I didn't choose her, my heart did

The confrontation

Keira's POV: 

The man in front of us smiled coldly, as if he knew exactly how powerless I felt. "Keira, I have to say, you've kept this hidden longer than I expected. But you knew this moment would come."

My heart pounded in my chest, and the air suddenly felt heavier. Lucy looked at me, her eyes full of questions—and, worse, a growing anger.

"Keira," she said, her voice low but sharp. "What is this? Who is he?"

I swallowed, my throat feeling dry. "Luce, I..." I didn't know where to start. Everything seemed to be swirling in my head.

The man took a step forward. "You need to tell her everything, Keira. If you don't, I will. And believe me, my version of the story is not in your favor."

Lucy abruptly turned to him. "Tell what, exactly? What is this game?"

The man just grinned. "Ask her. But you won't be happy with the answer."

_

The world seemed to stand still for a moment. The only sounds were the whistling of the wind and the soft rustling of leaves in the alley. I could feel Lucy's eyes burning into me, and it was as if my heart was breaking into a thousand pieces under her gaze.

"Luce," I began softly, but my voice broke.

Lucy's gaze sharpened. "Keira, this is not the time to hesitate. What have you done?"

I took a deep breath, and the words finally came out of my mouth. "I know him... He knows something about me—something I didn't want anyone to know."

Lucy frowned. "What? What does he know?"

I could hardly get it over my lips, but I knew I had to say it. "He knows that I'm gay."

The words hung in the air, heavy and immovable. Lucy's eyes widened, not so much in shock, but in confusion. "Wait a minute. Is this all because of that? Because you didn't want people to know that you're into women?"

The man laughed, a low and sneering sound. "It's not just about that, Lucy. Keira here has tried everything to keep that secret. Including paying people like me to stay quiet."

Lucy's gaze shot back to me, now filled with disbelief. "Is that true? Did you really... pay to hide this?"

I felt my eyes burning with tears, but I could no longer lie. "Yes," I whispered. "I was scared. I thought that if it came out, it would ruin my career. I didn't want my family, my team, anyone... to know."

Lucy's breathing quickened. "So you've been lying to me all this time. While I thought we... that we were being honest together."

_

"Luce, please," I pleaded, taking a step towards her. "I wanted to protect you. I was just scared—"

"Protect?" she repeated, her voice trembling with anger. "Keira, that's not protection. That's protecting yourself. And in the meantime, you made me think we were building something, while you didn't even trust me with this."

The man was still grinning, clearly enjoying the drama unfolding before his eyes. "Oh, this is better than I expected. See, Lucy? Keira isn't as perfect as she seems."

Lucy's head shot in his direction. "And who are you to say that?" she snapped. "You're nothing but a coward using her for money."

His grin faded for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "Maybe. But that doesn't change the fact that she has lied to you and everyone around her."

I could see the anger on Lucy's face, but also something else. Pain. And it hurt more than anything he could say to me.

_

Lucy turned around and started running away. "I can't do this, Keira. I need time."

"Lucy, wait!" I shouted as I went after her. But at that moment, I heard a loud click—the sound of a gun being cocked.

"Neither of you are going anywhere," the man said, his tone suddenly freezing. He aimed the gun at us, and my blood clotted.

"What do you think you're doing?" Lucy asked, her voice now low and threatening.

"You can't just walk away. Keira promised me something, and I'm here to make sure she keeps her word."

"You've had enough of me already," I said, my voice trembling but determined. "I'm done with you."

The man laughed briefly. "Done with me? Oh no, Keira. You're just getting started. If you think you're just going to get out of here, you're wrong."

_

Lucy stepped forward, her posture determined. "Listen," she said. "If you think this is the way to get your way, you're wrong. You've hurt her enough already. Just let this go."

The man looked at her for a moment, as if considering what she was saying. But then he pointed the gun at her, and my heart almost stopped.

"Lucy!" I shouted, stepping instinctively between them. "Leave her alone. This is between you and me."

The man smiled coldly. "That's right. But she's part of this story now, whether you want her to be or not."

Lucy's eyes shot to me, and I saw the panic in them. "Keira, what are you doing? Go away!"

But I stood my ground. I couldn't let her fall victim to my mistakes.

_

Just then, before anyone could do anything, I heard the sound of sirens in the distance. The man cursed, his grip on the weapon hesitant for a moment. But in that brief second, something happened that I never expected.

Lucy grabbed my hand and pulled me behind her.

'You've caused enough trouble,' she said coldly, keeping her gaze on him.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and the world seemed to stand still again. What had Lucy done? And how was it possible that she had prepared this?

The man turned to face her, a look of pure anger on his face. And then another bang sounded.