Chapter 7
643 Words
The distant police sirens grew louder fast. Liliana stood frozen in the small cabin, her body still warm from Sebastian’s touch. Fear gripped her throat. “They’re coming for us,” she whispered. “Theodore really did it. He’s framing us.”
Sebastian pulled on his shirt quickly, his face hard with worry. “We have to move. Now.” He grabbed her hand and they ran out the back door into the snowy woods behind the cabin. Their feet sank into the cold snow as they pushed through the trees. Tension made every breath hurt. One wrong move and they would lose everything freedom, money, each other.
They stopped behind a thick group of pine trees, breathing hard. The sirens were very close now. Red and blue lights flashed through the branches. Sebastian peeked out. “Two police cars at the cabin. They’re searching it.”
Liliana leaned against a tree, her heart pounding. The emotional storm inside her grew stronger. “This is all my fault,” she said, voice shaking. “I should have stayed the good wife. Theodore gave me a life when I had nothing. Now I’m a thief in his eyes. And I dragged you into this.”
Sebastian turned to her, eyes full of conflict. “Don’t say that. I chose this too. I chose you. But yes… I feel it. He’s my father. No matter how much he hurt me, part of me still feels sick for destroying him. For sleeping with his wife. For wanting to take his empire.” He punched a tree lightly, snow falling from the branches. “I hate him. But I also hate myself for enjoying this revenge. What kind of son am I?”
Liliana touched his arm. Tears ran down her cold cheeks. “And what kind of wife am I? I married him for security. Now I’m in love with his son. I dream about us running the company together, living in his penthouses, spending his billions. But at night I still feel guilty. Like we’re bad people who don’t deserve happiness.” Her voice cracked. “Do you think we’re monsters, Sebastian? We say we love each other, but are we just using each other to steal power?”
Sebastian pulled her close, holding her tight in the freezing woods. “Maybe we are a little. But he’s worse. He used you. He ignored me my whole life. We deserve the empire. We can run it better. Together.” His words were full of love and darkness. “I can’t lose you, Liliana. Prison would kill me if it means living without you. But if we run now, we become fugitives. If we fight, we risk everything.”
The conflict tore at both of them. Liliana felt love, guilt, ambition, and fear all at once. She wanted Sebastian more than anything. She wanted the power and money too. But the shame of betrayal never left her. “I love you,” she said softly. “That part is real. The rest… I don’t know anymore.”
Sebastian kissed her forehead. “Then we fight smart. We contact my friends on the board. We expose his dirty secrets before he exposes us. We take control.”
They started moving deeper into the woods toward the road, holding hands. The sirens faded a little as they put distance between them and the cabin. For a moment, hope returned.
But then bright headlights cut through the trees ahead. A black car blocked their path. The door opened.
Theodore stepped out, alone, holding a gun in his hand. His face was cold and determined under the moonlight.
“Going somewhere?” he said. “I changed my mind. I’m not sending you to prison. I’m ending this myself.”
He raised the gun and pointed it straight at Sebastian.
- Writer
