Younger version of Rose stood frozen in the cold, dimly lit room, her whole body trembling as her wide eyes locked onto the figure in front of her. A man clad in black, his face hidden behind a mask, held a gun pointed directly at her. Another man stood behind him, similarly dressed, his stance equally menacing.
It all felt like a nightmare that she couldn’t wake up from a terrible, surreal dream that clung to her, trapping her in its grip.
The man with the gun shifted slightly, adjusting his aim at Rose, treating her as if she were nothing more than a target. “Sorry, kiddo. It’s just business, no hard feelings,” he said with a mockery that cut deep, his voice carrying a chilling indifference. Each word made her blood run colder, and she felt her heart hammering faster, the sound filling her ears.
Every beat seemed to echo through her body, amplifying her terror as her gaze remained fixed on the barrel pointed at her chest.
Her body wouldn’t stop trembling. She wanted to look away from the gun, from the man’s cold gaze, but her fear held her in place, rooted to the floor. She could feel Lucian close beside her, his small frame standing a step ahead, as if his slight presence could protect her.
She stole a glance at him, her younger brother, who wore a serious expression on his face, his eyes clouded with fear yet marked by a resolve that was almost surreal for his age. In that single, heart-stopping moment, she became certain that this was the last time she would see him, the last time she would have a chance to look out for him even though she had failed at that so often before.
The instinct to protect him, the fierce urge to be brave for him, surfaced as she tried to steady herself. With her voice trembling, she whispered, “Close your eyes, Lucy… I think… I think this is it for me.” She forced herself to stay calm for his sake, but she couldn’t stop the tears spilling from her eyes, her words strangled by the suffocating fear.
“Tell Mother that I love her… and I love you too,” she managed, her voice breaking with each word. “Don’t forget about me, okay? Please… always remember me.”
Lucian’s face twisted, his young mind struggling to process what she was saying. His small hands gripped tighter as he shook his head in denial, his voice desperate. “No, Rose!” he cried out, his own eyes glistening with tears he tried to hold back. “You can’t leave me, Rose. I won’t let you!” The determination in his voice was strong, yet behind it, she could hear the terror that matched her own.
To him, she wasn’t just his sister she was his world, the one person he looked up to, despite all her flaws and shortcomings.
The man with the gun sighed, his finger twitching slightly on the trigger, and then he rolled his eyes, his impatience evident. “All right, kid. Since you’re so eager, I’ll at least make it quick for you. Consider it my last act of kindness.”
Without a second’s hesitation, he pulled the trigger not once but many times as to be sure of ending her without pain.
The deafening sound of the gunshots shattered the silence, the echo lingering long after. Rose’s heart seemed to stop. Her body froze, and her eyes shut tightly as she braced herself, expecting the bullets to tear through her, the pain, the end but none of it came. Instead, she felt a surge of air, a rush as something collided with her, knocking her off balance.
She stumbled, falling back, her body hitting the cold, hard floor as another weight pressed down on her.
She lay there, stunned, her mind reeling as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. She felt warmth on her face, warm and sticky, and as she blinked her eyes open, she was met with the most heartbreaking sight she’d ever seen.
Lucian was sprawled over her, his body shielding hers. He clung to her, his small frame trembling, his face only inches from hers. Blood dripped from his mouth, staining his pale lips, falling onto her cheeks. His once-bright eyes were dim, the sparkle she’d always seen in them dulled by pain. His breaths were shallow, each one coming out as a weak, pained gasp.
Even through the haze of agony, he managed to tighten his grip on her shoulders, as if holding on to her was the only thing grounding him.
A faint, broken smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “I… I covered you, Rose… See?” His voice was barely a whisper, but he sounded proud, like he had accomplished something important. “I… I protected you…”
The realization hit her with the force of a tidal wave, leaving her mind blank. Her thoughts dissolved, everything around her fading into the background as one terrible, gut-wrenching truth became clear. He had taken the bullet meant for her. Lucian, her little brother, had thrown himself in front of her, absorbing the impact with his own fragile body.
“Lucy…” she whispered, her voice strangled, barely audible. She cradled his face with shaking hands, feeling the warmth of his blood on her skin, trying to wipe away the crimson that stained his cheeks. “Lucy, no… Why? Why did you do this?” Her voice broke as her emotions overwhelmed her, her heart shattering with each word.
She didn’t know how to express the agony coursing through her she only knew she wanted him to stay, to be safe. “You didn’t have to…” The words stuck in her throat, her own sobs choking her as she held him, trying to hold on to him as tightly as she could.
Lucian’s smile faltered, his lips trembling as he struggled to form words, each one weaker than the last. “You’re… you’re my big sister, right?” he managed, each word barely more than a whisper, his small body shivering from the pain that wracked it. “I… I had to… I had to protect you.” His voice was so soft, so full of pain, yet somehow brimming with bravery.
His small, trembling hand reached out, finding hers, and she clutched it, as if her hold could somehow keep him anchored to life.
Rose felt her heart break all over again at his words. Tears flowed down her face in an endless stream, each one a testament to the regret and guilt that tore her apart from within. “No… Lucy, please… don’t… don’t go.” Her words were a plea, desperate and filled with a hopelessness that shook her to the core.
“Please stay with me, Lucy… don’t leave me… don’t…” Her voice dissolved into broken sobs, her chest heaving as she held him close, feeling him slipping further away with each second.
Rose whose face grew paler with each passing second. His breaths were labored, his eyelids heavy, but he forced them open, his gaze searching for hers, clinging to her face as if it was the last thing he wanted to see. “Rose…” he murmured, his voice almost inaudible.
“It’s… it’s okay… It doesn’t… hurt as much as I thought.” He tried to smile, his fingers tightening around hers in a last, desperate attempt to reassure her. “I… I kept you safe… that’s… that’s all that matters.”
She could only watch helplessly as he grew weaker, his life slipping away before her eyes. Rose felt a darkness settle over her heart, a grief so profound that it left her numb, yet searing. She clung to him, her tears falling onto his face, mingling with his blood as she rocked back and forth, as if the movement could somehow lull him back to life. Read new adventures at freewebnovel
She could do nothing but cradle him as he grew weaker. The reality of his sacrifice hit her with a force beyond anything she’d ever felt, a deep, piercing grief that left her shaking. Her tears mixed with the blood on his face, and she rocked him gently in her arms, as if the rhythm could somehow draw him back.
A harsh voice broke through the silence, cruel and sharp. “What the hell did you just do?” The man standing behind the shooter stormed forward, delivering a hard slap across the back of the gunman’s head.
The shooter winced, his face twisting in confusion and resentment. “It wasn’t my fault! The brat jumped in the way how was I supposed to stop him?” His tone carried both frustration and a trace of fear.
The other man’s glare was icy. “I told you to kill the girl, not the boy. Do you understand the consequences of this? Boys are… important.” His voice was low, venomous, as he sneered at the shooter. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
The shooter raised his hands defensively, stammering, “Look, he jumped in! How could I have known?”
The second man’s expression darkened, his anger controlled but potent. “You’ve complicated everything. This was supposed to be quiet, precise. Now you’ve started something we might not be able to clean up.” He spat out a curse, casting a contemptuous look at Lucian and Rose.
Rose’s eyes, bloodshot and blazing, turned up to them. She’d heard every word, the cold, indifferent way they spoke about Lucian’s life as if it were expendable, a nuisance. Fury surged through her, raw and searing, and she looked at them with a silent, burning promise. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t fight, but in her heart, something shifted, a resolve so fierce it felt like fire in her veins.
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