I gave Valery one last look full of contempt and heartbreak before walking away. I needed to put some distance between us, to try and process all of this.
But as I was about to leave, Valery grabbed my arm, yanked me back, and wrapped her arm around me, locking me in place. She pressed a gun—one she’d had on her the whole time—against my head.
“I know you’re all going to kill me, but I’m not going alone. I’ll take her with me,” she said, digging the gun harder into my skull.
“I was planning a slow death for you, but now you’re really pissing me off. You’d better not touch a single hair on my wife’s head,” Konflict threatened.
“Or what? You’ll kill me? Go ahead. By the time I’m dead, I’ll have pulled the trigger and your precious wife will be gone with me. Hm, dear little sister, we live together and we die together, right?” she hissed in my ear.
At that moment, all my fear vanished, replaced by a tremendous rage.
“You don’t regret anything? You’re not even going to ask for forgiveness?” I said, bitterness in my voice.
“Why should I? Did anyone ever apologize to me for what Isuffered? Why should I always be the one to do right by others?”
“I was good to you,” Krash said, his voice raw. “I fucking loved you. I wanted a family with you. I guess I made a huge mistake. If this is the ending you choose, then so be it.” He aimed his gun at Valery.
Konflict raised his weapon too. Draven, Kalash, and Kusch followed suit.
“Oooh, look at you, all so eager to shoot me. I’m not afraid to die. But I’ll leave you with something to mourn, because I’m taking Serenity with me,” she taunted, her finger tightening on the trigger.
She didn’t have time to react before I pressed a gun to her stomach and fired. Shock crossed her face as she stumbled back, clutching her bleeding belly. I spun and shot her in the head. Krash and Konflict both put bullets in her head, too. Draven and Kalash each fired two into her chest, near her heart.
Her bullet-riddled body hit the floor at our feet, and with it, all the love I’d ever had for the big sister I thought I knew.
I turned and collapsed into my husband’s arms and he pulled me close, holding me tight.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his hands moving over me, checking that I was really all right. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No, I’m okay, baby.”
Konflict kissed me, pouring all his relief into that kiss. The ordeal had been brutal. I could have lost him. He could have lost me. But we made it through together.
“Get a room. Don’t be fucking in front of us,” Draven called out, his voice teasing.
That guy, no matter the circumstances, never let anything get to him. He always seems relaxed, even in the worst moments.
“By the way, sis, where did you get your gun?” Draven asked, as I stayed wrapped up in Konflict’s embrace.
I turned to him. “Viper. He slipped it into my pocket when hebrought us back to the yacht. I didn’t know why, but I could sense something was off with Valery. I just wanted to be ready.”
“Huh… not bad. He seemed like an interesting guy. I’ve got the feeling we’ll be seeing him again.”
“He held a gun to my wife’s head. Bluff or not, he’ll pay for it,” Konflict growled.
Krash, who had been staring at Valery’s body the whole time, finally turned away and left the yacht without a word.
“Will he be okay?” I asked Konflict softly.
“I hope so. It’ll take him a long time to accept this. He was going to propose to her. It’s not easy to shoot the woman you love. He’ll need time.”
Poor Krash. I couldn’t even imagine his pain. Mine was unbearable because she was like a sister to me. But for Krash, she was the love of his life. It would take time, but I hoped he would heal and find love again someday.
With the nightmare over, Kalash and Kusch took care of disposing of all the bodies that had fallen tonight, while Draven left after hugging us goodbye. I was finally alone with my husband, and I knew if he weren’t here, I’d fall apart.
Konflict took me back to the Korven estate because there was no way we were staying on that yacht after everything that had happened. We both needed to be somewhere calmer and more familiar.
When we arrived home, I felt a little pang in my chest because the last time I was here, Valery had been with me. Memories of her were everywhere, especially from that year of marriage when Konflict wasn’t by my side. I didn’t know how I was going to adjust to this new reality, but I didn’t have a choice.
