Chapter 6 — The Attack
928 Words
The rain poured heavily over the city.
Shiv drove through the empty streets after finishing a late business meeting. The roads were almost deserted.
Something felt wrong.
For the past week, he had noticed strange things.
Unknown cars following him.
Silent phone calls.
People watching him.
And every instinct told him exactly who was behind it.
Samuel Reed.
---
Inside his mansion, Samuel sat alone in darkness.
The photograph of Samantha and Shiv still lay on his desk.
Crushed.
Wrinkled.
Destroyed.
Just like his life.
His company was collapsing.
His investors had abandoned him.
The investigation against him continued growing.
And through it all, Samantha remained untouchable.
Worse...
She had Shiv.
The thought filled him with rage.
"If I can't have her..."
His eyes darkened.
"Neither can he."
---
Meanwhile, Samantha sat alone in her penthouse.
She stared at old childhood photographs.
One picture caught her attention.
Eight-year-old Samantha smiling beside Shiv.
Both covered in mud after falling into a river.
She smiled softly.
Even then...
Shiv had been protecting her.
A sudden feeling of guilt hit her.
For years she chased the wrong man.
Ignored the right one.
Before she could think further, her phone rang.
Unknown Number.
She answered.
"Hello?"
A terrified voice replied.
"Miss Reed... Shiv's been in an accident."
The world stopped.
---
Twenty minutes earlier.
Shiv's car had entered an isolated road near the harbor.
Suddenly—
A truck appeared behind him.
Fast.
Too fast.
Shiv frowned.
The truck accelerated.
Then slammed directly into his vehicle.
BOOM!
Metal screamed.
Glass exploded.
His car spun violently across the road.
Another impact.
Then another.
The truck wasn't trying to pass.
It was trying to kill him.
Shiv immediately understood.
Samuel.
---
His car crashed into a roadside barrier.
Pain shot through his body.
Blood ran down his forehead.
The truck stopped nearby.
Three men stepped out.
Large.
Armed.
Dangerous.
One of them smiled.
"Mr. Reed sends his regards."
Shiv's eyes darkened.
Of course.
Samuel was getting desperate.
---
The men approached.
Shiv slowly climbed out of the wrecked car.
His ribs hurt.
His vision blurred slightly.
But he remained standing.
The first attacker swung a metal rod.
Shiv dodged.
The rod smashed against the car instead.
The second man charged.
A fight erupted immediately.
Punches.
Kicks.
Shouts.
Rain.
Blood.
Shiv fought desperately.
Not because he feared death.
But because he had promised Samantha something.
He promised he would never leave her alone again.
And he intended to keep that promise.
---
Back at the penthouse, Samantha raced toward the hospital.
Her hands shook uncontrollably.
Every terrible possibility flashed through her mind.
What if she lost him?
What if she arrived too late?
What if—
"No..."
Tears filled her eyes.
She couldn't lose Shiv.
Not after everything.
Not after realizing what he meant to her.
---
At the hospital.
Doctors rushed through hallways.
Nurses moved quickly.
The atmosphere felt chaotic.
Samantha arrived breathless.
"Where is he?"
A nurse pointed toward a private room.
Samantha ran.
The moment she opened the door, her heart shattered.
Shiv lay unconscious.
Bandages covered his head.
Bruises marked his face.
Several injuries covered his body.
For a moment, Samantha couldn't move.
The sight hurt more than she expected.
Far more.
Slowly, she approached the bed.
Then she took his hand.
The same hand that had pulled her from the ocean.
The same hand that had guided her through two years of healing.
The same hand that never let go.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"Please wake up."
Her voice trembled.
"I still have things I need to tell you."
---
Hours passed.
Night deepened.
Samantha never left his side.
Around midnight...
Shiv finally opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Samantha.
Relief flooded his face.
"You're crying."
Samantha immediately wiped her tears.
"No, I'm not."
"You are."
A weak smile appeared on his lips.
Even injured...
He was teasing her.
The i***t.
Samantha laughed through her tears.
Then suddenly hugged him carefully.
Shiv froze.
His heart nearly stopped.
Not from pain.
From happiness.
---
"Don't ever do that again."
Her voice shook.
Shiv looked confused.
"I didn't exactly plan it."
"You scared me."
Silence filled the room.
Then Samantha whispered something she had been afraid to admit.
"I thought I was going to lose you."
Shiv's breath caught.
Their eyes met.
Neither looked away.
For the first time...
Everything felt clear.
The years.
The sacrifices.
The feelings.
The love.
---
Meanwhile, across town, Samuel received a phone call.
His hired men had failed.
Shiv survived.
Samuel smashed the phone against the wall.
"USELESS!"
Everything was slipping away.
Every plan.
Every scheme.
Every lie.
And the worst part?
Samantha was getting closer to Shiv.
Closer than ever.
Samuel finally realized something terrifying.
He hadn't just lost Samantha.
He had lost her forever.
And that reality was driving him toward madness.
---
The next morning, Samantha reviewed security footage from the attack.
The evidence was clear.
The truck.
The attackers.
The connections.
Everything pointed back to Samuel.
For the first time since beginning her revenge, Samantha felt genuine anger.
Not cold revenge.
Not calculated strategy.
Pure anger.
Because Samuel hadn't learned.
Even after everything.
Even after trying to kill her.
He was still hurting people she loved.
Samantha closed the file.
Her eyes turned ice cold.
"Enough."
Her lawyer looked up.
"What are you planning?"
Samantha stood.
A dangerous calm settled over her.
"The next phase."
Because Samuel had crossed a line.
And now...
The woman he once pushed off a cliff was finally ready to destroy him completely.
- Writer
