To occur upon it now, whereas I used to be simply strolling within the woods, fills me with a deep sense of dread.

The ruthlessness of the scene is overseas to me, a perversion of the sanctuary I believed my new house to be. And the thought that it’s occurring so near the place I sleep sends a horrified shiver down my backbone.

My coronary heart kilos. Dread programs via my veins as I grapple with the truth that Leo—the person I used to be intimate with simply final night time, the person whose arms I wakened on this morning—is able to such savagery.

He appears untroubled by the burden of his actions, oblivious to the monster he tasks to the world. A concern settles over me as I understand I’ve been thrust right into a world the place the road between tenderness and brutality is skinny, virtually imperceptible.

My arms develop clammy with sweat as Leo continues the cruel show, unaware of my presence. He’s in management, a grasp of his area, and the prisoner shakes visibly, begging for his life as he weeps.

Leo’s gun cocks with an audible click on, and although I can’t fairly make out the phrases he says, he delivers them with a chilly indifference—a haughty conceitedness—that chills me to the bone. He lowers his gun, aiming it on the cowering man earlier than him, and with just a few final phrases, he pulls the set off.

A bullet blasts via the person’s head, sending blood and gore splattering throughout the bottom behind him.

It strikes terror into me like I’ve by no means recognized earlier than.

I’ve heard rumors of Leo’s savage brutality, skilled a touch of his cruelty even, however watching its full drive and impact with my very own eyes is completely completely different. The air is thick with the scent of concern, and I discover myself frozen, a silent witness to his black world.

Leo’s actions reveal a facet of him that I had solely glimpsed earlier than. Because the gunshot echoes via the forest, I gasp, shocked by his informal violence.

Leo’s head turns sharply in my path, his piercing gaze discovering my hiding spot straight away.

Panic grips me, and I spin to run, not bothering to be quiet in my desperation to flee. My footsteps echo via the woods, matching my heartbeat as I race as shortly as my ft will carry me.

I do know he noticed me, and I hear him shout one thing to his males earlier than the sound of pounding ft breaks out behind me, alerting me to his pursuit. He’s sizzling on my path, and the timber that had been as soon as a sanctuary to me turn out to be a labyrinth closing in from throughout.

As I run for my life, my thoughts races. I’ve no clue what I’m going to do. It’s solely a matter of time earlier than he catches me.

As a result of regardless of my appreciable head begin, he’s already closing the gap.

I weave via the timber, my breath ragged, the concern of the unknown propelling me ahead. Leo’s footsteps make a gentle beat behind me, a relentless chase that fuels the panic gnawing at my insides.

The world blurs as I navigate the maze of greenery, branches snagging on my garments and scratching my pores and skin. My legs ache, and my lungs burn, however I can’t afford to cease. I can’t let him catch me now as a result of I don’t belief that he gained’t damage me and even our unborn baby.

Worry for the harmless life rising inside me drives me ahead, pushing me previous the bounds of my bodily skills.

And nonetheless, with every passing second, the gap between us narrows.

23

LEO

Adrenaline programs via my veins, a fiery surge that heightens my senses. My breaths come onerous however measured, each laced with the acrid style of anger. I’m sure of 1 factor—whoever I’m chasing witnessed the execution I carried out as a lesson to the Valencia males.

In any other case, they wouldn’t be working.

I’m left with no alternative however to pursue, to eradicate this menace to my rigorously constructed world. No matter whether or not they’re a servant who wandered out the place they haven’t any proper to be or a spy prepared to supply up proof of my homicide to the authorities. I can’t allow them to reside.

The tender rustle of leaves as I brush previous timber and bushes echoes in my speedy heartbeat. I transfer with a predator’s willpower, every step calculated, each muscle tense. The late-afternoon shadows play methods on me, distorting the panorama, however I press on, fueled by fury and the necessity to shield my secrets and techniques.

They’re quick, whoever it’s. And match by the gap they’re able to working at such a breakneck velocity. However they haven’t any likelihood of escaping me in my area—regardless of their prolonged head begin. I navigate the unmarked pathways between the timber with ease, the format etched into my reminiscence. I’ve lived in these woods my entire life. I do know them just like the again of my hand.

My quarry, nevertheless, betrays their unfamiliarity with their environment, stumbling blindly via the tough terrain. And their footsteps are rising extra haggard as they lastly begin to sluggish from exhaustion. They’re getting clumsy with fatigue.

I relish the considered catching them, exposing their intrusion, and silencing them earlier than they’ll unleash chaos on my life. I’ve labored too onerous to let all of it collapse now.

As I shut in, the terrain shifts, and I understand with a chilly shiver that the intruder is heading straight for the gorge that defines the boundary line of Moretti land. The treacherous drop is a pure protection, a guardian that separates our haven from the untamed wilderness past.

The fleeing witness’s reckless dash towards the sting might solely finish in demise. A merciless destiny they appear oblivious to—or would favor over ending up in my arms. I can’t say that I blame them.

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