ZANE:Today is the day I have been dreading, but I know it will eventually come to pass. For the past week, I have tried to hold myself together in the best possible way. It is the worst feeling ever, but being with Kiara eases it. Yet today, I will have to make the most important move that will make or mar my life. While Kiara is in the shower preparing for her birthday dinner, I run my hands along the edges of the tiny piece of argentum bullet I recovered from the incident with Yusuf.“Is everything okay?” Kiara’s voice cuts through my thoughts, and I quickly stuff the bullet in my pocket. Then I turn around to see her standing in a towel, her body still wet.Gosh, she is breathtaking. I wish there were a way to prolong what was about to happen, but this is fate.I know I have said it a million times today, but I cannot help myself; it is the only thing I can think of at the moment.“Happy birthday, baby,” I say, closing the space between us as I take her lips briefly.“Thank you,”
Zane:I feel a pang of pain flash through my chest as I watch her beautiful eyes shut. This is the second time I feel tears in my eyes, and it is all because of her. If someone had told me a day would come when I would love and care for someone more than I did for myself, I would call them a liar, but here I am on the brink of tears for this woman. With my hands gripping her tightly, I lift her in my arms, then I open the doors of the car, laying her gently in the back seat. I kiss her forehead. “As long as I am alive, no one will ever hurt you,” I say, then I slam the door shut, getting into the passenger seat. I pause for a moment, taking a deep breath, trying to get myself together before hitting the road. “You have to be a man and save the woman you love,” I say to myself as I turn on the ignition, then I grip the steering wheel hard, setting out on the road. Reaching for my pockets, I take out my phone, and I put a call across to Rufus. “I am on my way, and I hope everythin
THIRD PERSON POV:As soon as Boris gets the distress call, he makes an emergency drive to Zane’s residence. When he gets there, everywhere is awfully quiet, like someone has lost their lives. This scares him a bit, and he makes his way into the house at once, grabbing the collar of the first man he sees.“Where is my son?” he asks, panic lacing his tone.“He… he is in the sick bay,” the man stutters in fear, then Boris lets go of him.“Take me there now!” he demands, and the man nods, walking towards the stairs with Boris following behind.They make it to the second floor in no time, and he leads Boris down the hall until they reach the room where Zane is. He places a gentle knock on the door, and someone opens it. In the room, a doctor stands by Zane’s bed, checking his vitals.“You should be okay in a few days,” the doctor says, then Zane notices his father who is by the door. “I will take my leave now,” the doctor says, walking out with his bag.Boris walks as fast as he can toward
Kiara:When I open my eyes, I feel a sharp ache in my head, which makes me grab my forehead as I let out a loud groan. In that moment, the door to the room swings open, and I turn to see Rufus.“You are awake,” he says, and I stare at him, unsure of what is going on.The memories from the previous night flood in at once, causing me to crease my brows. Zane must have put something in my drink because that is the last time I remember being awake, but why would he drug me on my birthday? I question myself.Rufus walks into the room, opening the drawer in the table in front of me. This is when I realize I am in a strange room. It isn’t the hotel in Greece nor my room at home, but the middle of nowhere.“What the hell is going on, and where is Zane?”The surge that goes through my head when I raise my voice makes me regret speaking. Rufus doesn’t answer my question. Rather, he walks to me, handing me aspirin and a bottle of water.“Take it,” he says, and I glare at him with my brows crumpl
Kiara:My entire body feels weak the next time I am awake. I fight hard to keep my eyes closed, as I do not want to open them to Rufus’ annoying face. The only reason he was still breathing was because of Zane; he would have regretted what he did to me.“You know that I can feel you close to me,” I say aloud to Rufus, and he keeps mute. “Why did you shoot me with a tranquilizer? Knowing fully well that I can end your life?” I question, and he wastes time before he answers.“That is the only thing I could think of at the moment, because Mr. Malibu will kill me if you were to escape. I am sorry, Ma’am.”Even his apology sounds irritating, and his voice sounds off but I do not care.“You know I can still make him kill you with just the fact that you annoy me?”“Yes, ma’am,” he answers in a low tone, then I turn to the other side of the bed.“I can also kill you as fast as Zane can, if not faster, and if you do not let me go, then I might end up doing that.”I know I miss Zane so much bec
Zane:I know I have wronged her, and it will be difficult to get her to fully trust me, but it hurts every single time, knowing this love is one-sided.“Zane, wait.” I pause as she grabs my hand, then I turn around.She runs her hands into the hem of my shirt, feeling the scar from the bullets.“When did you get this?” she questions, and I watch her with my mouth struggling to voice a word. “Zane!” Her voice rises, and I watch her breathing increase.As I stare into her eyes, I see the fear buried within her, and she is right; I am bad for her because all I do is make her cry.“It’s nothing serious, and you do not have to bother…”“You do not tell me what to bother about and what not to bother about, Zane!” She grits her teeth, and then I grab her hand, but she yanks it away. “I am not some inanimate object that you…”Before she can finish her sentence, I press my lips against hers, taking the words off her mouth. She stops talking, and I feel her tears run down my face, causing me to
Kiara:“We’ve spent the past few hours fighting, and it is making me hungry,” Zane says, and I tilt my head a bit on his chest, enough to look into his eyes. “We should go out to get something to eat,” he suggests, and I do not say a word.How can he bother about eating at this moment when our lives are in danger? If Boris wants me dead, and he disobeys him, then it is a two-way problem.“I do not think I want to see the city,” I say to him, then he stops playing with my hair. “I would prefer eating in if you do not mind. Rufus can get us some takeout, and we can eat in.”He is silent for a split second before he mutters an “okay.”Then he reaches out to the nightstand to get his phone. He grabs it.“What do you want to eat?” he asks, and I shrug, closing my eyes.“I will eat whatever you have; I just want to be with you,” I mutter.Then he places the call.“Get me some takeout. I want the spicy chicken pad Thai and spring rolls,” he says before ending the call.He places his phone ba
Kiara’s POV:A few hours later, Zane is dressed, sitting on the bed in the room. I, on the other hand, find it difficult to pick out an outfit.“How is this?” I ask, holding up a mini floral gown.He gazes at me.“You know you are perfect in whatever you wear,” he says, and I sigh.“Not helping,” I say to him, then I find another black gown. “You are in black, so maybe I should put this on.” I say, and he gets to his feet, walking up to me.He grabs the purple floral gown from the couch, then closes in on me from behind, placing it against my chest as he peers into the mirror.“It complements your skin, and I love the flowers,” he says, and I peer at him through the mirror. “Put it on.” His tone comes off more like an order, in a way that I like.I turn around, facing him with my arms around his neck.“Is that an order, sir?” I tease, and his lips curve into a smile. “Who says ruthless men don’t blush?” I ask, and he hardens his expression, taking my hands off his neck.“I was only sm