CHAPTER 48

Closing his eyes, Raven took a deep breath. He needed to be stable to get Anna and himself out of the trap. When he opened his eyes, Richard was again at Anna's side, stroking her hair. Raven didn't enjoy the feel of that gesture. His dirty hands were better off her.

He wrapped his wrist around the rope waiting for the right moment, keeping his gaze of him.

"I still remember her voice, Areum's. When she was falling off the building." Richard chuckled, fingers threading through Anna's hair.

Raven's jaws clenched and unexpectedly, for the very first time in his life he wanted to kill his father. He wasn't even his father in the first place. Richard fake gasped when he saw Raven's expressions, probably guessing his rising fury.

"You never got to say goodbye, did you?" He said, as Raven's eyes switched between Richard and his hands stoking Anna's hair.

Something was wrong. He could feel it in his actions. He had known Richard for quite a while to not understand his behavior. He was up to something, something unpleasant and it infuriated him more because it was something involving Anna.

Both of their attention turned to the girl lying on the floor, as Anna coughed out, slowly shuffling from one side to another.

Raven felt a lump rising in his throat as he watched her tremble like a wingless bird, murmuring something under her breath.

"What if we recreate the scene, hmm?" Richard said and looked over at Raven before grabbing Anna by the back of her neck and pulled her off the ground. She whimpered.

"No, let her go you bastard." He tugged at the rope harshly as it cut through his wrist.

Richard just chuckled before dragging Anna with him as he walked. She wobbled and winced, as he grabbed her hair again in his fist, her eyes slowly opening just to close again.

"Oh Comm'on, don't you wanna see how your wife died?" Raven's eyes widened and finally pulled his hands off the rope with a jerk and fell forward, his knees sore. 'I will kill this bastard.'

"Let her go." Raven growled, as he stumbled back on hus feet, ready to march up to him. But Christine stepped in his view, holding a loaded gun aimed at him.

"Hang in there Babe." She smirked. "You are such a party pooper." Raven's nostrils flared at the pathetic smile on her face. He couldn't believe he once trusted that woman.

His attention drew back to Anna and Richard when he heard Anna cry out in pain. He was dragging her to the edge of the terrace, one hand fisted in her hair while the other wrapped around her throat. She was gasping, whimpering, trying to get out of his grip. Raven furiously took a step forward.

"Ah ah ah, stay right there if you don't want your skull to split into two." Christine hissed, pointing the gun at his forehead. The smile had disappeared from her face.

"No!" Anna's voice drew everyone's attention as she looked over at Raven with a terrified expression, as she saw the gun aimed at him.

"Don't!" She breathed, and Raven realized she was talking to Christine. It just fueled his anger. Because she was on the verge of falling off and was still trying to save him.

Richard dragged her more to the end, so close to the edge that there was hardly a step left to stand on. Raven's breathing picked up the pace when he couldn't see a hint of protest in Anna's face.

'Why isn't she fighting him or even trying to fight? '

She was just staring at Raven, with her tear brimming eyes. As much as he didn't want to think about it, she looked like she was done, like she was going to leave too. 'No! I am not letting her go.'

"Do you know how I threw her off?" Richard smirked and Raven gritted his teeth, fist clenching.

Richard tugged at her hair before pushing her by the shoulder and she cried out Raven's name.

"No!" His heart stopped for moment when he thought he really threw her but he didn't. He held her her by the nape pulling her up straight.

"Look carefully son, how I killed your wife and now the girl you love. You deserve this." Hatred reeked through his words and seeped into Raven's heart.

He turned to Anna again and when Raven saw Christine distracted, he leaped forward and snatched the gun out of her hands. His other hand came up and wrapped around her throat, cutting her off air. She gasped, trying to breathe. As much as he wanted to choke the bitch to death, he needed to get to Anna first.

"I'll deal with you later." He hissed and shoved her out of the way before making his way towards the other side. Christine stumbled up to her feet as she saw Raven's face. He seemed like he would kill anyone on his way. Without waiting for another second, she fled the place.

"Stop, right there if you don't want me to actually drop her." Raven froze in hid steps. Richard wickedly grinned as he pointed the gun at him.

"Let her go, Richard." The warning was evident in Raven's voice.

"Go on son, pull the trigger and I might actually let go off her." He mocked, loosening his grip at her nape and Anna gasped, her feet almost slipping off the edge.

"It's over Richard, there's nothing I have to do with you. I know what you did and I don't care about that. All I care about right now is her. Let her go." Raven steadied his voice while taking small steps towards them. He could fight him later, but if anything happened to Anna, he didn't know what he might do.

"Why are you spoiling the fun, boy. Don't you wanna see how your wifey died? Well, I do wanna show you because it may have been in the past for you but I don't easily forget things, Son." He emphasized the last word as his eyes bore into Raven's who was trying to control myself from lashing out.

He should be the one angry. It should be Richard's neck and his hands but everything was other was around. He had crossed all the lines, long back and now, even if he have to shoot him, he would do it without a second thought.

"You are done....Richard." Both of them turned to the girl who was hanging between life and death, as she glared up at Richard, not a hint of fear in her eyes.

"Anna.." Raven had never seen her like this, so vulnerable yet brave. Her eyes always spoke more than her actions and at that moment all he could see in them was tranquility. And it freaked him out.

"Shut up." Richard hissed, gritting his teeth.

"You're.....are going to pay for your sins, Richard. You....you can't escape this time." Anna breathed as Raven took another step towards them. He was almost close to snatching her away from his grasp. But he was still unsure what Anna was doing by provoking him but he took it as a chance to distract him.

Richard grasped her neck with both of his hands and growled, "Shut the fuck up before I throw you off this edge."

Anna smiled up at him before she grabbed his collar, mirroring his actions and Raven halted in his steps. 'What is she doing?'

"You are going to die, Richard," she breathed, threatening the man who hung her between life and death. She didn't care anymore. Raven was safe, that was all she needed.

"You Bitch," Richard spat and unconsciously stepped forward, stumbling in his steps, pushing himself and Anna off the edge.

"Anna!" Raven launched forward, trying to grab her extended hand, and almost did. But it slipped through his fingers, just like he saw her slipping off before his eyes.

"Anna, No!" He reached out to her but it was too late, because she was already falling back into air, slipping down the edge with Richard.

He let out a scream but Raven heard no sound from her as she fell off quietly like a feather.

'No...'

Raven grabbed onto the thin air where once she stood but there was nothing other then her scent, her warm scent that somehow still made his heart skip a beat.

He stood there paralyzed, wondering whether all of it wass still a dream and when he wakes up, she would be there beside him, wrapped in his arms.

'Anna...'

He slid down to his knees, the gun slipping out of his hands as a single tear escaped his eyes. His head ducked down, palms pressing against the floor as quietly whispered, "I love you, Anna."