The Death of Me | A mafia story

Chapter 60 - Our Story Ends Here

"We all have a bit of a villain, a victim, and a hero from time to time."

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At the day of the incident...

PART TWO

05:30 am
Emma's POV

Fear.

Fear is shackles, it is a knife in the gut slowly twisted, it is a constant hammer on the head.

Yet fear is also just an illusion, but not an amusing one brought about by a conjuring trick. It's like the ghosts of a child's nightmare - a fragment of our own imagination. A lie.

Whenever fear and I crossed paths, I walked with confidence right past it.

For years and years, I didn't feel it because I believed that there is nothing to fear but fear itself.

But all of that changed now.

All my defenses evaporated as my eyes locked down with his. They were a deep, earthy brown - the color of the earth after torrential rains.

He smiles at me. It is soft, so soft, a contradiction with the cruelty in his eyes.

"Emma," He whispers, my name parts his lips ever so gently. He was never gentle.

The fear sits quietly, eroding the person I was born to be. What starts as a contortion of my stomach becomes a feeling of being smothered by an invisible hand. I stay silent, unable to form words. I never thought I'd see him again, I never thought I'd have to worry about his existence anymore.

He steps closer to me and all I want is to step away but the wall behind my back stops me. My breathing becomes erratic, deep, then shallow. I fight it. I fight the feeling as my body writhes to be free or shut down entirely.

"God, look at you, you are all grown up now," He comments, his smile is still there as his hand reaches for my arm. I almost gasp when he touches it. I am having a really hard time accepting this...how is, how is he alive?

I pull my arm back, letting go of his hold. He doesn't seem affected as his eyes roam around the yacht before they settle back on me, "You should get out of here," He says, his tone turning serious, "It's only minutes before this whole thing collapses."

He extends his hand toward me, "Come with me," My eyes drop to his hand and I stay glued in my spot. Unable to speak and unable to move. He takes into a deep breath, "Look Emma, a war is coming," He says and my mind starts to fail, like an engine that turns over and over, never kicking into action. I couldn't formulate a single thought, "And I am gonna need you by my side, daughter," His brow quirks, "All the training you went through won't go to waste."

My jaw tightens, "I know you are here to save your brother but be smarter than this," He says, "That kid is a failure, you're stronger than him, you're smarter." He smiles again, "Together, you and I, we can do anything."

My gaze drifts to his extended hand and I silently shake my head. I never felt weak before, but now that weakness takes a grip over my inside, stripping my strength away.

He nonchalantly shrugs and retreats his hand, "It's your choice," He backs away, "But I believe in you, you're a survivor, you'll save yourself, you'll get out of here," He gives me a very familiar look, "I won't force you, because you know, if you can't save yourself, then you have no right to be saved."

With that, he turns around and walks away. I press my back against the wall and adrenaline floods my system, It pumps and beats like it's trying to escape. My pulse takes off a sprint and I force myself to breathe.