[Dyne Williams]
Assigned to my final mission, I had to kill the Leader of the De Luca family, from my sniper's perch, confident in the open target. As i arrived home hoping my wife would run to hug me, but i couldn't see her, i siad to myself, "maybe she's just out in a meeting again i guess".
I turned on the TV, the news anchor's voice filling the room. I poured myself a drink, my eyes scanning the screen absentmindedly. But then, something made me freeze. The camera zoomed in on the face of a woman, the caption reading: "Leader of the De Luca Family Killed in Cold Blood." My glass slipped from my hand, shattering on the floor. My mind raced as I stared at the screen, unable to believe what I was seeing. The woman in the photo was my wife, Yura De Luca. I had known Yura came from a powerful family but i had never imagined she was the Leader of a mafia organization.The room seemed to spin around me. I sank to my knees, my breath coming in shallow gasps.
I sat on the edge of the bed, my eyes fixed on the photograph of my wife, Yura. Tears streamed down my cheeks, mingling with the raw agony and regret that consumed me. I clutched the frame, my voice trembling as I murmured through my sobs, "That was to be my final mission; afterward, I was going to reveal everything to you-every secret I've kept hidden. How could it end like this?"
My voice choked with sorrow, my body shaking as she cried out, "I'm sorry, Yura." The weight of her guilt crushed her further, and she lamented, "I don't even deserve to be loved by you. I never thought of it, I feel worthless for not knowing that."
As I wept in the darkness, the sound of footsteps snapped me back to a reality. Instinctive' imminent threat. 'I tensed, sensing an len attack from behind jolted me, and I spat out, "You want to play? Fine, let's see how long you can keep this up. Don't you dare just die on me".
The thrill of a real fight, something i hadn't experienced in years, ignited a fierce exhilaration in me. The sound of breaking windows and gunshots filled the house. Despite my lapse in vigilance and the sharp pain of a gunshot wound to my leg, I grinned through the agony and defiantly declared, "I can still fight you all, you know". My voice was a mix of determination and madness.
I moved with deadly precision, taking down my attackers one by one. The house became a battleground, each room a testament to my skills and desperation. Blood slicked the floors, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and death. But i was outnumbered, and my injuries were mounting.
As I faced the last person in the room, i saw the fear in his eyes. My voice was cold and commanding as i told him, "Stop if you want to survive." He hesitated, then dropped his weapon. My gaze hardened as i said, "Run, I give you 10 seconds. I will kill you if I catch you. Run and don't look back". I watched him flee, a part of me wondering why i had let him go.
My body was riddled with gunshot wounds, and i was coughing blood. Every inch of my body ached as I stumbled into my room, my vision blurring. I fell to the ground, the stormy night outside matching the turmoil within. Cold and struggling with my half-dead body, I wondered how my life had come to this unbearable point.
I dragged myself across the floor, my strength waning with every movement. The photograph of Yura lay on the ground, and I reached out, my blood-stained fingers brushing against the glass. I pulled it close, my tears falling onto the picture as i whispered, "I love you, Yura. I'm so sorry."
The darkness closed in, and my breathing grew shallow. I knew i was dying, but at that moment, all I could think of was Yura. My last mission had ended in tragedy, but at least i would be with my wife again, in some way.
Thinking it was my final breath, i clung to the photograph, a single tear slipping down my cheek. The room grew silent as i, the assassin who fought until the end, found my rest at last.
But then, I woke up in a hospital bed, the sterile scent and beeping monitors greeting me, realizing I had been saved. Three months later still not fully healed. I resigned from my work as an assassin, and build my own company, and after years of hardship it succeeded. Now i own 5 companies, yet life remains far less wonderful than when Yura was still alive.