My clammy hands are shaking as I clench the knife I'm holding. Hovering the tip of the blade above Grey's birth brand, I glance at him. I can't do this. I'm worried I'll hesitate or worse, slip and cause the electric shock alongside the release of the gold liquid which will poison him. I can't lose him. Not again.

Grey's arms are pinned against the bed he's laying on by Teddy, who looks like he's enjoying restraining Grey a little too much, while Sienna stands next to me ready with towels and a sewing kit she stole.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" I whisper.

"As long as you cut the whole thing out quickly and don't puncture the actual brand it should be fine. It worked when I did it on Orla, and these birth brands seem to be the same," Sienna says. The word should and seem don't instil confidence in me.

"Cady, are you sure Terrell is not in contact with The Organisation?" Sienna asks. "They may just not be calling themselves The Organisation anymore."

"It's not them," I say uncertainly.

"Surely he isn't stupid enough to be fooled by The State?" Teddy frowns.

"Something isn't right," I say.

"Remove the Birth Brand," Greys says, "I trust Cady's judgement."

I smile at Grey thankful for the support whilst not fully believing him. I don't even trust my own judgement.

Sienna stuffs a cloth into Grey's mouth, grabs the blade out of my hand and digs it around the skin of his Birth Brand, slicing the flesh quickly. Grey's screams are muffled against the cloth as Teddy continues to hold his arms against the bed. Blood pours from the hole Sienna has carved into Grey's chest, and I quickly press a towel against the gaping wound between his collar bones. His one hand finds mine and I clutch it tightly while his eyes squeeze shut.

Sienna holds the wet piece of flesh up. "What shall we do with this?"

"Keep it for the moment," I say.

Teddy grips the bed frame, his face pale with a sheen of perspiration.

"Are you ok, Teddy?" I ask.

"Fine," Teddy croaks even though he looks as though he's about to vomit or pass out, quite possibly both.

"Good, because you're next," Sienna says, waving the flap of skin. "I used to have a client who liked being cut. I think that's why the blood doesn't bother me."

"Someone paid for you to cut them?" Teddy asks incredulously.

"People paid for me to do a lot of things to them." Sienna winks.

Teddy's face flushes and I shake my head in amusement at his obvious discomfort.

"Did you enjoy it?" Teddy asks quietly.

"Sometimes, and sometimes I hated it. I had clients I liked and built a relationship with, and others I detested." Sienna shrugs. "I never got the money though. My income was about a quarter of what people actually paid."

"How did you end up doing that sort of thing?" Teddy asks awkwardly, however, I can see he's intrigued. What does he think of Sienna? She represents what he's meant to be eliminating but I notice they're often together: talking, laughing.

Sienna glances at Grey. "My first fiancé didn't work out. The only marriage proposal I had after that was from a disgusting old pig, so I made the decision to run away. The Official who found me made choose between labour camp or an immoral establishment. I went for the latter."

"You never told me that," Grey says quietly.

Sienna shrugs. "Telling you wouldn't change what happened. Anyway, you've got enough guilt. I don't need to add to it."

Grey frowns and I grab the sewing kit. This is a private moment and the fact they haven't discussed this topic puts me on edge as it means they haven't spoken about their past. They haven't spoken about their future. If Grey had never tried to cut down his mother or if she'd been out the night her attacker had come to the house, things would have been different. They'd be married. They'd probably have children.

Grey's hand rests on my arm and he squeezes it gently.

I smile tightly, removing my arm gently from his grip. I sterilise the needle in a flame before inserting a piece of wire. "I'll suture the wound. It won't look pretty but it should help reduce the bleeding."

"You sure you're alright to stitch it up," Grey asks looking concerned.

"I've done it before," I say stiffly.

"You didn't have to do your own..." Sienna indicates towards my breasts.

I cringe at her lack of tact. "No."

"Do you own what?' Grey asks.

"He doesn't know?" Sienna asks confused.

"Why would he know?" I hiss angrily.

"Because I'm assuming if he impregnated you, he would have seen you naked therefore he would have seen a scar." Sienna crosses her arms. "I'm not an idiot. I know Grey was the guy you were talking about who took your virginity."

I stare at her lost for words as a swirl of annoyance and anger courses through me. Normally, I love her brutal honesty. Right now, I hate her for it.

"You're pregnant?" Teddy asks.

"No." Avoiding eye contact with Teddy and Grey, I lower my eyes and focus on Grey's wound, raw and bleeding. "This is going to hurt."

Pressing the needle into his cut skin, I pull focus on the gaping hole. Grey bites down on the cloth from earlier and everyone remains silent. Even Sienna, who usually can't keep her mouth shut, decides to not utter a sound.

The sombre atmosphere continues, while Teddy and Sienna have their Birth Brands cut out and sewn up. Teddy quickly makes an excuse to leave and Sienna follows.

"Are you going to tell me what that was about?" Grey says softly.

"Seems like Sienna knows we had sex," I say.

"I told her about us," Grey says.

"What?"

"She asked and I told her the truth." Grey's hand cups my chin and he lifts my face so I'm looking at him. "What do I not know about?"

I close my eyes tightly. "A woman who used to work at the same establishment as Sienna tried to cut my breasts off when I was twelve. The woman did it because she thought it would stop me from becoming like her and working in a place where you sell yourself. Sienna had heard about it. Five years later, and the story is still going strong."

I press my lips together. Grey's hand tightens around my chin and I open my eyes, trying to soften my features and force a smile. "She wasn't successful, as you know."

Grey's hand releases my chin and drops to my waist. His fingers dip under the hem of my top; stroking the bare skin along my stomach. His touch sends a rush of electricity and my insides clench in response. His hands move slowly upwards, my top gets higher exposing my stomach. "How badly did she hurt you?"

"I've got a small scar under my left breast. It's so faint, you can hardly notice it," I croak as his fingers graze the curves of my breasts.

"Do you trust me?" His gaze locks with mine.

"I'm trying," I whisper hoarsley.

"I will win back your trust."

"Is this the point where you do something stupid and reckless, then I'm meant to swoon at your bravery and fall into your arms like some lovesick idiot," I mock.

Grey chuckles, leaning forward he kisses my stomach. His breath tickles my skin as he says, "Did you just say you love me?"

"Now who's got the over-inflated ego," I say breathlessly.

Grey's lips continue to move upwards while his thumb traces the faint scar along the crease of my left breast. My breath hitches as he murmurs, "I want you to trust me, Cady. I want you to trust me completely."

"I want to too," I whisper as his mouth reaches the same destination as his hands.

Enjoying the feel of him, I allow Grey to take me to a place where thoughts don't matter only touch and sensations do. My body moulds to his, the scent of safety surrounds me along with a tingle of excitement and desire.

I don't want this to end so I push away the alarm bells which tell me we're not safe, I ignore every warning sign flickering in my mind because I've decided to embrace this. For once, I'll pretend this happiness can last.