Absolution | +18

Chapter 55

Val

Bang –

The deafening sound of the gunshot pierced through the darkness, reverberating off the cellar walls like a monstrous heartbeat, echoing in my skull. It was a thunderous crack that shattered the silence, twisting my insides with a jolt of terror. In that fleeting moment, time seemed to slow, stretching into an eternity filled with dread.

I blinked, trying to comprehend the chaos around me, but the world was a blur, my heart racing with confusion and fear. The sharp tang of gunpowder filled the air, mixing with the dampness of the cellar, and all I could focus on was the profound silence that followed the shot—a silence heavy with dread and uncertainty.

Then came the sudden thud that broke the stillness, pulling my gaze upward. My breath hitched in my throat as I focused on Silas, standing there before me, his back turned to me, the gun still raised in his hand. My heart pounded in my chest as I processed the scene unfolding before me.

Silas faced my mother, his posture tense, a blend of fury and despair radiating from him. I could see the muscles in his shoulders tightening, the grip on the gun unsteady, yet determined. The light in the room flickered, casting long shadows that danced ominously against the stone walls, adding to the surreal atmosphere enveloping us.

In an instant, the men at the door rushed Silas. Chaos erupted as the sound of bones cracking and fists colliding filled the air. Silas fought them off with raw strength and desperation, his movements precise yet labored. He was already hurt, his body clearly battered, and I could see the strain in each movement as he struggled against the weight of his injuries. He couldn't keep doing this.

I winced as I watched, helplessly suspended, chains biting into my wrists, my own wounds throbbing with a dull ache. But amid the confusion and pain, something didn't add up.

Why didn't he shoot me?

My eyes drifted to my mother, now crumpled on the floor, blood pooling around her from the bullet wound in her stomach. She clutched her abdomen, her breaths labored, her face twisted in a mixture of disbelief and agony.

Why didn't he shoot me? I'm the cause of his suffering. All the things she had told him, the rage he had felt, and still... why?

As Silas finished off the last man with a swift, brutal strike, sending him crashing to the ground unconscious, he immediately turned to me. His chest heaved with exhaustion, but his eyes—those fierce, dark eyes that had been filled with so much hatred—were now flooded with something else entirely. Something I hadn't expected.

He rushed toward me, dropping the gun to the floor with a clatter. His hands moved with urgency, unchaining my arms. The instant my wrists were freed, my body gave out, weakened from the agony and exhaustion, but Silas caught me in his arms, holding me as if I were the most fragile thing in the world.

"Val," he breathed, his voice hoarse but filled with warmth. He gently lowered me to the ground, cradling my head in his lap as he leaned over me, his hands trembling as they carefully inspected my wounds.

I winced as pain shot through me, but all I could focus on was the look in his eyes. Gone was the hatred, the anger that had once burned there. Instead, there was something softer, something I thought I'd never see again—love. Tenderness. It confused me, shook me to my core.

"Why?" I managed to whisper through the haze of pain, my voice fragile and broken. "Why would you save me? I'm the reason... I'm the cause of all this."

His gaze softened, his thumb brushing gently across my cheek as he shook his head. "No, Val. You're not. You never were."

Tears welled up in my eyes, a flood of emotions threatening to break me. I had been so sure that I was to blame for everything—for his sister, for the chaos in our lives, for all the hurt we had endured. But here he was, his warmth enveloping me, telling me that I wasn't the monster I had believed myself to be.