CHAPTER 18:SHE CHOSE HIM TOO
977 Words
The steel door burst inward violently.
Smoke flooded the corridor instantly as armed men stormed through the opening.
Anik fired first.
The tunnel exploded into chaos again.
Gunshots flashed through the darkness.
Bodies dropped.
Concrete shattered.
Elara’s heartbeat became deafening inside her ears while Anik moved in front of her like a living shield.
Every bullet aimed toward her—
He intercepted.
Every threat—
He destroyed.
And somehow the most terrifying part wasn’t the violence.
It was how far he was willing to go without hesitation.
Lucien stepped through the broken doorway slowly behind his men, completely calm despite the gunfire around him.
“You’re bleeding badly, Anik.”
Anik shot another attacker without looking away from him.
“I’m still standing.”
“For now.”
Lucien’s eyes shifted toward Elara.
“That girl is killing you faster than I ever could.”
The words hit hard because they felt true.
Anik had changed since meeting her.
Everyone saw it.
His enemies.
Luca.
Even herself.
But the terrifying part?
She didn’t think he regretted it.
Not even now.
Lucien raised his weapon slowly.
“You built an empire by never caring about anyone.”
His voice echoed through the corridor.
“And now look at you.”
Anik’s jaw tightened hard.
“I said move away from her.”
Lucien smiled coldly.
“No.”
Gunfire erupted again instantly.
Anik grabbed Elara and pulled her behind another concrete barrier as bullets ripped through the corridor walls.
The impact threw them both hard against the floor.
Elara gasped as Anik’s arm wrapped tightly around her protectively.
Too tightly.
Because suddenly his body weight dropped heavier against her.
Fear exploded inside her chest.
“Anik?”
No response.
Her pulse spiraled violently.
“Anik!”
He finally lifted his head slightly.
But the second she saw his face—
Cold terror flooded her completely.
He looked pale.
Too pale.
Blood spread rapidly beneath him across the concrete floor.
Another bullet wound.
This one bad.
Very bad.
“No no no…”
Anik forced himself upright again despite obvious pain tearing through him.
“Elara…”
His voice sounded rougher now.
Weak.
And hearing weakness from him terrified her more than anything tonight.
“You’re hurt too badly.”
“I’ve had worse.”
Lie.
This time even he couldn’t make it convincing.
Lucien’s footsteps echoed closer through the smoke-filled corridor.
Slow.
Patient.
Like he already believed he’d won.
“You can’t protect her forever,” Lucien called calmly.
Anik’s eyes darkened murderously.
“Watch me.”
The response came instantly despite the blood loss.
Pure instinct.
Pure obsession.
Elara stared at him in shock.
Because no matter how injured he became—
He still only cared about keeping her alive.
Why?
Why her?
What had she done to become this important to him?
Anik suddenly grabbed her hand tightly.
“You need to leave when I tell you.”
“No.”
His expression sharpened immediately.
“Elara—”
“I’m not abandoning you.”
The words cracked through the tunnel before she could stop them.
Silence followed instantly.
Even Lucien paused briefly several feet away.
Because everyone heard it.
Everyone heard the desperation in her voice.
Anik looked at her carefully.
And for the first time—
Real emotion broke openly across his face.
Not restraint.
Not control.
Love.
Terrifying, undeniable love.
“Elara…”
The way he said her name nearly broke her apart.
Another explosion shook the corridor.
Smoke thickened around them.
Somewhere above, part of the tunnel ceiling cracked loudly.
The entire underground structure was becoming unstable.
Lucien noticed too.
His expression darkened slightly.
“This place is collapsing.”
Anik slowly stood again despite the blood.
Every movement looked painful now.
But he still raised the gun toward Lucien without hesitation.
“You should run.”
Lucien laughed softly.
“You first.”
Then suddenly—
More footsteps echoed from behind Lucien.
Fast.
Urgent.
Luca appeared from the smoke.
“Elara!”
She froze instantly.
Her brother looked disheveled now.
Panicked even.
Not calm like before.
“What are you doing?” Lucien snapped.
Luca ignored him completely, eyes locked on Elara.
“The building’s rigged.”
Cold fear slammed into her chest.
“What?”
Luca stepped closer desperately.
“They’re planning to destroy the entire warehouse.”
The world stopped.
Lucien’s expression turned icy.
“You talk too much.”
Luca looked at Elara again urgently.
“You need to leave now.”
Confusion tore through her instantly.
“You tried to kill me!”
Pain flashed briefly across Luca’s face.
“I was trying to scare you away from him.”
Anik’s expression became lethal.
“You pointed a gun at her head.”
“I know!”
Luca’s voice cracked violently.
“I know, alright?!”
Silence crashed through the tunnel.
Then Luca looked at Anik with visible hatred.
“You ruined everything.”
Anik didn’t even blink.
“She chose to stay.”
The words hit Elara hard enough to steal her breath.
Because he said it with certainty.
Not hope.
Certainty.
Lucien suddenly raised his weapon toward Luca.
Disgust flashing openly across his face.
“Traitor.”
Everything happened too fast.
Luca turned.
Elara screamed.
The gunshot exploded through the tunnel.
Luca staggered backward violently.
Blood spread across his chest instantly.
“Elara…”
His voice broke as he collapsed.
The world tilted sideways.
Her brother hit the concrete hard.
Motionless.
Dead silence followed.
Then something inside Anik finally snapped completely.
The atmosphere around him turned monstrous.
Lucien saw it too.
For the first time all night—
Fear flickered across his face.
Because the man staring back at him now no longer looked human.
He looked like vengeance itself.
And Lucien had just killed the last piece of Elara’s family in front of her.
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