My first crush (COMPLETED)√

Chapter 96: Death is inevitable

"You've played your games long enough."

Patricia's voice echoed through the warehouse like a verdict.

Dust floated in the air from the earlier gunshot, the smell of gunpowder mixing with blood and rust. The single hanging bulb swayed slightly, casting warped shadows across her face. She looked unhinged — mascara slightly smudged, lips curved in something that resembled victory but felt like madness.

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Sharon's POV

My heart nearly stopped when I saw the gun in Patricia's hand.

For a second, I couldn't breathe.

She looked different now. Not just jealous. Not just obsessed.

Unstable.

And capable of anything.

Stephen tightened his grip around me instinctively, but I could feel the tension in his body. Even injured, he stood slightly in front of me — shielding me.

I knew something Patricia didn't.

Stephen never truly married her.

I saw it in his eyes during that video call. The hesitation. The hidden message. The way his jaw tightened when she wasn't looking.

He would never choose her.

"Stephen, Stephen, Stephen..." Patricia sang mockingly, pacing in slow circles, the heels of her shoes clicking sharply against the concrete floor. "Always trying to be the smartest in the room."

She pointed the gun lazily in our direction.

"I knew you were planning something. I knew every move you made. I was watching you."

Stephen smirked despite the blood trailing down his arm.

"Except the part where I faked the marriage. Did you figure that out?"

Her pacing stopped.

The air shifted.

"What?" she breathed.

"Yeah," he continued calmly. "No legal papers. No real priest. No real marriage. You married a performance."

Her face twisted — rage flashing across it like lightning.

"You think this is funny?!"

I couldn't believe he was still provoking her while she had two armed men standing beside her. My palms were slick with sweat. My legs felt weak, but I forced myself to stay upright.

Another man rushed in from the hallway, breathing hard.

"Boss — we're surrounded."

Silence.

The word surrounded hung heavy in the room.

Patricia's eyes darted toward the windows.

"What?"

"Police. Multiple vehicles."

She began pacing faster now, breathing unevenly.

"You tricked me," she hissed at Stephen. "You lured me here."

He didn't deny it.

"Another move you didn't see coming," he said. "It's over, Patricia. Just surrender."

For a split second, something flickered in her eyes.

Fear.

But it vanished just as quickly.