Miley’s POV“I love you, Millicent…”I didn’t know if I was dreaming or if my mind was simply playing tricks on me, but I clearly heard Clifford say those words.“A-Am I in heaven?” I stammered, my voice trembling.Clifford lifted his head to look at me. “W-What?” His brows furrowed in confusion.“W-What you just said…” I stared at him intently, searching his eyes, trying to grasp if what I heard was real.He gave me a gentle smile—different from all the ones he had given me before. This one wasn’t forced, wasn’t a mask. It was raw, sincere. He lifted our intertwined hands and pressed a soft kiss against the back of my palm.“Forgive me for saying the words only now… the words you’ve longed to hear all this time. But after everything that happened tonight, I realized I can’t keep holding myself back. I can’t keep hiding what I truly feel.”Tears welled in my eyes before I could stop them. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.“I was a coward,” he went on, his voice low. “Fear consume
Clifford’s POVEvery step I took seemed to add to the dread weighing on me. The hospital hallway felt endless, each second dragging like a lifetime.On the bed lay an unconscious Miley, being rushed forward by the doctors and nurses. They were asking me questions, but their voices were nothing more than echoes—distant, hollow, slipping past my ears.When we reached the emergency room, a nurse blocked my way.“You can’t go in any further, Sir. Please wait here,” she said before closing the door in my face.I had no choice but to stare at that closed door. Frustration surged inside me, and I dragged a hand down my face. I was late—that’s why this happened to her.Restless, I paced the corridor, punching the wall at one point just to stop myself from falling apart.I hadn’t even finished off the man who took Miley. The moment I saw her condition, panic consumed me. I left the kill to Chanda.But I couldn’t get her last words out of my head—the ones she whispered in the car before losing
Miley’s POVI ran and ran, even though I could barely see the road ahead of me. I stumbled more than once, but I forced myself to get back on my feet. My arms burned with pain, but I gritted my teeth and kept going.I didn’t bother screaming anymore; I knew no one would hear me. When I glanced back, I was blinded by the harsh headlights of Oliver’s car trailing me.The moment I turned forward again, my foot caught on something and I fell hard. “Ahh…” I groaned as my body slammed against the cemented ground.I sat up, wincing as I cradled my elbow. The light behind me grew brighter, closer. Fear pressed heavily against my chest. I pushed myself to my feet and started running again, though my pace slowed under the weight of exhaustion, pain, and overwhelming drowsiness.A strange ache gnawed at my stomach, sharp and unrelenting. I clutched it instinctively and came to a stop.“What’s the matter, Miley? Tired already? Just get back in the car,” Oliver called out.I ignored him and forced
Third Person’s POVMiley no longer knew where she and Oliver were. The car had been circling endlessly, yet they still hadn’t found the place Aurelius supposedly stayed.“Are you sure this is the right address?” she asked, her voice tight with unease.“This is it. There’s no other,” he answered firmly.But all she could see was darkness. The place looked like an abandoned subdivision swallowed by shadows.She glanced at her phone—it was past three in the morning. They had been driving in circles for nearly thirty minutes.“Oliver, I don’t think this is the right address. Maybe I should call Clifford again—”She flinched when Oliver suddenly snatched the phone from her hand. His aura shifted, no longer the same man she had once met at the party.“You won’t be needing this anymore, Miley. You’ve got me. We’ll find him together,” he said in a mocking tone.“W-What do you mean? Take me home now, Oliver,” she demanded.“You don’t give me orders. I decide when you go home. Understand?”Mile
Clifford’s POVAurelius lay sprawled on the floor, bleeding out, helpless. I sat on the edge of the bed, wiping blood from my knuckles. I hadn’t just beaten him—I’d been trying to pound the truth out of him. I wanted him to admit to Horacio that he was the traitor. But he was stubborn, choosing pain over confession.“I’m not going to ask again, Aurelius. Call Horacio and admit you’re the snake who betrayed him…” I said, glaring down at him. His face was so battered with blood I could hardly recognize him.He chuckled weakly, forcing himself up against the bedside table, shaking his head.“Don’t waste your breath, Steel. You can’t break me. I know you—you don’t have it in you to kill me—”“And what makes you so sure?” I snapped. “I could end you right here.”He laughed again, low and devilish. My ears burned, and I slammed the butt of my gun into his skull.Blood trickled down his temple, yet instead of fury, he only grinned wider.“Just accept your fate, Steel. If only you’d handed th
Clifford’s POVMy steps were heavy as I made my way to Aurelius’s hideout. That bastard owes me an explanation. Even before I got there, my fists were already clenched, my jaw grinding in fury.Everything happening to me now somehow ties back to him. Long before I reached the main door, his men tried to block my path—but I landed a solid punch on one of them.Another pulled a gun, but I struck him across the head, sending him crashing to the ground. One got lucky, landing a blow on my face.My head snapped to the side from the force, but I quickly regained my balance and retaliated with a kick.Moments later, I was inside the two-story house. A few of his men were fast asleep in the living room, clueless about the storm that was about to tear their world apart.“Aurelius!” I bellowed, my jaw tight as stone.His men scrambled to their feet, groggy but already reaching for their guns. I beat them to it, firing a warning shot into the ceiling.“Don’t even think about moving unless you wa