The Gangster Princess

Epilogue

"Even stars burn out but some leave behind a light that never fades."

The world was silent.

But not the peaceful kind. It was the silence that comes before the end.

I could feel it - my body slowly giving up. Breathing was like inhaling through a cracked straw. My chest felt heavy. My limbs numb. But my heart? My heart was still screaming. For him.

For Reid.

The fluorescent lights above me were harsh - too white, too cold, like they were mocking the warmth slowly leaving my body.

I couldn't move. Not even my fingers.

Everything felt heavy, like I was sinking into a bed of wet cement. My limbs refused to listen, and every breath came like a struggle against time itself. But I wasn't scared of dying.

I was scared of not seeing him again.

My eyes fluttered open, blurred and disoriented. I saw shadows - people rushing, machines beeping, wires everywhere. Something cold was taped to my skin, and the scent of alcohol and iron stung my nose.

Chaos swirled around me.

But none of it mattered.

Where was Reid?

I wanted to speak, but my throat burned. I couldn't form his name, couldn't call out for him. My lips parted slightly, trembling. My vision tried to focus, but the world kept spinning.

Please... let me see him. Just one last time.

Somewhere outside this cold room, I felt something shift in the air - like the wind carried a scream that never reached my ears. A disturbance. A pain I couldn't explain. It was as if my soul knew... something was wrong.
I forced my body to respond.

Kaya mo 'to, Aisha... lumaban ka... please...

I felt it in my soul. As if a string inside me snapped - the one tying me to him.

"Reid..." I whispered, barely a breath.

I tried to move. To sit up. To scream. To fight death just one more time.

But my body didn't listen.

I was trapped - a prisoner in my own skin, slowly fading. Dying.

My arms refused to lift.

All I could do was listen.

Muffled voices. Urgent footsteps. The distant crash of something breaking - glass? A door?

Then shouting.

A familiar one.

It's that BST? My siblings?

My heart raced. Something in her voice sliced through me - desperation, fury, grief. My lungs screamed for air, my chest tightening like someone had clenched it with both hands.

Something was happening.

Something terrible.

And I couldn't do anything.

☽ a//z ☾

It was the first time I'm with him in the underground battle with his-cocky smirk, unruly hair, that arrogant glint in his eyes. I hated him.

Or... that's what I told myself.

I remembered the way he used to tease me endlessly, calling me "Princess" in that mocking voice, like my pride was a game to him. I'd glare, roll my eyes, threaten to break his nose. But he never stopped. And somewhere along the way I stopped wanting him to.