"Is this really how it all ends? Betrayed... by the one I love?" The thought echoed in my mind, over and over, as the sharp sting of pain spread through my body. My breaths were shallow, each one more difficult than the last. The blade in my back felt cold, like the heart of the man who had just stabbed me.
I tried to focus, to gather my strength, but all I could see was his face—his beautiful, sorrowful face. The man I once believed would protect me, now looking down at me as though he cared. As if, after all this, I still meant something to him.
It was almost laughable. I wanted to laugh, to spit out bitter words, but my voice failed me. Instead, I whispered through the pain, the question burning on my lips. "Why?"
He hesitated, his hand trembling as he gripped the knife that was still buried deep in my back. His eyes darted away from mine, unable to hold the weight of my gaze. "I had to... I had no choice." His voice was soft, strained. "To gain my father's trust, to take over the organization... I'm so sorry."
My heart clenched at his words, but not out of sorrow. It was rage—pure, burning rage. He had shattered everything we had built together. The lies, the promises, the dreams we once shared. He had thrown it all away for power, for approval from a man who had never loved him as I had.
My body shook with anger. "You had a choice, Lucas." My voice was barely audible, but every word dripped with venom. "I will never forgive you. Never."
He reached out as if to comfort me, as if he could somehow fix the gaping wound in my chest with a simple embrace. But I recoiled, my blood boiling with fury. How dare he? After everything, after betraying me, after destroying the life we dreamed of... how dare he try to comfort me now?
His face twisted with regret, but it meant nothing to me. The damage was done. The betrayal was final. My heart, once full of love for him, now beat only with bitterness.
As I staggered backwards, my legs buckled beneath me. I felt the world tilt as I tumbled toward the edge of the cliff. The wind whipped around me, the ground rushing up to meet me. And in that terrifying moment, I wasn't afraid of death. No, my thoughts were not on my impending end—they were on my brother.
My sweet, innocent brother.
Tears welled in my eyes, not from the pain, but from the fear of leaving him behind. He was so innocent, so unaware of the darkness that surrounded him. How would he survive in this world without me? He had always relied on me. I had promised to protect him, to shield him from the horrors of our lives. But now... now I was leaving him alone.
The memories came flooding back, childhood moments replaying like broken fragments in my mind. We had been so happy once—before the organization, before the violence, before
meeting Lucas. My brother and I used to run through the fields, laughing, dreaming of a future far away from the chaos of our lives. We had promised each other that we would escape one day. We would leave everything behind and find peace. We would be free.
And Lucas... he had been part of that dream. I had loved him so deeply, so foolishly. We had whispered late into the night about the life we would have together. No more hiding, no more fear, no more running. Just us, far from the clutches of his father and the organization that controlled us all.
But it was all a lie. Everything we had promised each other had been an illusion. He had never intended to leave. He had chosen power, control, and his father's approval over me, over us. And now, because of him, I was falling into the abyss, my life slipping away with each passing second.
The wind roared in my ears as the ground grew closer. My body was numb, the pain fading as darkness crept in. But even as I fell, I could still see Lucas standing at the edge of the cliff, his face twisted with regret. It didn't matter anymore. His sorrow meant nothing to me now. He had destroyed everything I had ever loved.
With my final breath, I whispered a vow into the wind. "I will never forgive you, Lucas... and I will never forget."
The world went black.