A heart-wrenching tale of sacrifice, love, and fate. It follows Lada and Earn as they navigate a world of secrets and danger, where every decision comes with a price.
Against the backdrop of crime, betrayal, and a love that never truly died, Earn m...
Summary: In a field of lily of the valley, love transcends beneath the endless warmth of the sun.
Playlist for the AU: My Love Mine All Mine by Mitski
Author's Note: This chapter contains some emotionally intense scenes that might be challenging for some readers. If you'd prefer a softer ending, you can choose to stop at Chapter 8 and consider that the end of the story.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
------------------------------- The van hits them out of nowhere, the force slamming into Earn's side of the car. Everything is chaos—metal crunching, glass shattering, the car veering off the road, throwing them against their seats. Behind them, Tan, Bow, Suzie, and their security detail react immediately—radios crackling to life, shouts of alarm breaking through the air as their vehicles come to a screeching halt.
For a moment, everything is darkness—a haze that blurs sound and movement. The security team scrambles to assess the situation, their voices muffled in Earn's ears. There's a ringing in her ears, drowning out all other sounds. She struggles to focus, her mind a jumble of confusion and panic. The car comes to a jarring stop, the seat belt cutting into her shoulder. She tries to unbuckle it, but her hands are trembling, her fingers fumbling over the clasp.
"N'Earn." Lada's voice cuts through the haze, sharp and urgent. Earn blinks, her vision clearing just enough to see Lada reaching across the seat. Blood trickles down Lada's forehead, but her gaze is steady. Her fingers are strong, sure, as they unbuckle Earn's seatbelt, her other hand moving to cup Earn's face. "We have to go. Now."
Earn nods, dazed, her body sluggish as Lada pulls her from the car. They stumble out together, Earn feeling every inch of her body scream in protest, her ribs aching. Nearby, Tan and Bow are helping Suzie out of their own vehicle, the security detail spreading out, scanning the vineyard for any further threat. The world around them is blurred—shouts, footsteps, movement that she can barely comprehend.
They weave through the vineyard, the ground uneven beneath their feet. The scent of crushed leaves and earth fills Earn's nose, the sharp tang mixing with the metallic taste of fear in her mouth. She tries to focus on Lada's voice, on the steady pressure of Lada's hand around her wrist, pulling her forward.
They make it to a small clearing, the grapevines thinning around them, when Earn hears it—a sound that makes her blood run cold. Footsteps, quick and purposeful, followed by a shout. She turns her head, her heart stuttering in her chest as she sees the masked figure, the gun aimed at them.
There's no time to think, no time to react. Lada moves before Earn can even register what's happening—her body turning, shoving Earn away. Earn stumbles, her feet catching on the uneven ground, and she falls, her hands scraping against the dirt.
The gunshot echoes through the vineyard, loud and final.
-------------------------------
Lada's world fractured in an instant—the gunshot rang out, and pain seared through her body like a hot blade. It was strange, the way the world seemed to narrow down to that single point of agony, everything else fading into the background. The force of it knocked her off balance, her knees giving way beneath her. She felt herself falling, her body crumpling to the ground as her legs folded. The air around her felt impossibly cold, despite the rising sun warming the horizon.
