Inferno Hearts | Xu Minghao

6. In the Embrace of Darkness

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

𝓛𝓪𝓷𝓪 𝓓𝓮𝓵 𝓡𝓮𝔂- 𝓻𝓪𝓭𝓲𝓸

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

Minghao's POV:

Waking from a restless slumber, I find myself haunted by a singular image—the face of the person responsible for the untimely demise of my beloved sister. Despite the lingering effects of last night's drink, this memory remains vivid and unyielding, fueling my determination to seek justice.
In the depths of despair, I find myself engulfed, struggling to breathe as the realization sets in that my sister's murderer now lies in my very own basement. The weight of this burden threatens to drown me, and each breath becomes a painful reminder of the turmoil within.

I am left grappling with the inconceivable truth: how could a person with such an innocent face be capable of such a heinous act? The mystery surrounding her actions remains utterly inexplicable, adding yet another layer of complexity to this already unbearable situation.

"Can't believe," I thought, as I try to make sense of the unimaginable. The weight of this shocking revelation bears down on me, leaving me lost in a sea of disbelief and confusion.

"Fuck!"

Third POV:

Driven by a storm of anger and frustration, he makes a resolute decision to confront the truth head-on, descending into the basement in search of clarity. The only individual who possesses the answers he desperately seeks is Nabi—the very person responsible for his sister's death. In a tense and chilling encounter, he hopes to find enlightenment amid the darkness that surrounds him.

Enduring the weight of life's hardships, Nabi found solace in her unwavering resolve to emerge stronger from each trial she encountered. Despite the obstacles, she persevered, recognizing that survival demanded a formidable inner strength. However, beneath her resilient exterior, lay the scars of past traumas, reminding us of the profound challenges she has bravely confronted along the way.

As the door swung wide open, Nabi's heart skipped a beat, for she recognized the silhouette standing in the shadows. The figure before her bore a familiar aura, and with an undeniable certainty, she knew exactly who it was.

"Happy to see me again?", he ironically spat.

Terrified of the consequences that any spoken word might bring, Nabi chose to keep her lips sealed, knowing that her life hung in the balance. Her silence, though, only seemed to fuel Minghao's frustration, and as tears welled up in her eyes, he let out a weary sigh. The tension in the air was palpable, and she braced herself for whatever might come next.

As Nabi's breathing grew louder, the heightened tension did not escape Minghao's notice. He sensed the tense in her body and noticed signs that hinted at her struggles with panic attacks. 

He mockly laughed.

"You may have problemes with breathing or whatever but I also have anger issues. So start talking before I decided to make you so," he spat, Minghao's dark eyes relentlessly searched for Nabi's scared gaze.

Nabi's voice quivered with fear as she whispered, "W-what do you want from me? I wanna go home, please. Set me free." Her words carried the weight of desperation, and tears streamed down her cheeks, betraying her overwhelming emotions.

"Set you free? Are you fucking kidding me? Why the fuck i will let you leave when i searched for you for fucking years?!", he shouted.

As Nabi's cries echoed through the room, Minghao's expression hardened. He couldn't afford to let his guard down.

"Enough with the tears," Minghao said, trying to maintain a semblance of authority. "You brought this upon yourself by killing my fucking sister for fuck's sake and I won't let you go until I make you paid for your sin."

Nabi completely stoped crying hearing the acussations. "Kill your sister? I am not capable of such a heinous act!", she screamed at him. That was the first time he heard her shouting.

Minghao's face hardened further at Nabi's accusation, his anger burning beneath the surface. "Don't you dare play innocent!" he shot back, his voice seething with rage. "I have evidence that you're involved in it, and I won't rest until I get the truth."

Minghao's jaw tightened as he weighed her words against the evidence he believed he had. He couldn't ignore the possibility that he might be wrong, but years of hatred and rivalry made it difficult to trust her.

"How can you abduct me, hurt me physically and blame me for such a thing!?" she said.

Nabi's words only fueled Minghao's anger further, and he clenched his fists tightly, struggling to contain the urge to lash out. "You think you can manipulate your way out of this?" he spat back, his voice dripping with fury.

His control slipping, Minghao fought the overwhelming desire to unleash his rage on the room. He knew that destroying everything wouldn't solve anything, but the pent-up frustration threatened to consume him.

"Oh, you expect me to believe a stranger like you over the person who cared for me for years, the one who was like a mother to me and my sister, whom you took away from me? And your own father? The same man who betrayed you? Did you really think I wouldn't find you, no matter how well he hid you away huh?"

Minghao's words felt like daggers, reopening old wounds, and the mention of her father left Nabi frozen in shock.

In the suffocating silence that followed, Nabi felt a chilling numbness wash over her. The mention of her father had unleashed a torrent of dark memories, replaying like a horror movie in her mind. The pain she had buried deep within resurfaced, threatening to consume her once again.

She stood there, frozen, as if time had stopped, unable to escape the haunting grasp of her past. The reality that she was now face-to-face with the man who had shattered her life years ago was almost unbearable.

Crying was no longer an outlet for her pain; it felt like an insignificant response to the overwhelming darkness that surrounded her. There was no turning back, and the sense of impending doom weighed heavily on her heart.

As Minghao observes Nabi's reaction, his confusion deepens, and he remains cautious in his approach. He is not trying to be friendly with her, but his curiosity is piqued by her unexpected response. He wonders if she genuinely didn't know about her father's betrayal, or if there's a more complex truth hidden beneath the surface.

Why would she react like that? Did she not know about her own father's betrayal? Or maybe it's something else? Something that Minghao can't even imagine.

Realizing there was no going back, Nabi's voice quivered, barely audible as she whispered slowly, her words laden with bitter despair and an inexplicable fear that Minghao couldn't comprehend. Her eyes bore into his, revealing a depth of pain and vulnerability he hadn't expected. Minghao's guarded demeanor softened for a fleeting moment, a glimmer of empathy breaking through.

"Kill me, please."

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

to be continued...