to hear what you have to say to him," he replies, with a challenging voice.

I slide Stella from my knees to the bed and get up to face the intruder. He approaches me and supports my gaze.

"I think she told you to get the hell out of here," I says.

"I wouldn't go anywhere. Unlike you, I don't let a chick lead me by the tip of my dick," he laughs.

It doesn't impress me. Yes, he's fairly well built and could discourage more than one, but not me. I want to crush his filthy face against the wall and paint the room with his blood. My fists are contracted and a little painful, result of the intensive boxing session. He is clearly trying to provoke me. I must restrain myself and not give him what he wants: give in to my brawling impulses.

"At the same time, no woman of any intelligence would want you," I reply.

"Oh, my friend, you're so wrapped up in your bubble that you don't even see what's going on right in front of you," he says, shifting his attention to Stella.

This is not the first time he has made such a reference. I'm aware that he knows things, that he's involved in some sort of conspiracy, that he's somehow connected to Stella, but I don't want to hear it from her.

"Well, get the hell out of here!" Stella shouts, with her voice trembling with anger.

The nurse doesn't even get up and just looks at me. I used to dislike him. Now I hate him.

"Stella isn't as smart as you think," he adds, stretching out his grin.

This time, he is the one who makes a point. He seems very satisfied with his temper and lets go of a giggle that is freezing my blood. I'm not going to let him destabilize me. I know that everything that comes out of his mouth is just venom.

"You're lying", I say.

He arches an interrogative eyebrow while reporting his gaze towards Stella. I turn around and I'm surprised to see her wearing a guilt mask. She's standing at the edge of the bed with her head down. There's a huge pain in my chest. No... I can't believe it's the truth.

"Is that... true?" I choke myself.

Stella raises her head to me.

"We went out together, but it's over today," she says, trembling in her voice. "It was right after my amputation, I was in the worst shape, and... there he was..."

"Oh", Ben sighs, looking up at the sky. "You could have said it in a more romantic way."

"There was nothing romantic about it," she replies, squinting. "It was just sex, nothing more."

"Wow! And what a blast!" he exclaims, clapping his hands. "If you knew what she could do... even with half a leg."

This last reflection is the straw that breaks the camel's back. The anger suddenly seizes me and I grab Ben by the collar of his red blouse, pushing him to the door. But he grabs my wrists that he has no trouble removing from his work suit. He still has a hell of a strength, the jerk!

- Relax, man...

He shakes my shoulder and enters my room again, far from being offended or impressed by my pathetic attempt to throw him out of here. He sits next to Stella and puts his arm over her shoulders to draw her towards him.

"Don't touch her!" I shout.

This view makes me want to puke. But, in a sense, makes the words of my enemy more concrete. I am still under the shock of this news. Even if she was morally low, how could she consider this... monster anything but... what? What were they before that, for each other? I can't finish my thought so much this idea makes me sick.

"Did you tell him the good news?" he asks Stella, without letting go.

She seems as uncomfortable and disgusted as I am. She tries to push him away, without success. But what is he still talking about? I am so sick of this ride. When is it going to end?

I look at Stella, who seems to be closing in on herself. It's a perverse game for him. He takes pleasure in tormenting us.

"I take it not, otherwise Prince Charming here would not defend you tooth and nail!" he laughs.

He takes his arm off Stella's shoulders and stands up to face me again. I'm so close to throwing him an uppercut so powerful he's gonna lose some teeth.

- Stella has decided to leave GoldenBay House, he says with his shoulders up. And before you question my words, I get it from his brother who called me to warn me...

I expected everything but that. Stella wants to leave the institute? I don't know what the most shocking news is, but I'm totally confused. From the beginning, I was convinced that I would be the one to leave the psychiatric institution first, given the reason for my stay. I never thought Stella could decide to desert. Especially after that night...

"I'll leave you lovebirds alone. I think you have a lot to say to each other..."

Ben leaves my room, leaving it in chaos after his passage, like a tornado. Even though I'm itching to puch him, I'm paralyzed, unable to move. I just look at Stella. I knew she was unpredictable, and that side of her intrigued me a lot. But, like any sane person -- am I still sane? -- I have a certain level of tolerance, and I think I have reached the limit.

I turn to Stella again. I don't know what to think about her. I'm completely lost.

"Do you really want to leave?" I ask her, with tears in my eyes.

She closes hers, as if to avoid seeing the pain she inflicts on me, before letting go in a breath:

- Yes.

******