Chapter Hundred And Two

Chapter Hundred And Two
Gabriel 
The door had burst open, but my body chose that exact moment to give out on me. The strength I’d been clinging to slipped away like sand between my fingers, and my grip on Arian loosened as I began to slide toward the floor.

She caught me before I could hit the ground, her arms trembling as she tried to hold me upright. Her voice broke through the ringing in my ears, calling my name, begging me not to close my eyes.

“Gabriel, no.” Her voice sounded far away, even though she was right in front of me. My vision blurred, her face becoming a smear of color and movement. “You can’t die.”

I wanted to tell her I wasn’t going anywhere, that I’d never leave her—not after everything we’d survived—but when I opened my mouth, blood spilled out instead of words. The coppery taste coated my tongue, thick and warm, and I realized I was fading faster than I thought.

Not yet… not now.

I tried to lift my hand to touch her face—to feel her one last time—but my arm felt impossibly heavy, as though lead weights were tied to every limb. 

My body refused to listen, and that terrified me more than the pain in my chest. I could see the panic in her eyes, feel the desperation in the way she clung to me.

“I love you.” She sobbed the words, her voice trembling. “I love you too, Gabriel. Please don’t leave me.”

God, I thought, as a weak smile pulled at my lips. It took me dying to finally hear her say it.

If I had any strength left, I would’ve laughed at the irony—or cried from the sheer cruelty of it. Those were the words I’d wanted to hear for so long, and now they reached me when everything else was slipping away. My heart stuttered in my chest, a dull thud echoing in my ears before silence took over.

At least I heard it, I thought faintly as my body surrendered, and the darkness finally pulled me under.
\~~~~~~~
Arian
I looked up from Gabriel’s unconscious body to the armed men who had stormed into the room just moments before Rafael could end my life with a single bullet. The chaos was still ringing in my ears, but the sight before me was clear enough—seven men, all pointing their guns at Rafael, who had been forced to his knees, disarmed and subdued. For the first time in years, I saw fear flicker in his eyes.

Then a shadow filled the doorway—Gabriel’s father. Raine Cruz. He took one sweeping look at the scene: the blood, the bodies, the broken glass—and then his cold gaze landed on Rafael. I could tell Rafael didn’t like being at anyone’s mercy. The tension in the room thickened, choking, almost unbearable.

“I’m going to make this very short,” Raine said, his voice steady and lethal. “Do you know who I am?”

“Am I supposed to?” Rafael grunted, defiant to the very end. “Don’t care about you, old man.”

“You should,” Raine replied coolly. “Because this old man is about to end your miserable life.”

I swallowed hard, my pulse racing. End his life? Was this really happening?

“It’s only fair that you die by my hands since your uncle also tried to play hero and got killed for it,” Raine continued, eyes hard. “I killed your uncle, Rafael.”

Rafael’s eyes widened in shock. “Uncle Leonardo?”

“Yup,” Raine said casually. “But it doesn’t matter. Leonardo was just your godfather—the one you took as family, right?”

“You bastard,” Rafael growled.

“I should have you extradited,” Raine went on, voice like ice. “But who’s to say you won’t come back to hurt my family?”

“I will definitely do that,” Rafael spat. “I’ll wipe out every single one of them.”

“That’s what I thought.” Raine took a gun from one of his men. “Say hello to Leonardo for me.”

The shot rang out, loud and final.

I jumped, my heart hammering wildly as I watched Rafael fall backward. His body hit the floor with a sickening thud, his blood spreading across the ground like a dark halo. I stood frozen, staring at the man who had haunted my dreams for a decade, now lying lifeless before me.

It’s over, I told myself. It’s finally over.

But the relief didn’t come as I expected. My body trembled as if my mind refused to believe it. I wanted to pinch myself, to confirm this wasn’t another one of Rafael’s twisted games. But Gabriel’s still form beside me reminded me that there was no waking up from this. This was real.

“It’s finally over,” I whispered again and again, the words trembling from my lips like a prayer. “I can’t believe it.”

Then everything blurred into motion—sirens, voices, rushing footsteps. Two ambulances arrived: one for Gabriel, barely clinging to life, and another for Lucille… to the morgue. I rode with Mr. Cruz to the hospital, silent and numb, my white dress now soaked through with blood that wasn’t mine.

By the time we arrived, Gabriel was already in surgery. I’d expected this day to be epic, but not like this. Not drenched in death and fear.

Hours passed, though it felt like a lifetime. The waiting room was crowded with his family—his parents, his siblings, little Kary—all of us bound by despair. I sat quietly, the outsider, the one whose presence screamed guilt.

“I knew your relationship with my brother would end this way,” Gabriella’s voice cut through the silence, sharp and bitter. “I told him, but he refused to listen.”

“Don’t point fingers, Gabi,” Mr. Cruz snapped. “This is no fault of Arian’s… but yours.”

My eyes widened. He’s defending me?

Gabriella looked stunned. “Daddy—”

“If you hadn’t given Lucille the information about Arian,” he said coldly, “she wouldn’t have gone to Rafael Navarro. I should have listened to Gabriel. You should have supported your brother, and none of this would have happened.”

The air left my lungs. She was the one… The betrayal hit me like another bullet. Gabriella had handed over my information, practically delivering me into Rafael’s hands. And now she had the nerve to blame me? How poetic.

Then Mr. Cruz turned to me, and his gaze softened, though it still carried the weight of everything unsaid. “I was skeptical when I heard you might be Kareena Macavinta—the girl my son waited two decades for,” he said quietly. “Mrs. Collins showed me your file. She told me everything.”

My throat tightened. “Since when did you know, sir?”

“Two months ago,” he admitted. “I wanted to tell my son, but I didn’t think it was my story to tell. Does he know now?”

“Yes,” I said softly. “I’m sorry for everything, Mr. Cruz. Your daughter’s right. I shouldn’t have gotten involved with Gabriel. It’s my fault he’s here.”

“If I know my son,” he said, “he’d do it all over again. He loves you that much.”

Tears stung my eyes. I know he does. He proved it when he shielded me from that bullet. But if he didn’t make it… how would I live with myself?

The doctor finally appeared, and every head lifted. Mr. Cruz rushed forward. “Doctor, how’s my son?”

“He’s in critical condition,” the doctor said. “We had to remove his spleen, and one kidney was severely damaged. He flatlined during surgery, but we managed to resuscitate him. He’s in a coma. His chances of waking are around forty percent.”

The room dissolved into sobs. Mrs. Cruz broke down first, followed by Gabriella and Kary. I couldn’t cry. I was empty—frozen in guilt and fear.

The doctor continued, “Without a spleen, he’ll be more vulnerable to infections. He’ll need lifelong antibiotics and vaccines. But the bullet missed his heart by two inches. That’s the miracle.”

When it was finally time to see him, I couldn’t bring myself to go in. I stayed back, pressed against the cold hospital wall. Mr. Cruz found me there.

“Don’t you want to see him?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t deserve to,” I whispered. “I’m sorry, Mr. Cruz.”

He frowned. “Why does it sound like you’re saying goodbye?”

“Because I am,” I said softly. “I need to leave. I don’t know if I’ll ever come back.”

“He’ll be crushed.”

“Please give this to him.” I handed him a folded letter. “Tell him I’m sorry. Tell him… I don’t think we’re meant to be.”

He hesitated. “Are you sure you won’t regret this?”

“My father used to say I was bad luck,” I murmured. “And maybe he was right. Gabriel’s been stabbed, shot… all because of me. There’s only so much a man can survive.”

“None of that is your fault,” he insisted. “Don’t carry what isn’t yours to bear.”

“Thank you,” I said with a sad smile. “But my decision’s made.”

He nodded slowly. “Then good luck to you, Arian.”

As I turned away, my heart shattered quietly in my chest. Walking away from Gabriel—the man who loved me enough to take a bullet for me—felt like tearing my soul apart. But staying would hurt him more. Maybe one day, he’d forgive me. Maybe one day, he’d move on and find someone who could give him everything I couldn’t.

I forgot about him once, twenty years ago. But not this time. This time, I’d remember him for the rest of my life.

I’d found love again—but before I could accept it, before I could truly hold onto it… I needed to heal from the ghosts that had nearly destroyed me.