The Truth That Can’t Be Erased

(Samuel's POV)

I stopped.

Just for a moment.

I let out a slow breath, turning my head slightly to look at her. "For a moment, when you said it was a setup… I wanted to believe it."

Her eyes lit up—just for a second, as if she thought she had a chance.

I crushed that hope immediately.

"But who am I fooling?"

Her face paled.

I took a slow step toward her, my emerald eyes empty, cold, void of anything she once knew.

"The lipstick marks on those men's necks."

She flinched.

"The used condoms spread across our bedroom floor—the same ones you made me clean."

Her breathing grew shallow, her hands trembling slightly.

But I didn't stop.

"Do you know what I should've done, Abigail?"

She shook her head weakly. "Samuel…"

I let out a bitter chuckle. "I should've killed myself back then."

She gasped, shaking her head violently. "No! Don't say that!"

I exhaled, rubbing my face before looking at her again.

"But I didn't. And do you know why?"

Her lips trembled, but no words came out.

"Because I realized something."****"You weren't worth dying over."

The silence that followed was crushing.

She looked as if I had just ripped her heart out.

But I didn't care.

Not anymore.

I turned away, walking toward the exit.

"Goodbye, Abigail."

I didn't look back.

Not once.

As I stepped out of the coffee shop, the cold London air hit me, but it felt lighter than before.

Behind me, Abigail was probably still standing there—stunned, shaking, drowning in the weight of her own choices.

But that wasn't my problem anymore.

She was the past.

And I wasn't a man who lived in the past.

I lit a cigarette, exhaling slowly as I stuffed my free hand into my pocket. "72 hours to kill, huh?"

I chuckled to myself, shaking my head.

Then, as if the universe was mocking me, my phone buzzed.

[INCOMING CALL: Henry]

I smirked, answering. "Yo. Done painting already?"

Henry's voice came through, amused as ever. "Nah, just checking in. Figured you were either breaking skulls or breaking someone emotionally."

I laughed. "The second one. Guess who?"

Henry paused for a second. Then he groaned. "Let me guess… the bitch Bardot?"

"Bingo."

He whistled. "Damn. What happened?"

I took another drag of my cigarette. "She tried feeding me the same old lies. I reminded her of reality."

Henry chuckled. "Good. Should've done that ages ago."

I smirked. "You're not wrong."

He sighed on the other end. "So, what now? Still got time to kill before Project Hades."

I exhaled, looking at the London skyline. "Let's meet up. We'll figure something out."

Henry chuckled. "Alright, Liberty's on the way."

After hanging up, I casually strolled through the London streets, hands in my pockets, feeling the weight of my conversation with Abigail slowly fade into nothing.

The past had no grip on me anymore.

I reached a quiet alleyway and leaned against the wall, waiting.

Within seconds, a golden shimmer appeared in front of me, and Henry blinked into existence, smirking.

"Damn, you really can't sit still, can you?" he chuckled, crossing his arms.

I smirked. "Says the guy who ditched painting because he got bored."

Henry shrugged. "Guilty as charged."

We both stood there for a second, the city buzzing around us, but we felt detached from it all.

Henry glanced at me. "So? What's the plan?"

I exhaled. "We've got 72 hours until Project Hades activates. We need to find something to do before we go insane from boredom."

Henry thought for a second, then grinned. "You know… we've taken out every major syndicate in London, but there's still one thing left."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Henry's smirk widened. "The underground fight circuit. The biggest one in Europe is happening right here, in London. Fighters from all over the world, no rules, no restrictions."

My smirk matched his. "Now that sounds like my kind of warm-up."

Henry chuckled. "Figured you'd say that. Let's head over. It starts tonight."

I cracked my neck, excitement surging through me. "Then let's go make some people regret stepping into the ring."

Without another word, we vanished into the night.

The countdown to Project Hades was ticking.

And we were going to spend every second having fun.