Chapter Seventy-Four: A Thousand Unspoken Things
677 Words
-----Helen's POV-----
The moment Axton kicked the door in, Helen forgot how to breathe.
He looked like a war god—smoke clinging to his clothes, blood streaked on his hands, rage carved into the lines of his face. But when his eyes landed on her, something changed.
He froze.
And in that stillness, she saw it.
The horror.
The guilt.
The love.
“Axton! Don’t let him—please—!” she screamed, choking on the straps around her wrists.
Her heart hammered in her chest. Every second felt like it stretched into a lifetime.
Luca was still there. Standing near the table like this was just another boardroom meeting. Calm. Calculated. With a f*****g camera.
He smiled.
“Ah. Finally.”
Helen trembled, her tears spilling freely now. She’d tried to be strong—for the girls, for the baby, for herself. But the look in Axton’s eyes stripped her down to something raw. Something real.
Axton didn’t move fast.
He didn’t lunge.
He stepped inside like death walking on two legs.
Luca raised a hand, casual. “Not so fast. Let’s talk first.”
Helen’s throat clenched.
Luca moved like he had time. Like he was still in control.
“You don’t want to kill me too quickly,” he said smoothly. “Don’t you want to know why?”
Axton didn’t answer. His expression didn’t change.
“I mean,” Luca went on, “you clearly care. You stalked her like a lovesick lunatic for years. Watched her. Hunted her. Protected her without her even knowing. That’s what made it delicious, you know? Knowing I was watching you… watching her.”
The words hit Helen like a slap.
Stalked me?
She couldn’t process it. It didn’t make sense. Not with how tender he’d been. Not with how safe she felt. How loved.
“She was supposed to be a lesson,” Luca continued, his voice rising with his theatrics. “You took from me. Jason? He was mine. A pawn, sure, but he was useful. He owed me. And you slaughtered him like an animal. For her.”
Jason.
Jason was dead?
And Axton—
Her eyes flew to him.
His hands didn’t move.
His jaw was stone.
Her ex was gone. The father of her children. The man who broke her.
And Axton had ended him?
“I should’ve killed her weeks ago,” Luca sneered. “But then I realized—no, no… that’s not the way. If I kill her, you’ll just mourn. Move on. But if I show you what almost happened? If I make you feel it?”
He turned the camera.
Helen flinched.
“See this? I didn’t touch her. But you won’t be able to unsee it. You’ll never know how far it went. That’s the genius of it.”
Axton stepped forward.
Luca raised a knife to her throat. “I’ll do it. I swear.”
Helen wanted to scream. She wanted to move. She wanted to wake up.
But all she could do was stare at Axton.
Waiting.
Trusting.
“You know what you are?” Luca said. “You’re the devil that forgot he was born in hell. You wear love like it’s armor, but underneath, you’re just me with a prettier mask.”
Axton didn’t blink.
Luca leaned closer to her.
“You could’ve been mine, sweetheart. Jason tried to sell you cheap. But I saw the shine. I wanted to taste it. I would’ve made you scream just to hear him howl.”
Helen sobbed.
And then—
Axton’s gun was out.
Still silent.
Still controlled.
Luca raised his hands mockingly. “Go ahead. Kill me. But you’ll always wonder—was it a bluff? Was she touched?”
She couldn’t take it.
Her voice cracked as she whispered, “I’m okay, Axton. I’m okay. Please…”
She didn’t know why she said it. Maybe to calm him. Maybe to calm herself.
But he moved.
Like lightning.
Like vengeance.
And Helen watched as the devil tried to run.
Too late.
- Writer
