9
Evan grabbed my arm, refusing to let me leave..
The manic look in his eyes sent a chill down my spine. For a second, I genuinely thought that if I tried to walk away, he might completely lose
his mind.
While we were struggling, Austin burst into the room, his face dark with anger. Without hesitation, he punched Evan square in the face.
Evan stumbled back, crashing into a nearby table. He glared at Austin, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. “I knew it–you’ve been after my wife all along!”
Austin’s voice was cold as ice. “Your wife? If you really saw Hannah as your wife, you would’ve treated her with respect and care.
“Instead, you’re living out your fantasy of being some kind of king–wanting to have it all, playing house with her while keeping someone else on the side. You disgust me.”
Evan’s jaw tightened, his face dark with fury. “Do you think you can take her from me?”
Then, he turned to me, his voice soft and sickeningly sweet, but his eyes burned with an unsettling obsession. “Baby, come here. Come back to
me.”
For a moment, I felt like he thought I was his pet, something he could summon with a word. My voice was sharp as I replied, “Stop deluding yourself, Evan. You don’t love me.
“You just can’t stand the idea that someone like me–someone who loved you so deeply–could walk away from you.
“But I don’t love you anymore. To me, you’re like a once–precious toy that fell into the sewer. It’s filthy and reeks of rot.
“I wouldn’t even touch it to throw it away, because it’s too disgusting. Do you understand me?”
Evan froze.
For the first time, he heard the full force of my contempt. His face crumpled as tears welled up in his eyes. He shook his head, mumbling, “No… this isn’t how we’re supposed to end,”
Austin stepped forward, wrapping an arm around my shoulders protectively. “Let’s go,” he said quietly.
I nodded, turning to leave with him.
2:30
<
D
But just as we stepped toward the door, a gunshot rang out.
Blood sprayed across my vision.
I froze, horrified, as I looked down at Austin. A dark, gaping hole had bloomed in his chest, and blood was pouring out. He collapsed to the ground, pain etched into every line of his face.
“Run,” he gasped. “Hannah, run!”
The restaurant erupted into chaos. People screamed and scrambled for cover, tables and chairs clattering to the floor.
I turned, tears blurring my vision, and saw Evan standing there with a gun in hand. His face was pale, his eyes wild with madness and grief.
He raised the gun again.
Without thinking, I threw myself over Austin’s body, screaming, “Evan, you lunatic! If you’re going to shoot someone, then kill me!”
Evan’s hands trembled as he stared at me, his voice cracking. “Hannah… you’d throw your life away for him?”
Behind him, Sofia was trembling uncontrollably. She clutched her stomach, her face white as a sheet. “Evan… Evan, my stomach hurts…”
Her voice seemed to snap him out of his frenzy. He hesitated, glancing back at her, then cursed under his breath. Dropping the gun, he rushed to support her.
Before leaving, he looked back at me one last time, his expression twisted with desperation and obsession.
“I won’t give up on you, Hannah. You’ll always be mine. My little Hannah.”
As soon as they disappeared, I called for an ambulance, sobbing as I gave them the address.
But before I could even hang up, another gunshot shattered the air outside.
/
I ran to the window, heart pounding, and saw Evan lying in a pool of blood. A group of police officers stood nearby, their guns still raised.
Sofia collapsed to the ground, screaming hysterically. Blood was pooling between her legs.
Tears streamed down my face as I stood there, frozen. In that moment, I didn’t even know who I was crying for.
Evan was dead.
Sofia had lost the baby.
And Austin… Austin was being rushed into emergency surgery.
By some miracle, Austin survived. The bullet had narrowly missed his heart. After ten hours of surgery, the doctors told me he was stable, but he was still in critical condition.
The incident quickly made headlines.
My boss flew in that night, coordinating with the embassy to assist with the investigation.
As for me, I stayed by Austin’s side, refusing to leave the hospital until he was out of danger.
It wasn’t until days later that I finally found the strength to visit Evan’s body.
He was lying in the cold, sterile stillness of the morgue, his face pale and lifeless.
I stared at him, tears blurring my vision. Even though I didn’t love him anymore, I couldn’t stop myself from crying.
I never thought it would end like this.
He had already split his heart between me and another woman. Why couldn’t he just let me go? Why couldn’t we part on good terms?
2:30 PM
<
I cupped his cold face in my hands, my voice breaking as I whispered, “Evan… I don’t hate you anymore.
“In your next life, love someone properly. Don’t try to have it all. Don’t let greed ruin you.”
