POV: Ruen
This was exactly the best time to kill this man. My fingers had been itching to do it since I was on the plane.
He produced a lopsided grin and pulled Lianne even closer to his side.
“A gun too huh? No sword?” he jibed. “Put it down now.”
I clenched my teeth, my body trembling not of fear but with the need to pummel this man’s face to death.
“I will not until you let her go.”
“Oh, so you’re making bargains now?” he replied with his nose cringing. “As if you have the upperhand. Do you really think I would give up on this game of fate? It has already been decided. I will win this and you… will DIE!”
As expected of a dirty cheater like him, Cain fired a shot.
My quick reflexes kicked in and I sprinted on instinct to my right, successfully dodging the bullet. I cringed in pain when I subconsciously used my right knee to cut my fall. I didn’t linger on the pain for long. My attention went back to my opponent knowing he wasn’t done with me yet.
And just as expected, he pointed the gun at me again, and this time, I knew that if I wouldn’t act fast, the bullet would definitely hit me.
“No Cain! Stop it!”
I heard Lianne say and saw her putting her left palm on the muzzle of the gun.
‘Shit! Lianne! Don’t do that!’
My heart instantly pounded a juggernaut of beats when I realized the past was happening all over again.
Shit. Shit. Shit!
***
POV: Lianne
“Stop it!” I frantically shouted, then threw my palm on the mouth of Cain’s gun.
I wasn’t thinking right, but I didn’t care anymore. If Cain pulled the trigger, so be it. Then I would end up bloody again. I would happily do that to give Ruen ample time to regain his balance. I knew he wasn’t feeling well. I knew that it was hard for him to even stand because of the soreness of his knee. If there was anything I could do to distract Cain, I would do it without any hesitation.
“Damn it, Lianne!” Cain cursed. Forcefully, he yanked my elbow so that I would release the muzzle, but I didn’t. He only cursed some more and then it happened.
I heard gunfire in front of me and then another one at my back. Then I heard Cain groan in pain. I saw the look in his eyes as he held mine. A look of regret. Of anguish. Of rage. It lingered on my head as he dropped to the floor, his left hand holding a bloodied left thigh, and the other, on his left shoulder, his shirt tainted with the crimson liquid.
While wincing in pain, his grip on the gun loosened. It fell down on the floor with a thud.
A man in a black suit, goggles, and mask neared us and I realized he was on our side when he immobilized Cain. He kicked the gun away from Cain’s reach and pointed his rifle into his head. He must have been the person who shot Cain from the back.
Seeing everything under control, I used this chance for an escape.
Ruen already had his arms stretched wide to receive me. Beside him was a middle-aged man I didn’t recognize; his rifle, muzzle pointed downward, was still letting out smoke. He must be the one who awarded Cain a bullet from the front.
I smiled a sincere smile and regarded Ruen with warmth. He smiled back, and at that moment, I knew that it was going to be okay.
I hastily ran towards him but when I was halfway to the foyer, another gunshot sound trumpeted through the air. Then I saw Ruen fall to the ground head first, an entry wound with gushing blood was visible on his upper left chest.
To the rescue, the man reacted immediately and supported Ruen’s head from the fall using his own backpack as a cushion. My stomach lurched violently as I witnessed the scene. I covered my mouth from screaming and sprinted directly towards them.
“YOU STOP RIGHT THERE LIANNE!”
Cain roared from behind me. I paused, quickly turned around, and found that he was already on his feet, holding a rifle owned by the soldier who was now unconscious on the floor.
How he had managed to steal the rifle and incapacitate the soldier at the same time was beyond me, but he was a well-respected, highly skilled general in the past after all.
Cain was in a hunched posture with an uncomfortable expression on his face, but he still looked as dangerous as earlier.
Our eyes met. The look of regret and anguish that he held earlier were all gone. Now, the look of rage only remained and it was fiery.
“Don’t you dare go to him! You’re rightfully mine. Mine alone! You have always been since the past!” he viciously declared.
“You’re sick!” I awarded him a hard frown and shook my head vehemently. “You’re obsession for me is unhealthy Cain! Aren’t you satisfied?! You already caused havoc in my life in the past. Now, you are doing it all over again?!”
“Haven’t I done enough for you to accept me?” he lashed out. “That man doesn’t deserve your love! He doesn’t deserve you! His blood runs cold, as cold as Garlow. He will never treat you well!”
“You’re the one who is cold!” I gritted my teeth, feeling fed up. “You’re the one who is blinded with all the power you hold! Haven’t you noticed? You’re exactly like Midas, exactly like your father. You have a thirst for dominion, power, and blood that could never be sated!”
Unable to bear it, I ignored Cain’s order. I turned around and walked towards Ruen who was lying with his eyes closed on the carpeted floor.
The man beside him placed some pressure on his wound. He looked up at me, worry painted his face. It was enough for me to know that the wound was fatal.
‘Oh my God. Please don’t die!’ My mind stressed. ‘Please don’t die!’
I knelt on the floor just a few inches away from him. I was relieved to see him breathing, but it was very slow, and he looked in pain! The gushing red liquid didn’t alleviate my worries all the more as I stared at it in horror.
“Come back to me, Lianne. This will be the last time I’ll plead. Bear in mind that I will kill you if you won’t.”
I shot him a spiteful look. ‘This man is insane!’
“I have done it once, Lianne, and I will not hesitate to do it twice. I can always use the power of the emerald stone to wish you back to life. And we will start all over again. You and me. Without that man.”
“How could you be such a beast!” I lashed out. “You will never have me, Cain. Go ahead. Kill me. I am willing to die a hundred times before I succumbed to you!”
I had never been so sure in my life when I said I’d rather die than be with him. I felt this way before. Yes. And it was when I jumped in front of Ruen to block Cain’s sword from penetrating him.
I couldn’t help but scoff. What an irony. A sword in the past and now a bullet.
By the look of disappointment in Cain’s eyes, I could tell he was affected.
In the periphery of my vision, the man was still struggling to stop the wound’s bleeding. I touched Ruen’s hand near mine and felt that it was cold to the touch.
My God.
I couldn’t live without him. I just couldn’t… live without… him.
I can’t see a life wherever it would be, whatever timeline it was without him.
‘If this is the end, then so be it, I don’t long for a life without him at all.’
I closed my eyes and waited for Cain to do the deed. I knew he was aiming the gun at me, and with a sound of ‘click’ on the gun’s hammer, I knew it would soon be over.
My tears flowed ceaselessly as I waited for it. I didn’t dare open my eyes. I was afraid that my resolve would falter.
Seconds later, I heard the sound of a gun in the distance. Afterward, the voice of Cain let out a painful grunt.
Stunned, I hurried to see what was happening, but before I could fully open my eyes, I felt a quick cold hand covering it. I was pushed back into a wide, hard chest.
Intuition told me who this person was and all my fabricated courage and conviction were washed away. I broke down in his arms and cocooned myself against his chest.
More tears streamed down my cheeks, but it was not because of the intensity of the moment. Not because of my staggering terror running through my veins. Not at all because I was expecting I would die soon. But, it was all because I heard the slow beating of Ruen’s heart.
BANG!!!!
Suddenly, a booming noise echoed very near me. It was too deafening that it created a ringing sensation on both my ears for possibly a minute or so.
Silence followed afterward.
I counted to ten before I opened my eyes. Ruen’s face welcomed me then. He was smiling weakly at me.
“Lianne… It’s okay. You’re safe now. Cain won’t harm you any longer, ” he said. It was my symphony of salvation.
I felt like I was in heaven; my own heaven here on earth.
“Ruen.” My lips quivered as I uttered. Never had I felt so relieved seeing those beautiful brown-green eyes again. “My God, you’re… a—alive.”
He looked uncomfortable when he caressed my flushed cheek. I knew he was still bleeding — the sullen expression of the man beside him was a clear indication he didn’t approve of him moving.
“I had to live, ” he answered and it sounded like a promise. “You wished for this new life for us to be together. I don’t want to waste it.”
I broke down once again and fresh new tears escaped from my eyes.
Yes. I did wish it with all my heart. It cost me my life in the past, but I believe now that it was all worth it.
“Thank you, Ruen.” Great relief washed all my fears away, but my hands were still trembling, so he pressed it with the hand that held the gun a few minutes ago.
‘Is Cain really dead? Is he really?’ a worrying thought crossed my mind.
I willed myself to take a peek, taking the last ounce of courage that was left by my adrenaline rush earlier. I knew the sight would disturb me, but I had to confirm it for myself.
“No, don’t look.” Ruen halted me. He pressed his other hand on my temple, palm’s open as if to block my peripheral vision. “Let your last memories of Cain be good things, Lianne. Despite all the things he did.”
“Does it really have to be like this?” I rasped.
“I’m sorry, but my answer is yes.”
There was nothing I could do. Ruen was right. Cain would never give up unless he got what he wanted. Yes, I hated him for what he had done, but I am still human. I feel sadness too, and I felt sad for him. This feeling of sadness could only be healed by time and Ruen’s love.
“We need to go to the hospital now, ” Ruen’s companion suggested grimly.
“Yes, we should Holt, ” another grimaced expression followed Ruen’s face.
That was my cue. It was my time now to take care of him.