CHAPTER 7
738 Words
Chapter 7: Breaking Point
Elena’s muscles screamed in protest, but she refused to stop.
Again.
And again.
She dodged, she swung, she fell. Every time she hit the ground, Luca made her get back up. Every time she gasped for breath, he gave her another challenge. Her knuckles were raw, her limbs ached, but she gritted her teeth and kept going.
Because stopping wasn’t an option.
Because failure meant death.
Luca circled her, his expression unreadable. “You’re holding back,” he said, voice calm, almost bored.
Elena wiped the sweat from her brow. “I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
She glared at him. “You expect me to be a trained assassin overnight?”
“I expect you to fight like your life depends on it.” His eyes darkened. “Because it does.”
Elena’s breath hitched.
She knew that. She felt it. The weight of the danger closing in on her was suffocating. But something inside her still hesitated.
Luca sighed, shaking his head. “You’re too controlled. Too careful.”
“Excuse me for not being a natural-born killer,” she snapped.
He took a step closer. “You have anger, Elena. I see it. But you’re scared of it.”
She stiffened.
He wasn’t wrong.
There was a fire inside her, a rage that had been buried for years. But every time it threatened to rise, she shoved it back down.
Because anger had never served her before.
Because the last time she let herself feel it, she had been a little girl, screaming for a mother who never came back.
Luca studied her, his gaze sharp. “They took your mother from you. They’ve stolen years of your life. And they’re coming for you next. Use that.”
Elena’s hands clenched into fists.
She thought of her mother’s laughter, soft and warm, like a lullaby. She thought of the way her father had looked through her, as if she was nothing more than a shadow in his world. She thought of the secrets, the lies, the life she had been forced to live.
And then she thought of them—the people who had decided her fate before she was even old enough to understand it.
Something inside her snapped.
Luca moved first, throwing a strike toward her shoulder. But this time, she didn’t hesitate.
She ducked, dodging just in time.
A flicker of approval flashed in Luca’s eyes. “Better.”
Elena didn’t give him a chance to counter. She swung, putting all her frustration, all her fury into the punch. He blocked it easily, but she didn’t stop. She twisted, aiming for his ribs. He dodged, but just barely.
A grin tugged at his lips. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”
But Elena wasn’t done.
She struck again, this time catching him off guard. Her fist collided with his shoulder, and for the first time, Luca staggered back.
The rush of victory was intoxicating.
But it lasted only a second.
Luca recovered fast, his smirk vanishing as he moved with lethal precision. Before she could react, he grabbed her wrist, twisting it just enough to throw her off balance. A second later, her back hit the mat with a force that knocked the air from her lungs.
Pain shot through her spine, but she barely felt it.
Because anger burned hotter.
Luca hovered over her, his grip still firm on her wrist. “You see what happens when you hesitate?”
Elena clenched her teeth, struggling beneath him. “Let go.”
His gaze bore into hers, unreadable. “Say it again.”
“Let. Go.”
This time, her voice was different.
It wasn’t a plea. It was a command.
And to her surprise, Luca released her immediately.
Elena scrambled to her feet, breathing hard. “I don’t need you to humiliate me,” she bit out.
Luca crossed his arms. “I’m not here to humiliate you. I’m here to make sure you survive.”
Elena shook her head, trying to make sense of the emotions crashing inside her. Anger, pain, exhaustion. But beneath it all, a burning determination.
She didn’t just want to survive anymore.
She wanted to win.
Luca watched her carefully, as if waiting for her to break. When she didn’t, his lips curled into something that almost resembled satisfaction.
“Again,” he ordered.
And this time, she was ready.
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- Writer
