All Chapters of Love in the Line of Fire: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

“He’s dead.”Ilana blinked, her grip on the dagger wavering. She grabbed onto the arm of the couch for support as she stood up. Her vision felt blurry and there was a ringing in her ears. She took a step without knowing where she wanted to go. Her legs gave out from under her and she sat down on something soft with a thump.Revenge on Derek had been the only purpose that had kept Ilana alive all these years. It was the reason she’d trained so hard, and killed so many people.Every punch thrown, every dagger wielded, every strategy devised had been for this moment. And now she was being told that she would never have that?He was the driving force behind everything Ilana had ever done. She’d always thought that once she got her revenge, she would heal. The wound, red and bleeding within her would heal. That the nightmares would stop. That she would be able to function properly without recoiling at every accidental touch.How was she supposed to heal now? How could she ever be whole ag

For the first time in her whole entire life, Ilana found herself at a loss for words. The weight of her handbag felt a lot heavier now that she stood so close to the one person that had always made her feel alive.“I didn't think you'd be foolish enough to come back here," Calix said and even his voice sounded different, detached. "I told the police the same thing - sent them chasing shadows all over the city. But here you are, proving me wrong. Once again.”Disdain dripped from his words and she found herself flinching, unable to accept this version of Calix.Her Calix was warm and peaceful and he was calm and kind. But then again, she deserved all his hate and more.“Why are you back here?” He asked, his grip around her wrist not loosening. She didn’t try to fight him on it, mostly because despite the chill Calix now carried with him, she still found herself craving the feel of his skin on hers.“Was that supposed to be some kind of challenge? Did you want us to know that you can ma

Calix woke up earlier than he usually did. He wasn't sure what the reason was but ever since he'd come back with Rosie - Ilana, apparently - the atmosphere of his apartment had shifted.Or maybe he was just overthinking it.He hadn't been able to come to terms with the fact that he still felt so strongly for this woman. Even after knowing who she was and what she'd tried to do.He had believed that he was over it but then he'd seen her at the bar and everything within him had stuttered to a stop.She looked so different yet exactly the same.He'd known it was her. Without an explanation and without a doubt.Now, he pulled his sketchbook and pencils from the coffee table and sat down facing the huge window in his living room.The sun was rising, spewing vibrant shades of pinks, yellows and orange against the deep blue background of the clouds. The stars dimmed in comparison, fading into the early morning.Calix walked over and pulled the window open but there were no winds blowing. Ev

“You did what?!” Vincent yelled, his voice thrumming against Ilana’s eardrums.She tried not to wince, glazing over her shoulder at the closed door.“Can you keep your voice down?” She hissed, leaning forward on the desk with her elbows.“Are you fucking insane?” he asked, in a considerably normal octave.“I was trapped. I did whatever came to mind to save myself.”“Ilana,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “That was not smart.”“You know, she wouldn’t have let me walk out of there alive if I hadn’t said that, right?” she asked, softening her eyes and noticed the immediate effect it had on Vincent.“Then maybe you shouldn’t have walked in and tried to threaten her in the first place,” he said softly, shaking his head at her.“I… yes, I’m aware of that. It wasn’t part of the plan. But I lost control. I fucking hate that woman. She took everything from me and then she had the audacity to look at me like I'm the one acting crazy?”“Welcome to my life,” he said, rolling his eyes

Ilana looked at the time on her computer screen for the millionth time, feeling every little second and millisecond trickle by as if it was stealing a piece of her soul everytime it slipped past.The girl Calix was supposedly dating hadn’t left his office ever since they’d walked in together and Ilana hadn’t been able to focus on anything else, her eyes glued to those damned opaque walls.She’d thought about bombarding Izumi with questions about the relationship. How long had it been going? How come he wasn’t going to keep this a secret anymore? Did his father not have a problem with him dating another office employee under his leadership? Why was Adam Meyer biased towards her only? Was the girl an employee at all? Was there…She gritted her teeth, reining in her spiraling thoughts.She couldn’t ask Izumi any of that. Mostly because she wouldn't know the answer to half of those questions and also because she’d already lied to her by telling her that the breakup was mutual. And if she