Chapter 17: Bullets & Boundaries
522 Words
In an instant, time seemed to freeze.
Ngozi stood in the doorway, and you could see her hand shaking as she gripped the gun. Zara didn’t think twice; she instinctively moved to shield Damian, putting herself in the line of fire. “Ngozi,” she said, her voice shaky but somehow calm, “You don’t have to do this.”
Her old friend let out a harsh laugh. “I had to. I gave you everything, Zara. My loyalty, my ideas, my life. And what did I get back? I was left behind, pushed aside, forgotten.”
Damian took a small step forward, his eyes fixed on the gun, trying to reason with her. “You’re upset with the wrong person here.”
“No,” Ngozi shot back, her rage bubbling over. “I’m furious at both of you. And Segun… he understands me. He promised me the things that you took away.”
Then, she raised the gun.
BANG.
Zara flinched at the sound, her heart racing. But it wasn’t her that fell; it was Damian. She watched as blood soaked through his shirt. “N–No…” was all she could manage as she rushed to catch him before he hit the ground.
Chaos erupted around them. Security personnel charged in, tackling Ngozi to the floor as she screamed in fury. Zara cradled Damian's face in her hands, desperation clawing at her throat. “Stay with me—stay with me!”
He weakly gripped her hand. “I’m okay… it’s just my shoulder… missed the artery…” he barely managed to say, his eyes flickering.
“Why would you jump in front of me?” she whispered, tears streaming down her face.
His grip on her hand tightened, almost as if he was drawing strength from her. “Because I’d rather take a bullet than lose you again.”
Hours passed.
Damian lay in a private hospital room, wrapped in bandages and looking pale, but he had a smirk on his face that made Zara feel a flicker of relief. She sat beside him, her fingers gently brushing over his chest, just above the wound. “You scared me,” she said softly, her heart still racing from the earlier chaos.
“You’re scarier,” he replied with a teasing smirk. “You built an empire from nothing.”
Zara leaned down, her lips just grazing his. “No more secrets,” she murmured, her heart pounding.
He responded with a kiss, gentle but full of promise. “No more distance.”
As their kiss deepened, it felt like the world around them faded away. They moved slowly, rediscovering each other, their skin touching, their breaths syncing. It wasn’t just about the physical connection; it felt like survival, an unspoken promise that they were in this together.
When they finally settled into a comfortable silence, wrapped up in each other, Zara whispered, “I love you, Damian.”
His reply was simple and straightforward: “I always have.”
In that moment, everything else melted away, and they knew they w
ould face whatever came next together.
- Writer
