36
Those years were hard. Reik and I lived in a damp basement, sharing a single bowl of rice. Survival itself was a struggle. Reik did whatever it took, used whoever he had to.
But he would never, ever hurt me.
He supported me, sent me to school. I told him countless times that tuition was too expensive, that I could work and earn money with him.
But Reik would just wrap his scarred arms around me and hold me tight.
“No,” he’d say
It was the only time he ever said “no” to me.
The dream brought back all the emotions of that time. The constant worry, the suffocating anxiety. My entire heart was tied to Reik. I was terrified he would come home with new injuries. Terrified he would disappear for weeks on end. Terrified he was walking into an abyss, all while hiding it from me.
The year I got into college, Reik’s career took a major turn. After years of biding his time, he overthrew the head of a major syndicate and took his place at the top.
By then, we no longer had to worry about money. During my college years, I tried to persuade him many times to leave that world behind. I told him I would be able to work and earn money soon. I told him we didn’t need such a lavish lifestyle. I told him all I wanted was to live a quiet life with him. I didn’t want him to be trapped in the heart of darkness.
Men have a desire to expand their empires. But Reik always respected my wishes above all else.
So the year I graduated from college, he married me. He promised me he would build a legitimate path for us, to spend the rest of our lives together.
But in those years, Reik had made countless enemies
He let others go.
But they would not let him go.
He married me.
And I became a living target
I died in a fire. A fire that was part of a plot, one in which the hero and heroine of this world were involved
