The tension inside the warehouse was suffocating. Dozens of guns pointed their way, yet the deadliest weapon was not metal—it was Elara's eyes, burning into Lina's soul.
"Do you even know who he really is?" Elara's voice was sharp, dripping with scorn. She stepped closer, ignoring the men around them. "Or are you so blinded by his pretty lies?"
Lina's heart hammered, but she held her ground. "I don't need to know every detail of his past to see who he is now."
Elara laughed bitterly, her gaze flickering to Adrian.
"Now? You think people change? He swore he would protect me too. Swore he loved me more than life itself. And yet, when the flames closed in… he chose to save himself."
Adrian's jaw tightened, shame and fury warring in his eyes.
"That's not true," he rasped. "I tried to save you, Elara. I—"
"Enough!" she snapped, her voice slicing through the air. "You left me. And now, she will know what it feels like to lose you too."
Her words struck Lina's heart like knives, but instead of breaking, something inside her ignited. She stepped forward, her eyes locked on Elara's.
"You're wrong. I'm not you. I don't care what past you shared, or what promises he broke. Because I see the man who stands in front of me now—fighting, bleeding, risking everything. And I won't let you take him away."
For the first time, Elara's smirk faltered, her eyes narrowing with something darker—jealousy.
The leader of the armed men barked an order. "Enough talking. Take them!"
In an instant, chaos exploded. Gunfire shattered the silence, bullets ricocheting off metal beams. Adrian pulled Lina behind a stack of crates, shielding her with his body.
"Run when I say so," he hissed, eyes scanning the exits.
But before they could move, Elara's voice rang out again—cold and venomous.
"Run all you want, Adrian. But you can't escape me. Not this time."
She raised her weapon, aiming directly at Lina.
Adrian's heart stopped. His body moved before his mind could catch up—throwing himself between them as the trigger was pulled.
The deafening crack of the shot echoed through the warehou
se.
And Lina screamed his name.