56

Amira’s POV
As I gazed at his beautiful face, time seemed to stand still; he was perfect in every way, and I thanked the gods above for allowing me to see him. With a small smile on his lips, his tiny hands reached up to wipe away my never-ending tears. Even at the age of five, he seemed to mature far too quickly. His eyes met mine, and I could tell he didn’t hate me like I expected, but there was love in his eyes that showed how much he yearned to see me after all these years.
“I’m so sorry,” My vision blurred again as I stroked his face.
“It’s all right, Mommy.” He sighed contentedly as he rested his head on my chest.
I stood up and cuddled him close to me before slowly turning around. As I tried to gulp the lump in my throat, my eyes met his cold ones and an instant chill ran through me. A smirk remained on his lips, and I feared he would do something, but he simply studied me like a hawk.
All of those buried memories resurfaced like a broken record. The happy memories where we joked around, went for walks in parks and laughed until tears streamed down our cheeks were replaced by dark memories where he would rape me continuously, laugh maniacally as I screamed for him to stop, but the worst part is that I endured the pain because I thought I loved him.
That wasn’t love; it was the fear of losing him. It was the fear that if I ever left him, I would never be the same again, a fear that drove me to say I loved him without shame when Chloe told me to open my goddamn eyes and look around for once.
Love is supposed to be a beautiful thing in which both partners are at ease with each other, offering unconditional support and loving their partner without any obstacles. Skyler and I share a special bond, and I would gladly take a bullet for him if it meant saving his life, I’d die to save him.
“Wasn’t this a bittersweet reunion?” As I heard his disgusting chuckle, a scowl formed on my lips.
He now stood in front of me, taking full strides, and my fear grew. My hands tightened around Carl as he whimpered and nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck, blocking his view. The nineteen-year-old naive girl clawed at me as the memories continued to play themselves out, never giving me a chance to recover.
“I’ve been missing you.” As he began to stroke my face, bile rose in my throat.
As his hands moved through my body, a shiver ran through me. My entire body shook with fear as I tried to suppress my agonizing whimper. I closed my eyes and begged the gods above to wake me up from this cruel nightmare, but no matter how hard I tried, I was still in the devil’s arms.
Dropping his hands, he sighed angrily, “Let Carl go, babe, we have some unresolved issues to discuss.”
I set Carl down hesitantly, and my heart lurched in my throat as I noticed a table full of weapons standing mere feet away from us. I stroked Carl’s face while bending down, nodded slightly, and watched as he ran into another room My heart rate increased as my eyes made unwelcome contact with his harsh ones.
He now held a gun in his hands and motioned for me to sit in the chair that stood a few feet away. My feet padded against the floor as I took a seat on the uncomfortable chair, casting one last glance at the gun in his hands. He took a seat beside me and studied me intently as he approached.
“You know I loved you” He chuckled briefly, whispering.
I kept my mouth shut and my gaze fixed on the floor. My brain begged me to ask him why he had hurt me if he truly loved me. But my tongue was too terrified to say anything. The harsh reality is that he did not love me; rather, he was obsessed with me. He desired my body and reveled in his power over me, but that wasn’t the love, that was an ugly obsession.
His hands painfully gripped my chin, forcing me to turn towards him. His eyes shone with such hatred that I retreated in terror. Knowing Skyler was outside calmed my mind, and I closed my eyes as his hands tightened around my neck. When he dropped me on the floor and stood up with his gun in his hands, my eyes reopened.
“You don’t deserve an easy death; I’ll kill you in a painful way.” His promise was so powerful.
He quickly grabbed a knife from the table and slashed it across my stomach. As tears streamed down my cheeks, I let out an agonizing cry. My eyes rolled back in agony as I felt another slash across my rib cage. He kept cutting me up everywhere on my body, not giving me a chance to breathe, and I tried so hard to keep my eyes open.
My gaze was drawn to the open door as several men entered and began firing at the men guarding the abandoned building. As Kendrid continued to slash me, his eyes searched frantically until they landed on mine, and his expression changed into pure horror. Blood poured out of me, but instead of feeling the pain, a sense of calm washed over me, and I smiled slightly at Skyler as Kendrid was tackled to the ground.
My hands fell limply by my sides, and my eyes closed, but I had to fight on, if not for myself, but for Skyler and my son. My head was gently placed on someone’s lap, and my blurred vision was focused on Skyler’s tear-stained cheeks. Every ounce of strength I had vanished, and I whimpered in agony as I couldn’t move my fingers to wipe away his tears.
“D-don’t cry.” “, As I began to lose consciousness, my stomach churned.
We could both feel what we couldn’t say, but I wanted to be selfish for once and spend a little more time with him. As he stroking my face lovingly, our tears became uncontrollable.
“P-please promise me that you’ll look after yourself and Carl.” It was becoming difficult for me to speak.
“Don’t say that, you’ll be fine. Please, Mia Bella, keep your eyes open, and please, Amira, don’t leave me”, He let out an agonizing sob.
“I’ll love you forever, Skyler.”
Skyler’s POV
If someone had told me I would have fallen in love, I would have laughed and told them to stop being delusional. I thought falling in love made a man weak; I was jealous of Griselda and Arcado’s love, but I never expected to fall in love. But after meeting her, my entire perspective shifted; she taught me that love is a beautiful thing, but I had no idea it could also be tragic.
I knew I was damned the moment our eyes locked. I’m not sure how she did it, but she slowly crept into my heart and left her mark. If I could, I would put my heart on a silver platter for her to show how much she means to me; if I could, I would take all her pain and bear it on my shoulders if it meant I could see her beautiful smile again.
“P-please, promise me Skyler,” she said barely above a whisper.
My shaky hands wiped away her tears as I rested my head against her forehead, swallowing the lump in my throat. I didn’t want to admit the obvious because it would make this moment seem more real, but our hearts already knew the answer. Blood oozed from her, and my heart wrenched in agony as I watched her eyes slowly die.
“I can’t live without you, Mia Bella,” A sob ran through both of us.
“This isn’t a farewell; it’s until we meet again, Skyler,” Her lips curved into a slight smile.
“I promise you, I will take care of Carl,” I said, shaking my head at her. I slowly kissed her forehead, savoring her sweet taste.
“I-I love you so much,” her eyes closed as I tried to swallow my agony cry.
“Please, please, please, I beg you,” I hopefully shook her shoulder as I waited for her beautiful eyes to open.
As I held her in my arms and looked up at the sky, I let out a scream. If this is a dream, please let me wake up; I can’t lose her now or ever. No matter how hard I shook her, her eyes remained closed and her hands at her sides became limp. I sobbed until there were no more tears in my eyes, clutching her tightly in my hands.
I looked at Arcado as I stood up with her in my arms. I walked out of the warehouse and into the car, shaking my head slowly. I tried to close my eyes and not look at the woman in my arms, but it was impossible. As I considered my life without her, a tear streamed down my cheeks. That was the problem: I couldn’t imagine my life without her because she was my lifeline. But I needed to be strong not only for myself, but also for Carl.
Men began to fill the car, and when I saw Carl sitting there with his eyes closed, my own eyes welled up with tears once more. I intend to keep the promise I made to her: I will raise Carl as my own son and provide him with a loving life. Looking down, I moved her hair out of the way and drew her closer to my chest.
“Relax, Mia Bella; I promise you, I will raise him as if he were my own.” I kissed her forehead once more and looked straight ahead.
The car came to a stop, and I carefully exited with her still in my arms. Looking at Arcado and Dexter, I nodded, and they led the way, Carl holding Dexter’s hand. When I made eye contact with Griselda upon entering the mansion, I flinched. When she looked down, her face turned pale, and her hands covered her mouth as she sobbed.
“Oh my goodness, no!” She rushed to my side, staring at Amira’s lifeless body.
Griselda struggled to stay upright as she began to lose consciousness, but her husband carried her upstairs to their room. Gulping the bile in my throat, I looked down and tried not to sob uncontrollably. I had to be strong for our son, no matter how much I wanted to scream or cry.
“O-organize a funeral for today, Harry,” My voice cracked as my heart split in half.