** ARAYA'S death**
*Dragon's POV**
Flashback**
The night was silent—just her, our baby, and me. I wanted to reach out, to hold her close, to wrap my arms around her fragile body.
She was broken, angry, and hurting. Seeing her like this made up my mind—I needed to approach her. But I stopped abruptly when I saw her sister among her friends.
"Sister!" she called out, her voice laced with forced excitement. She bid her friends a final goodbye and walked toward her sister.
She wore a strained smile, an obvious attempt to mask her pain. I remained rooted in place, watching as she desperately tried to hide her tears.
"Did you two go on a date without me?" Ash asked casually.
I clenched my fists, my irritation flaring instantly. The moment she spoke, I knew *Sex Doll* wanted to keep the truth hidden. Her eyes darted away, and I saw the tears brimming in them.
A sharp pang shot through my chest as I watched her discreetly wipe them away. An unfamiliar, unwelcome feeling settled in my heart—a strange urge to rush to her, hold her by the waist, and tell her I was sorry.
But then—
A memory surfaced, a voice whispering like a chilling gust of wind, clawing at my mind. I knew this voice too well. It had haunted me since childhood, stripped away my innocence, and shaped me into the cold, sadistic man I had become.
I clenched my jaw, fists tightening as I fought against it. But no matter how much I tried, it kept coming back.
*"You are incompetent, Dragon. Women are meant for moments of pleasure. They are meant to obey and be controlled. If you want to survive, you must be strong. That is how I was taught, and that is how I am teaching you."*
*"Fuck!"*
I cursed under my breath, the voice growing louder, hammering against my skull.
"Can we go home, Ash?"
The moment I heard her say those words, a blind rage consumed me. Without thinking, I swung my fist into the glass door beside me, shattering it instantly.
Blood dripped from my wrist, mixing with the broken shards littering the floor. But none of that mattered. My eyes searched desperately for her—for the only person whose innocent face had ever been able to soothe my rage.
She was gone.
And just like that, my fury reignited.
There was nothing on my mind now except one thing—inflicting pain. Just like *they* did to her. Just like *they* had laughed while she pleaded for mercy before they killed her.
I would make *her* suffer. Over and over again.
---
### **Author's POV**
The car ride was suffocatingly silent.
She sat in the passenger seat, sobbing quietly. Even through her blurry vision, she could feel his gaze on her from time to time.
She was too lost in her emotions to think clearly. Her hands were clammy with fear, her entire body trembling from the overwhelming mixture of terror, anger, and helplessness. Tears cascaded down her cheeks like a relentless downpour, and no matter how much she tried, she couldn't stop them.
*"Stop crying and save some for the final show,"* he said coldly.
But she couldn't.
She was too terrified, too broken.
And yet, he expected her to do the impossible—to silence her emotions as if they were nothing. Right now, she was the perfect embodiment of a *damsel in distress*.
*"Are you deaf?! I said stop fucking crying!"* he suddenly roared, his voice slicing through the silence like a whip.
His outburst only made it worse.
More tears fell, her body trembling violently. Her entire face was flushed—red eyes, red nose, red cheeks. The once radiant, milky complexion of her skin was now ghostly pale, the weight of her distress crushing her.
She covered her mouth with both hands, trying to muffle her sobs, but it was useless.
The monster beside her had their lives in his hands, steering the car toward an unknown fate.
*"Why are you doing this, Luciano?"* she finally choked out. *"Please... I swear, I will never interfere in your life again if you just let Asher and me go. She did nothing. I kept the pregnancy from you because I thought you wouldn't believe me. Don't take away my happiness."*
Her voice broke into hiccups, her entire body trembling with desperation.
But he was unmoved.
"Asher and you belong to me," he said in a menacing tone. "Your audacity to marry Yang without my consent and make Asher *his* child is your crime. And now, I will show you what happens when you disobey me."
His voice dripped with sadistic pleasure, like a predator playing with its prey.
*"Please!"* she begged, her voice raw with agony.
She couldn't understand what she had done to deserve this.
Her parents were gone, leaving her and her sister orphaned. She had taken on the role of mother and protector, even when life gave her no reason to hope. Then, Jason and Alex entered her life, bringing light into her darkness. For a moment, she had believed happiness was within reach.
And then *he* came back.
Dragon had destroyed her world.
She let out a silent prayer, hoping—begging—for a miracle.
But no miracle came.
The car came to a screeching halt in an open field at the edge of a mountain.
She barely had time to register her surroundings before he yanked open her door. His hand clamped around her arm, dragging her out as she flinched away.
Her heart pounded wildly as he pulled her across the dry earth. The field was empty—lifeless.
No one would save her.
Even if someone *were* here, they wouldn't dare interfere. Not when faced with a ruthless monster holding a gun, his expression unreadable yet terrifying.
Time felt like it slowed as they walked, each step pulling her closer to her doom.
The cool mountain breeze kissed her skin, sending a shiver down her spine.
And then—
A blindfold.
A new wave of panic surged through her.
Her mind raced with questions, with fear, with the overwhelming realization of how utterly *alone* she was.
Then, he turned her around. She felt his breath—harsh, warm, suffocating—fanning against her face.
The thought of him killing her and tossing her into the ocean made chills crawl down her spine.
She gulped, her body locking up in terror.
But just as he reached to tighten the blindfold—
She slapped him.
Hard.
The force of it stunned him. His head snapped to the side, his face holding the stinging imprint of her palm.
She saw his momentary distraction and seized her chance.
With all her strength, she kicked him between the legs.
He let out a strangled grunt of pain, doubling over.
He clutched his groin, his face contorting in pain, yet he remained silent, watching her with a dark smile as she unknowingly walked toward her doom.
He was determined to teach her a lesson. And he *would* do it.
She had to pay for her stubbornness.
This was the calm before the storm.
She would taste his wrath for daring to act foolishly.
Call it ruthless, call it deadly—he didn't care. But one thing was certain: she would pay.
"You kidnapped me, tortured me into submission, got me pregnant, and when I finally thought I could be happy again, you pushed me away. And now… you come back into my life *for what*? To destroy it all over again?"
Her voice trembled with rage as she spoke, her hands shaking violently.
Her fingers brushed against something cold and hard. A metallic object lay on the ground, and without thinking, she picked it up, gripping it tightly.
A rush of adrenaline coursed through her veins as she glared at the man who had ruined her life.
"Did you ever imagine that one day, *I* would hold the upper hand, Dragon?"
But he wasn't called a beast for nothing.
He was an eagle, a dragon, a ruthless mafia boss.
A mere *doll* could never hurt him.
A low, dreadful laugh rumbled from his chest as he watched her, his expression unreadable.
"You have always been my doll, haven't you?" he taunted, straightening to his full height. His piercing gaze locked onto hers.
"You amaze me, doll. When will you ever learn?"
He gestured with his fingers, and from the shadows, Jack stepped forward—dragging someone with him.
Araya's heart stopped.
Ash.
Her younger sister stood before her, bound, blindfolded, and trembling in fear.
"There," Dragon said with a smirk. "Your beautiful sister. Right now, she's fighting for her life. So, two options, Araya—sign the marriage certificate… or watch me put a bullet in her head."
A sharp gasp tore from Araya's lips.
Her world tilted on its axis.
"Ash!!" she cried out, her voice filled with horror.
Not again.
Not *this* again.
She barely had time to react before Ash let out a strangled sob.
Her small frame trembled violently, her face ashen with terror. Cold sweat formed on her forehead, her breath hitching in panicked gasps.
"S-Sister… please… save me…" she whimpered.
Araya's vision blurred with unshed tears. Her hands trembled as she dropped the gun to the ground, her gaze burning with helpless fury.
And then—
She turned to face him.
The monster.
The man who had taken everything from her.
Dragon.
Her lips quivered, but she forced herself to meet his gaze. "Have you *never* considered my tears?" she whispered.
For the first time, he averted his eyes.
But the moment was fleeting.
Without hesitation, he raised the gun and aimed it at Ash.
"Thirty seconds."
A single tear slipped down Araya's cheek.
She wiped it away, forcing her emotions back as she turned to Ash.
She reached forward and wrapped her arms around her sister in a desperate embrace.
"I love you, Ash," she whispered into her ear, her voice barely above a breath. "And no matter what happens, I want you to remember that. The choices I make today… they will have consequences. But *forgive me*, Ash. I failed as a mother. I failed as a sister. You deserve someone stronger… not a fragile, weak *freak* like me."
Her fingers trembled as she pulled away, taking one last look at the man who had become her nightmare.
A man who had turned her bright, hopeful world into a never-ending abyss of darkness.
And yet—
He was *smiling*.
A slow, sinister grin stretched across his lips, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
He thought he had won.
Again.
He thought she would break.
He thought she would surrender.
But he was wrong.
*So, so wrong.*
"I told you," he murmured, stepping closer. "You will always be mine. In this life and the next—"
His voice cut off abruptly.
Araya's next words came out as a whisper, yet they carried the weight of a thousand storms.
"I. HATE. YOU. DRAGON."
A flicker of surprise crossed his face at the interruption.
She took a deep breath.
"I. WOULD. RATHER. DIE. THAN. BE. YOUR. WIFE."
Each word was a dagger to his chest.
Her voice was raw, broken, and filled with years of pent-up hatred.
"I have carried this sadness for too long," she continued. "I have harbored this pain, this hatred, until my heart has become *heavy* with it. And now… I refuse to live in this hell any longer."
She took one step back.
Then another.
And another.
Dragon's eyes widened in realization.
"Araya—"
But it was too late.
With one final, tearful glance at her sister, Araya turned—
And jumped.
The wind roared in her ears as she plunged from the mountain's edge, her body swallowed by the raging ocean below.
Time seemed to freeze.
A deafening silence followed.
Then—
"Nooooo!!!"
Ash's heart-wrenching scream echoed into the night.
Her small frame collapsed to the ground, her mouth open in silent shock, her entire body convulsing with grief.
Dragon stood frozen, his fingers curling into fists.
The laughter that had once spilled from his lips had vanished.
He fell on his knee,the smirk he had worn like a second skin was gone.
And for the first time in his life—
Erick*Dragon* felt something he never thought he was capable of.
Panic.
**Regret.**