The Mafia King's Regret After My Death

I had been with Victor for ten years.

This was the first time he offered to celebrate my birthday.

Excited, I reserved a picturesque lodge overlooking the Mount Hkakabo Razi for a private getaway.

I also had good news to share with him.

Halfway up the winding road, his phone rang.

Leila.

Victor's first love.

The daughter of a notorious gang leader, she was the one he had protected, cherished, and lost when their worlds collided with violence.

And now, she was back.

Victor stiffened the moment he heard her voice, his hand tightening on the wheel.

I held my breath, the pregnancy report trembling in my bag.

"Victor. I can't do this alone. Please, I need you."

His grip on the wheel grew ironclad.

I waited.

He didn't hang up. He didn't slow down.

"Victor, I."

"Ariya!"

Victor slammed the brakes, the car lurching to a violent stop.

"Get out," he said, his voice cold and clipped.

"Victor, you promised we'd spend today together," I whispered, trying to steady my trembling hands.

"Get out!" he barked.

I stepped out, the crumpled pregnancy report slipping from my hand as his car sped off, leaving me alone on the mountainside.

Victor's car vanished into the distance, leaving me stranded in suffocating darkness.

The night wrapped around me like a noose, cold and merciless.

He knew I feared the dark.

He just never cared.

I fumbled for my phone, my fingers trembling as I tried to call for help.

Then came the voice.

"Out here all alone, pretty girl?"

I turned to run.

A hand shot out of the shadows, grabbing my hair and yanking me back so hard I hit the ground.

"You're not going anywhere."

I screamed.

His laugh was low and mocking, like he enjoyed the sound of my fear.

I kicked, thrashed, clawed at his arms, but he was too strong.

He dragged me deeper into the woods, gravel biting into my skin as I fought to break free.

"Keep screaming. No one's coming," he snarled, slamming me into a tree.

My vision blurred. My phone slipped from my grasp. Desperate, I snatched it up and dialed Victor.

Once.

Twice.

The line was busy.

No answer.

Then. he hung up.

The man's fist collided with my stomach, knocking the air from my lungs.

He threw me to the ground like a rag doll, laughing as I struggled to breathe.

"You look better on your knees."

Tears streamed down my face as I crawled, trying to put distance between us.

"Run all you want," he taunted, picking up a jagged rock.

"Makes it more fun for me."

I stumbled forward, tripping over roots, my legs giving out as he loomed closer.

The rock struck my head, sending a searing pain down my temple.

Blood dripped into my eyes, but I kept moving, adrenaline the only thing keeping me upright.

I found a hollow tree and crawled inside, shaking as I typed a message to Victor.

"Help me."

But my finger froze over the send button.

Leila's post appeared on my screen.

"In my darkest moment, you always come to me. Thank you, Victor, for being there."

Victor had hung up on me-for her.

Ten years of devotion turned to ash in an instant.

"Victor, let's end this."

"Fine."

One word.

One word that broke me.

"Found you," the man growled, his cruel grin shining in the moonlight.

He reached into his jacket, pulling out a knife.

"Let's make this last."