Chapter 23
Lina’s voice was flat, cold as ice, every word cutting straight through him and pinning him where he stood.
Kylie’s shout broke right through the locked basement door, sharp and clear!!
“Bruno, you want revenge for her? You’re the one who deserves it most”
His blood seemed to freeze in his veins. Bruno wanted to act like he hadn’t heard, wanted to run, but Lina reached out and touched his cheek, stopping him in his tracks.
A narrow shaft of sunlight slipped in through the tiny window, but it couldn’t chase away the darkness crowding the basement entrance
She pulled her hand away, got up, and walked past him toward the door!!
But her voice followed him, steady and deliberate, each word landing heavy whether he wanted to hear it or not!!
“Bruno, she’s right. If anyone should pay for what happened to me, it’s you. I’ve always been alone, an orphan. People like you never really see people like me. The poor are invisible to you.“?l
“You brought me into your world, you kept me as your girlfriend, but never stopped messing around with others. And you were the one who let them hurt me, again and again.”
Bruno, all of this–every bit–is because of you.”
Bruno didn’t want to believe it!
He wanted to deny it, to say it wasn’t true, to tell her he loved her–but all the memories came crashing back, one after another…
He was back in the past, five years ago, seeing himself snapping at Lina for following him, blaming her for burning Kylie.
He saw himself, when things got dangerous, running straight to someone else without a second thought
He saw himself on stage, playing a duet, while his girlfriend’s hand was broken in the audience–and he hadn’t even noticed. Later, he’d paid off the people who hurt her, protecting them instead.
He saw himself when Kylie and Lina were kidnapped. The kidnappers made them choose who to save, and in front of everyone, he’d chosen to let Lina go.”
Was that love?
Bruno didn’t even know anymore.
Lina’s footsteps echoed as she walked away, each one pounding on his chest, each breath sharp and painful.
Could he really just let her go? He didn’t want to.3
Just as he finally found the nerve to follow her, there was a loud crash at the door!
Then Lina’s voice, suddenly bright with surprise.
“Rylan!”
They hadn’t been apart that long, but in that moment, she almost burst into tears. “Rylan, what took you so long…”
Rylan heard the tremble in her voice and instantly panicked 3
He pulled her into a tight hug, holding her close. Ever since Lina went missing, his heart had been racing–but now, feeling her warmth, he finally let out a breath he’d been holding in.
He gently patted her back, voice soft and soothing. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m sorry. I should’ve found you sooner.
Bruno turned and saw them together.
Last time, he could almost convince himself they were just friends. Not anymore. This time, there was no
vas no more
pretending.X
He just stood there, frozen, feeling like his feet were weighed down, unable to move.
His heart felt empty–a wasteland. He wanted to reach out, but he was too scared
So she really hated him
She really didn’t want him anymore.
Brimo’n sadness barely had time to settle. It wasn’t just Rylan who’d broken in–he’d brought the police with him. “Don’t movel Police
Maybe it was the sounds they’d heard from the basement, or maybe just instinct, but even though Bruno was alone, every officer was Instantly on guard
