My Assassin Husband

The rain poured hard, washing away the blood that dripped from Kaizer’s chest to the wet concrete below. He leaned against the cold brick wall of a narrow alley, his breathing rough and uneven. His white su was torn and stained red – a deep stab across his chest was still bleeding through makeshift bandages he’d tied with his own tie. It was past midnight. The alley was dark and quiet, hidden between tall buildings in the city’s busiest district. Kaizer had run here after escaping the warehouse where he’d been set up. They thought I’d be easy to kill, he thought, gripping the wall as pain shot through his body. They were wrong. A group of rival assassin's had ambushed him during what was supposed to be a secret meeting with a business partner. They’d used illegal firearms and poisoned weapons aiming for his heart – but Kaizer had trained for this his whole life. He’d taken down two of them before the third got lucky, slicing him with a blade before running off into the rain. Now his legs were giving out. He slid down the wall, his vision blurring at the edges. The rain was getting heavier, mixing with the sweat on his forehead. He reached for his phone to call for help, but it was broken – crushed in the fight. I can’t stay here, he told himself. They’ll find me soon. Just as he closed his eyes to gather what little strength he had left and take a small step forward, he heard footsteps. Light footsteps, not heavy boots like his attackers wore. He tensed, ready to fight even if it killed him. A young woman appeared at the alley’s entrance, holding a worn backpack and an umbrella. She wore medical scrubs under a raincoat – she must have been coming from work. She stopped when she saw him, her eyes wide with shock but not fear. Kaizer tried to speak, to warn her away before his enemies found them both. But all that came out was a rough cough, and more blood seeping through his shirt. The woman looked around the empty alley, then at him. Without hesitation, she stepped closer, her umbrella shielding him from the rain. “Stay still – let me call for help,” she said, her voice steady. “I know how to stop the bleeding for the meantime.” “No,” Kaizer managed to say, his voice hoarse. “Don’t call anyone. Help me instead.” The woman didn’t hesitate. She pulled an extra shirt from her backpack, tore it into strips, and carefully wrapped them around his chest to slow the bleeding. Her hands were gentle but sure, moving with the skill of someone who’d done this before. When she finished, she looked him in the eye. “I can’t leave you here like this. Let me take you somewhere safe – I can treat your wound properly.” Her name was Kira – and in that dark, rain-soaked alley, Kira Marie Javier’s life changed forever.