Crossword Genius

Does he always hurt the one he loves? (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sadist

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'one he loves?' is the definition.
The answer is a person as well as being a singular noun. This is suggested by the definition.

'does he always hurt the' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'he' could be 'ad' and 'ad' is found in the answer.
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'sis' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for sadist that I've seen before include "Person who likes to inflict pain" , "It's sad to find person who enjoys hurting others" , "Tormentor" , "Savage'!?" , "One who loves being cruel" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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