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If only it were that simple.
"Sasuke, please," Julia continued, her voice barely audible. "Give him a chance." Julia's voice was softer now, but her words carried a weight of conviction.
How could she still have any hope in this man's humanity? She was strapped to a chair covered in blood, her hair chopped off, and bruises blossoming on her skin. She should want him dead, and yet she was begging for mercy on his behalf.
The feeling twisted in my chest. How could she be so compassionate and so stupid? People like Harris didn't deserve pity. All he deserved was to die for what he'd done.
I was torn from my thoughts by a shooting pain in my side. The cold sting of a blade sank between my ribs, and I let out an anguished shout.
The impact knocked me sideways, sending a wave of pain crashing through me. My vision blurred, the world fading into a hazy gray fog.
"Nice try, asshole," Harris grunted, panting heavily. "But it won't end that easily."
He pressed the tip of the knife deeper, and I arched in agony, struggling to stay conscious. My grip on the gun slackened, and I fought to maintain control. Blood oozed steadily from the gruesome wound, soaking my shirt and staining the carpet beneath me.
"No!" Julia screamed.
The sound of her voice woke me up enough to act. With a flick of my wrist, I used all of my remaining strength to hold the gun to his chest and pull the trigger. The sound reverberated through the room, ringing in my ears as his warm blood splattered against my face.
Harris staggered back, clutching the hole in his chest, his eyes open wide in disbelief.
I watched his face contort into a grimace of disbelief, followed by a slow acceptance of his fate. His fingers loosened their grip on the knife, which slipped from his lifeless hand to land with a dull thud on the bloodstained carpet. The smell of death lingered in the air, thick and oppressive.
"I thought we could turn things around," I said softly, the gun still pointed at Harris's corpse. "But sometimes, you just have to accept the facts. Some people, like Harris, are beyond redemption. He didn't want to be saved."
I could hear the darkness in my own voice, but it was too late. The words had escaped my mouth, carrying with them a heaviness that threatened to suffocate me. I hated myself for speaking them aloud, for voicing such harshness in front of Julia.
Her eyes widened, reflecting the sorrowful truth. There was nothing more to say. I was numb, paralyzed by my own icy resolve. Even the pulsating pain in my side seemed mutedcompared to the overwhelming feeling of regret washing over me.
I managed to crawl over to Julia and release her from her binds. My blood-stained hands shook as I struggled with the knots.
"Sasuke!" She gasped. "Stop, you're losing so much blood."
"You need to get out of here," Sasuke said. "Police are probably already on their way." I croaked, tasting the metallic tang of blood in the air.
"No, I won't leave you!"
"Don't worry about it. I know good lawyers. If I survive, I'll be fine."
"Sasuke!"
My vision faded into black.
Chapter nineteen
Julia
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The rhythmic beeping ofmedical equipment broke the overbearing silence of the hospital room.
Sasuke lay on the bed, the sterile bandages wrapped around his torso, obscuring the dark stain of dried blood. He had lost a lot of blood during the altercation with Harris, but thanks to the quick intervention of the paramedics, he had survived.
I sat in the chair beside his bed with a blanket wrapped around my shoulders, waiting for him to wake up.
The doctors told me that he would recover, but it would take some time. The wound in his side was deep but not fatal. Still,it required surgery to fix. I wanted to hold his hand, but I was too scared to touch him. I wanted to tell him how sorry I was for getting him involved in this mess, but I couldn't find the words.
We sat in silence for a while until I noticed that he was awake. His eyes were open, staring at the ceiling above him. He turned his head slightly and saw me sitting there. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
