Bang!
The sound of a gunshot echoed through the cave, bouncing off the walls and creating an eerie echo due to the terrain.
The overlapping sounds made it seem like there were two gunshots.
Cheyenne watched as Omari slowly fell in front of her, his face covered in dirt and blood but still smiling warmly.
His charming eyes were filled with tears, regret, and deep love that he couldn’t express before it was too late.
In that moment, she saw him again as he stood on stage years ago giving a speech. The sun shone down on him, making his white shirt look like snowflakes against his warm eyes and bright smile.
“Hey classmate, you dropped your book.”
Cheyenne broke free from the grip of the black-clad men chasing them and ran towards Omari. Just before he hit the ground heavily, she caught him with her weak shoulders.
Bang…
They both fell to the ground together. Cheyenne held onto Omari tightly while tears fell like pearls onto his face.
“Omari! Don’t die… please!”
“I never got to apologize to you.”
“Don’t you want to know if my child is a boy or girl? You’re their godfather after all.”
“You promised me you’d protect me for life. How could you break your promise? Wake up!”
“Omari! You bastard! How could you die?! Why…”
Omari was already at death’s door after being submerged in icy water earlier. The bullet hit him directly in the chest causing dark purple blood to flow out continuously staining Cheyenne’s fair skin hands.
In this final moment of life, he felt content lying in her arms; even if he died now, it would be worth it because she was by his side until then.
After losing hope when his mother died, life seemed boring and monotonous until Cheyenne appeared.
Her presence brought light into what had been a lonely existence for so long.
He didn’t want to die because loving her meant not wanting to leave behind someone so precious as Cheyenne.
She had just said that she wanted him to be their child’s godfather which was an irresistible temptation for Omari who imagined having a little one calling out “daddy”.
If possible though, he hoped that Cheyenne would have a daughter instead of son since having someone with her blood call him “dad” would make Omari feel incredibly soft-hearted inside.
“Cheyenne, if, if we could start over again, would you… love me?” Omari asked the question while lowering his head. He already knew the answer and couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood as his chest heaved.
“Yes!” Cheyenne replied with tears in her eyes.
“Really?” Omari’s eyes brightened with anticipation as he looked at her fair face. She should have gained weight during this time, but due to their circumstances, she had become even thinner than before. It was heartbreaking.
“I’m not lying to you. If I hadn’t mistaken you for Kelvin or recognized my mistake earlier on, I might have pursued you shamelessly,” Cheyenne said honestly.
At first, Cheyenne pursued Kelvin out of gratitude but later found herself falling for him without realizing it. When she decided to marry him at eighteen years old was when she truly fell in love with the insincere Kelvin. If she hadn’t mistaken Omari for someone else back then, maybe she would have fallen for him instead.
After divorcing Kelvin and learning the truth about everything that happened between them all those years ago made Cheyenne realize that some things are just meant to be missed opportunities; there’s no need to dwell on them anymore.
She felt guilty towards many people throughout her life – Benson or even Omari – and knew that even if she spent an entire lifetime trying to make up for it all wouldn’t be enough.
Omari was moved by her words and wanted nothing more than one last touch from his beloved girl before leaving this world forever. He memorized every detail of her face so that he wouldn’t forget it in his next life.
“That’s… that’s good.”
“Uh, cough… Cheyenne, don’t cry. It won’t look good if you cry.”
“Okay, I won’t cry. You’re not allowed to die. Someone will come for us soon.”
“How can I bear to die? Huh, Cheyenne, I love you so much. I really, really love you. You probably don’t know… people who study law consider the legal code as their guiding principle in life.”
“But for me, studying law, you are my guiding principle and my foundation.”
“You silly boy, don’t speak anymore. I beg you, you’re bleeding. Grandfather, how can I save him?”
Watching her collapse into helplessness, like a child, Layne wiped away his tears.
Currently, he didn’t have any medicine or silver needles. Without the necessary tools, he didn’t know what to do.
“It’s useless. I… I was meant to die.”
“But Cheyenne, I have one final wish. Please, please don’t forget me.”
“Cheyenne, I feel like I’m being selfish. It’s okay, you should go find Kelvin and let him protect you for the rest of your life.”
Otherwise, what if someone bullies Cheyenne after Omari dies?
“Omari!”
“Omari! Don’t sleep. Can you talk to me? Please?” she begged.
His icy-cold hand gently stroked her cheek as if he were handling a precious treasure with utmost care.
As his final words trailed off, he began coughing violently and blood spurted out of his chest like a stream rushing forth from its source.
Soon enough, a pool of blood formed around him on the ground.
Thud – his hand covered in blood fell weakly to the side while Omari’s image filled Cheyenne’s pupils and tears blurred her vision.
A cold wind blew over her head incessantly with whistling sounds that echoed in her ears like a mournful symphony playing non-stop in the background.
She sat there motionless like an empty porcelain doll holding onto Omari’s gradually cooling body for who knows how long until she slowly reached out with her small hand and covered his eyes with it saying,
“In our next life together, Omari, please find me earlier.”
A tear rolled down onto her palm scorching hot as fire while she choked up, unable to speak any further; all of her grief turned into hatred as she glared fiercely at Gregory,
“I will make you pay for your actions!”
“Omari won’t have died in vain; just wait until I get my revenge on you, Gregory.” She declared boldly but Gregory laughed mockingly without hiding it at all,
“You’re quite ambitious, girl, but unfortunately neither he nor your father nor even yourself are my match. You probably won’t have the chance anymore.” Because when the gates of death open wide, he would kill her!