Chapter 5 - The Crossroads

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Through the narrow slats of the closet door, I watched the glow of tactical flashlights sweep across my ruined bedroom. I pulled up the mansion's master control app on my cracked phone, switching to the hallway cameras to see if Adrien was coming.

The screen flickered, showing the grand second-floor intersection.

There he was. Adrien. He was bleeding from a cut on his forehead, his tuxedo jacket gone, a customized pistol gripped in his hand. He was flanked by two loyal guards, moving frantically toward my wing.

Hope, bright and desperate, flared in my chest.

He’s coming. He’s coming to save us.

I watched him touch his earpiece, his face contorting in sudden shock.

"What do you mean she's secure?" Adrien barked into his comms.

I couldn't hear the response, but I knew who was giving it. Victor. Victor was feeding him lies from the security room.

"Are you sure?" Adrien yelled over the gunfire. He looked down the left corridor—the path to my room. Then he looked down the right corridor—the path to the south wing, where Simone was trapped.

"Adrien!" I screamed, hoping my voice would carry through the burning walls, but the roar of the fire swallowed my cries.

On the screen, Adrien hesitated. The choice was agonizing, tearing him apart in real-time. But the voice in his ear gave him the final push. Believing I was already safe in a panic room, he turned his back on my hallway.

He raised his gun and sprinted down the right corridor. He chose Simone.

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I stared at the screen as he disappeared from view, the betrayal acting as a physical blow to my chest. He was running away from me. From his son. The pain in my abdomen doubled, sharp and blinding.

I looked down. Blood was soaking through my designer dress, pooling on the closet floor.