XXXXVII. what did you say?

A strangled cry escaped my lips, but I swung blindly, my blade slicing through the air. Nadia dodged, her dark eyes unreadable, but Amy took the opening.

Her knee slammed into my stomach, knocking the air from my lungs. I hit the ground hard, my knife slipping from my grasp.

This was it.

Amy pressed her boot against my chest, pinning me down as she crouched beside me. "You put up a good fight." She gripped my chin, forcing me to look at her. "But you should've known—you were never going to win."

I clenched my teeth, refusing to let her see the fear creeping in.

Amy raised her knife, ready to end it—

BANG!

The gunshot echoed through the air.

Amy froze. Nadia snapped her head toward the source.

A figure stepped out from the shadows, a gun still smoking in her hands.

Lara.

My heart nearly stopped. "Lara…?"

She ignored me, her cold gaze locked onto Amy and Nadia. "Step away from her."

Amy narrowed her eyes. "You're making a mistake."

Lara cocked the gun. "No. You did."

Amy hesitated, her grip tightening around her knife, but then—BANG!

A warning shot. The bullet grazed the ground near Amy's foot.

"Enough." Lara's voice was firm, unwavering. "I won't let you kill her."

Amy exhaled sharply, stepping back. "You're siding with her? After everything?"

"You… You were the woman my father was talking to before. It was you! You were the ones who killed Kaesu's grandfather, weren't you?" Lara's voice trembled with rage, making my eyes widen and my anger burn even hotter.

Amy flashed a wicked smile. "Smart girl. But why are you being so stupid now?"

"YOU were the one who ordered your men to have me raped. And when I finally managed to escape, it led to Via's accident!" Lara screamed, her voice shaking with fury and grief.

My heart sank. She was raped? And it was because of Amy? That woman was truly a monster.

I groaned in pain as I pulled out the small knife Nadia had stabbed me with earlier, forcing myself to stand.

"What did you just say?"

A chilling voice cut through the tension, and we all turned toward its source.

Canim.

Lara and I both froze.

Everyone was stunned by Canim's arrival, but before he could move, Nadia aimed a gun at me.

"Why do you think she died?" Nadia asked, her tone taunting.

I winced, struggling to stay upright.

"Why do you think Via died without anyone ever discovering how, who killed her, when, and why?" She stepped closer, her devilish smile growing as she tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet her gaze.

I was getting weaker, but I refused to let my guard down.

She leaned in, her breath hot against my ear. "I killed her."

Then she stepped back, pulling out her gun and stroking it as she spoke again.

"This is Canim's fault. If he had loved me instead of my sister, she would still be alive today. And another thing—she got to experience a mother's love, while I was left behind. Now that Via is gone, you came into the picture."

Everyone's attention shifted to her, giving Amy the perfect opportunity to draw her gun and aim it at Lara, while Nadia pointed hers at me.

"DROP THE GUN, NADIA, UNLESS YOU WANT TO SEE ALL OF US HERE DEAD!" Antonio warned, his voice sharp with anger. He was out of bullets, and so was Uncle Luis. They had no choice but to try and talk them down.

"All this time, you let me hate my sister for a crime she never committed while you took advantage of our pain?" Canim suddenly cut in.

"Don't pin your guilt on me, Canim. You had a choice—you could have forgiven your sister. But instead, you let your hatred consume you," Nadia shot back.

Canim's fury boiled over, and he stepped forward, but—

BANG!

Amy fired a warning shot to keep everyone in place.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Antonio slowly inching toward my father, working to free him while everyone was distracted.

I needed to buy them more time.

"What do you want? Let's end this."

"At first, I just wanted you out of the picture. But now, I think I'd rather enjoy sipping coffee at your funeral," Nadia said smugly.

"Then do it. Pull the trigger." I challenged her, noticing something off about her gun. There was a good chance it was already broken.

She smirked and pulled the trigger—CLICK.

Nothing.

Her face twisted in frustration as she kept trying, but the gun refused to fire.

I grinned. "Looks like you're out of luck."

Before she could react, I kicked her hard. At the same time, Antonio and Uncle Luis finally managed to untie my father.

A fight broke out. Antonio and Uncle Luis engaged Amy's men in hand-to-hand combat, their bullets long gone. I fought Nadia, though I was barely holding on.

She was strong, but only when she had the advantage. Now that it was just the two of us, she was nothing.

And I was going to make sure she paid.

We were all stunned when a gunshot suddenly rang out. It turned out that they hadn't managed to take the gun from Amy. Instead, she aimed it directly at me, warning everyone not to come any closer, or she would pull the trigger.

I stood up, staring at her blankly.

Suddenly, my father stepped in front of me. "Shoot me instead. Not my child. I've already failed her too much."

"CAN YOU ALL STOP TRYING TO PROTECT AND SAVE ME FOR ONCE? LET ME BE THE ONE TO SAVE YOU THIS TIME. LET ME THINK ABOUT YOU FOR A CHANGE. AREN'T YOU TIRED? TIRED OF ALWAYS PROTECTING, UNDERSTANDING, THINKING, AND SAVING ME? BECAUSE I AM EXHAUSTED FROM ALWAYS BEING WEAK!"

Tears streamed down my face as I gasped for breath after yelling. I wanted to be with him longer, but what? He was going to sacrifice himself for me?

"Wow, what a touching drama. So entertaining, really. But honestly? I'm getting sick of it!" Amy suddenly interjected, still aiming the gun at me.

She was just about to pull the trigger when—BANG!

Another shot rang out before she could fire. Amy's eyes widened in shock as she collapsed onto the floor, struggling to cling to life.