I Took the Fall, He Took His Life

The moment I saw the sniper's scope aimed at Timoteo, I threw myself forward without thinking.

The force of the impact sent me flying, crashing into Timoteo's arms.

I could hear my own breath, heavy and ragged in my chest. Every lungful of air tasted like blood.

Timoteo's body stiffened at once.

"Fina?"

His arm instinctively tightened around me, trying to catch my slipping form.

The pain was so intense that the world blurred before my eyes, but I struggled to raise my head and look at his face.

I had known this face for 12 years and loved it for just as long. Today, I finally let go for good.

Timoteo's pupils dilated in shock, and his arm holding me shook uncontrollably. His Adam's apple bobbed, as if he wanted to say something.

"Timoteo, help me!" Nadia, tear-streaked and trembling, looked at him desperately.

His body tensed, and his eyes flashed with a painful conflict.

One was me—the one who had been by his side for 12 years. The other was Nadia—the first love he had once lost and now regained.

His hesitation lasted only a moment, but to me, it felt like the entirety of the 12 years I'd been discarded.

Timoteo took off his jacket and pressed it onto my wound. His voice was a panicked blur of command and comfort as he said, "Fina, hang in there! I'll be back soon, I promise!"

With the last bit of strength I had left, I reached out and grabbed him. "I want that necklace to stay with me. Can I have it?"

He tore the necklace off and shoved it into my hand. Without even a glance back, he ran toward Nadia.

He didn't even leave anyone behind to protect me.

I clenched the necklace, my gaze hard and final.

Did Timoteo still expect me to believe in him?

When he came back, he would either send me to prison or let me bleed out, so Nadia could finally be at ease.

I decided to end it here.

Since Timoteo had saved my life, I should repay him this way.

With great difficulty, I began crawling toward the window at the back.

Behind me, I heard Luca's urgent shout. "Ms. Liberi, don't move! Don Panno wants you to wait for him!"

Wait?

I'd never wait again.

With my last ounce of strength, I hauled myself out of the window.

Outside, a seaside cliff loomed. The ocean gale roared into my mouth and lungs. The sea below was a violent surge of waves, dark and bottomless.

I turned one last time to look at the chaotic crowd, almost imagining Timoteo rushing toward me.

He taught me how to shoot, how to kill, and how to be ruthless, but he never taught me how to stop loving him or forgive myself.

I released my grip on the rocks and let my body fall backward into the tumultuous sea below.

The moment the water engulfed me, the world grew quiet.

This was for the best.

From this moment on, we owed each other nothing.