Chapter 81 - I Cannot Die Yet

"Not Megan, but Javier Salvatorre..."

"What is he up to?" William's curious inquiry to his subordinate upon hearing the latter's report about the two rang in the air.

Meanwhile, in the dining room of the Hidalgo mansion, Javier merely gazed at Ava as he awaited her response.

From the outset, Javier knew his adversaries were clever. He understood he couldn't easily halt them from endangering Megan's life to fully acquire the power held by her family.

However, unbeknownst to everyone, Javier moved with greater cunning. He wielded his intelligence in all things. If given the chance, he would have liked to pursue his medical studies, but that was last on his list of priorities.

He wanted to ensure Megan's safety first before thinking about himself.

"Where did you say you want to go?" Ava asked incredulously.

"To the police station," he replied directly to the woman who just laughed at him. Javier ignored her and continued. "The recording file... I just mailed it on my way here. It will probably get to the police station by tomorrow morning. There is no place you can run to."

Ava looked at him sharply.

"I told you that I wouldn't go down alone. Megan's secret funds list... The evidence showing illegal actions and evasion of the law... Didn't I say I would reveal it all? Is that okay? You don't care what happens to Megan?" Ava attempted blackmail until the end.

Javier was deeply enraged, but he needed to restrain himself just to execute his plan properly.

Javier faked a smile on Ava and nodded.

"That's why... Because I was afraid of the threat, I thought about running away with Megan. I thought she would come with me, but Megan refused. She still has something to protect and... things she needs to do."

Ava couldn't find any words. She didn't expect Javier to do this. She wasn't prepared for it. Now, she didn't know what to do next. She couldn't allow herself to be the only one to fall.

Javier heaved a sigh violently, continuing to fake his trouble.

"I was relieved to see her act that way. Seeing how she is... no matter what happens, she would be able to handle it. Now... she won't need me by her side," Javier halted and smiled sadly.

"As a matter of fact, if I'm near her, I could be a burden to her."

Ava couldn't believe what she was hearing. She couldn't tell if Javier's words held any truth or if it was just another ruse.

As for Javier, he had long promised to do everything to keep Megan safe. He knew his death was imminent, and it was only right to ensure her safety once he was gone.

If Ava still wanted him, a shell, an empty can, like him, so be it. The woman didn't know that his life was about to end soon.

Javier lifted his gaze to Ava and nodded.

"Expose it all. We have to expose what's not right. If there are consequences, we should pay the price," Javier stated to Ava.

Ava's expression betrayed extreme fear and apprehension during those moments. When she considered the step she was about to take—exposing the evil deeds of Megan's father—she wholeheartedly believed that Javier would choose her to keep Megan's father's secrets from being revealed to the world.

For a moment, she felt reassured, forgetting that Javier always had a countermove to everything.

"You should also turn yourself in. There is no hiding place for you anymore. No matter how long it takes, I told you I'd wait for you."

"You said it wouldn't be love," Ava countered immediately, anger evident in her eyes.

"You said you couldn't give it to me," she continued.

Javier averted his gaze from her.

"Yes," he admitted.

Ava's expression hardened even more. She wanted to remain defiant. She wanted to fight for what was right for her even though she knew Javier's heart had long been absent from her.

The moment she abandoned him for money and power while paying for her own sins, Javier lost the ability to truly love. He died repeatedly that day, and it kept happening until they met again.

He sacrificed everything for Ava, believing that she could also sacrifice something for him. His dreams, the life he wanted for her and his sister Jamilah, his future—everything, including his dignity.

Only to face a brutal betrayal he never imagined Ava capable of. For Javier, love became meaningless, a nonsensical notion.

But when he met Megan, all his perspectives on love and sacrifice shifted. Suddenly, he felt alive again. He would eagerly anticipate another day just to see her, something he hadn't done since he was released from prison.

Megan transformed him. She altered his mindset and principles. She changed everything for him. Javier knew Megan deserved better, so he transformed himself to become the best version of her.

But some things aren't enough for them to be together.

"I don't need your heartless body. I don't want your sympathy or pity. I will never turn myself in. I would rather die."

"Ava..."

"Do you want to die together?" Ava asked him which made his blood boil.

At that point, Javier could no longer comprehend. He struggled to contain his anger to avoid escalating the situation to violence, as he was already weary. But why was this woman like this?

How could she be so selfish and cruel to him? How could she ask him to die together when she had already killed him numerous times in the past? Wasn't that enough for her?

"Let's end our lives together. If we continue this way, all we would face would be a life in hell. How can anyone go on after losing their love? Let's end this life right here—"

"If you want to die, die alone," Javier firmly cut off Ava, anger welled up in his heart. "I won't die. Why would I have to die? What have I done wrong?"

Javier couldn't control himself anymore. He absolutely refused to let this woman manipulate him just to satisfy her own desires. If before, he seemed like a docile dog obedient to Ava's commands, now he had no shred of care or pity left for her.

Javier clenched his jaw and shook his head.

"Without love, I can go on just fine." Javier smiled bitterly. "Fuck. Since when did I have anything I wanted in life?"

A tear fell from Ava's eye as she felt guilt when she heard what Javier said.

"For once in my life, I think about myself and... do what I want to do, and... get what I want and wish for. Have I ever had those in my life?" Javier trailed off and looked at Ava with so much anger and hatred.

“No. Not even once in my entire life. I can live just fine without love. I will manage. Death is hell. Why would living be like hell? I cannot die yet—ahh!”

Javier was momentarily silenced by a sharp pain in his head.

“Javier!”

He quickly composed himself and forced the pain to the back of his mind. Rising swiftly, he flashed a fake smile at Ava.

“If you change your mind, call me anytime. If you don’t want to go to the police station alone, I will come with you,” Javier said firmly to Ava before departing, carrying with him the overwhelming ache he felt.

Slowly, it consumed his strength.

Meanwhile, seated in Marco's room, Megan remained lost in thought, still reeling from Javier's words earlier.

She wanted to escape with him, to put some distance between them. Megan couldn't decipher Javier's true intentions. It felt like he had more to say to her, but something held him back.

Megan's mind continued to resist the idea, fearing that Javier might be deceiving her again. Yet, deep in her heart, she felt the desire to agree to whatever Javier wanted to do together.

She wanted to surrender and be vulnerable again with Javier. She wanted to be happy with him and live peacefully in a distant place. That's what she wanted to do. If only she were given the chance to express her true feelings to Javier, she would do it.

But fear still dominated Megan's heart. What if Javier was deceiving her again? Was she ready to be hurt and depleted once more just for Javier?

Before her emotions could engulf her, she redirected her attention to Marco and began massaging his arm. As her gaze shifted to Marco's hand, she caught it moving, causing her to abruptly stop.

“Marco…” Megan suddenly burst out crying.

***

{Javier’s house.]

Yvo was surprised to enter their house and find no lights on even though it was already night. When he turned on the lights throughout the house, he was shocked to see Javier lying unconscious on the floor.

"Javier!"

He quickly approached him, fearing the worst and thinking he might be dead.

“Javier! Javier, wake up!”

Yvo tried to wake up Javier, but he remained unconscious no matter how much he shook him, so he quickly took action and brought him to the hospital.

***

[Hospital.]

Jamilah's heart sank as she ran down the hallway towards the room where Javier was. Upon receiving the call from Yvo, she immediately headed to the hospital, leaving her work unfinished.

She wanted to cry out of fear and worry for Javier, but she forced herself to stay strong. She found Yvo outside the room and quickly approached him.

“How is he?” Jamilah asked Yvo, her voice trembling.

“His doctor is in now.”

Jamilah tried to calm herself down to prevent her tears from flowing, but they continued to escape her eyes.

As Yvo informed her of Javier's condition, all sorts of thoughts raced through her mind. She couldn't stop herself from entertaining dark thoughts due to overwhelming fear.

She wanted to be angry because Yvo informed her too late, but she also understood the situation. Perhaps Javier didn't want to tell her because he knew how she would react.

She understood, but she was still hurt.

“You knew about it, didn’t you? You knew that my brother was sick, didn’t you?” Jamilah questioned Yvo.

Yvo couldn't answer Jamilah's questions. He didn't know what to say to her, so he just kept looking in another direction as tears welled up in his eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I’m his sister. I’m the only sister he has in this world.”

Yvo swallowed the painful lump in his throat but it didn’t help him ease the pain in his heart.

“He didn’t want you to know. I felt the same way.”

“Damn it,” Jamilah muttered and finally sank on the floor.

“How could I not notice anything? He notices that something’s when I just have a small fever. My brother notices even small changes in me. How could I not have noticed anything until he became this sick?”

In an instant, Jamilah burst into tears, overwhelmed with guilt and self-blame. She felt guilty because she believed she hadn't been a good and caring sister to Javier, while Javier had always been so careful with her.

She was afraid. She couldn't bear to lose Javier because he was all she had. What would she do if he were gone?

Yvo, now on the verge of tears himself, struggled to hold back his emotions. Like Jamilah, he was also afraid of Javier's fate. He couldn't bear the thought of losing him.

“Simply because he’s your older brother and… you are his younger sister.”

Yvo's words only made Jamilah cry even more.

“Why don’t you go see him inside? I can’t face him now because I may cry,” she said weakly.

With trembling legs, Jamilah stood up and headed towards the door of Javier's room. As she grasped the doorknob, she broke down in tears once again. After a few seconds, she decided to leave.

“Where are you going?” Yvo asked in confusion, but she didn't respond.

“Jamilah!”