Burning Paradise

Chapter 20: Dark secrets and lies

Nerya's POV:

As I got ready for work, I felt a sense of optimism washing over me. My mood was good, and I was looking forward to seeing Airs at the office. But as I opened the door, my world came crashing down around me.

There he was, standing on my doorstep, a look of malice in his eyes. Jacob. My heart leaped into my throat as I saw the gun in his hand, pointed directly at me. Fear gripped me like a vice, paralyzing me as he grabbed me and forced me back inside.

He slammed the door shut behind us, his grip on my arm like iron as he pressed the gun against my temple. "Call him," he hissed, his voice low and dangerous. "Call Airs and tell him it's over. Tell him you can't see him anymore."

Tears filled my eyes as I fumbled for my phone, my hands shaking with fear. I knew I had no choice but to do as he said, to protect myself and those I cared about. But the thought of lying to Airs, of breaking his heart, tore me apart inside.

With trembling fingers, I dialed Airs' number, my heart pounding in my chest. As the phone rang, I prayed silently for some miracle, some way out of this nightmare. But deep down, I knew there was no escape. Jacob had me trapped, and I was powerless to stop him.

When Airs answered, his voice filled with warmth and concern, I felt a surge of guilt wash over me. How could I do this to him? How could I lie to him like this? But there was no time for regrets, no room for hesitation.

"And make it believable." He snapped as I felt the gun at the back of my head.

"Airs," I choked out, my voice barely above a whisper. "Was everything just a game to you?"

"No, Vanerya, of course not," There was a pause before he continued talking. "I care about you, more than you know. Why would you ask me that?"

I could hear the pain in his voice as he responded, his words a mixture of confusion and disbelief. But I couldn't bring myself to explain, couldn't find the words to tell him the truth. All I could do was pray that he would understand, that he would forgive me for what I was about to do.

"I don't know, Airs." I felt the gun press against my head again, my heart jumping from its touch. "I just... I think we should stop talking to each other for a while."

"Okay." Again there was a pause and each time it killed me. "Take all the time you need. But just know that I'm here for you, whenever you're ready."

As I hung up the phone, tears streaming down my face, I felt a sense of despair wash over me. I didn't know what the future held, didn't know if I would ever be free from Jacob's grasp.

As Jacob's twisted smile spread across his face, a shiver ran down my spine. The gun in his hand felt like a heavy weight, threatening to crush me under its deadly power. I stood frozen in place, my heart pounding in my chest, as he held the weapon up and began waving it around erratically.

"I could kill you," Jacob's voice was chilling, devoid of any remorse or humanity. Each word dripped with malice, sending a cold shiver down my spine. The realization of the danger I was in hit me like a freight train, paralyzing me with fear.

As he continued to rant, his words became a blur of anger and resentment. He accused me of seeing Airs behind his back, of betraying him in the worst possible way. But his accusations only fueled my defiance. I couldn't let him intimidate me into silence, not anymore.

"I never loved you, Jacob," the words escaped my lips before I could stop them, fueled by a surge of anger and desperation. I had to stand up to him, to make him see that I was not his possession to control.

But my defiance only seemed to enrage him further. In a split second, he raised the gun and fired. The sound of the gunshot reverberated through the room, echoing off the walls like a thunderclap. Pain exploded in my abdomen, searing through me like a white-hot flame. I doubled over, clutching my stomach as blood poured from the wound.

"You shouldn't have said that," Jacob's voice was cold and calculated, devoid of any remorse. His eyes gleamed with a sinister light as he stared down at me, his finger still on the trigger of the gun. In that moment, I realized the true depths of his depravity.

As I lay on the floor, gasping for breath, my mind raced with a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. Fear, pain, anger, and despair all mingled together in a chaotic storm inside me. I thought of Airs, of the life we could have had together if Jacob hadn't intervened. Tears stung my eyes as I wondered if I would ever see him again.

Despite the agony coursing through my body, a fierce determination burned within me. I refused to let Jacob's cruelty break me, to let him win. With every ounce of strength I could muster, I reached for my phone, desperate to call for help. But as I dialed the numbers, my vision began to blur, darkness closing in around me like a suffocating blanket.

In those final moments, as the world faded into oblivion, I whispered a silent prayer for salvation. For justice. For a chance to escape the nightmare that had become my reality. And as consciousness slipped away, I clung to the hope that somehow, someway, I would find a way to survive.

Hours passed before I regained consciousness, my body racked with pain as I slowly opened my eyes. I was lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by beeping machines and sterile white walls. The memories of what had happened flooded back to me, sending a shiver down my spine.

But amidst the pain and fear, there was a glimmer of hope. I had survived. I had defied the odds and lived to see another day. And as I lay there, battered and broken but still alive, I made a silent vow to myself.

I would not let Jacob's cruelty define me. I would not let him win. No matter what it took, I would find the strength to rebuild my life, to reclaim the future that he had tried to steal from me. And as I closed my eyes, drifting back into a fitful sleep.

"Airs.." I called out slowly, he being the only person on my mind and for a split second I swore I saw him.

Maybe it was my imagination, maybe I wanted him to be there so badly that I made him up, but I know I didn't want to die, having my last word been a lie.