26
Nathalia, her mind scattered by the chaos Mathias caused, never saw the approaching danger. It wasn’t until two rows of motorcycles flanked her car from the side path that reality finally hit her.
I couldn’t fathom what her plan had been, but from the way she panicked, her hands fumbling between the brake and accelerator, it was clear she hadn’t intended to die with the car
The mountain road was narrow but Norman stayed right on her tail, matching her every move.
The car scraped against the guardrails with a deafening screech, sparks flying
Taking his chance, Norman slammed my window open, half of his body hanging outside as he reached for me.
“Irene, don’t be scared. I’ll never let anything happen to you!” he shouted.
The battered guardrails couldn’t take the hit, collapsing in jagged chunks into the valley below.
Without the guardrails, Nathalia’s car was just a breath away from plunging over the edge.
In that moment, my mind went blank, the only thing I could think of was to grab Norman’s hand and jump. But Nathalia, sensing what I was about to do, pulled out a gun from nowhere, the cold black muzzle aimed straight at me. Her voice cracked with wild madness.
“Irene, I want you dead!”
The gunshot echoed through the mountain air, sending birds scattering in all directions.
I squeezed my eyes shut, convinced my end had come.
But then, out of nowhere, I felt strong arms tighten around me.
Opening my eyes, I was met with Norman’s face, his expression full of resolve.
“No!” I gasped, my heart plummeting.
Every drop of blood seemed to freeze in my veins as only one thought filled my mind: I can’t let Norman die, not like this.
My hand trembled as I reached to touch Norman’s back, desperate for some sign of life, but the expected stickiness wasn’t there.
In that instant, Norman’s eyes widened as he understood what had happened.
Following his gaze, my heart shattered. Mathias stood before the gun, his body a human shield for me. The bullet ripped through his chest, and blood spilled from the wound, staining his shirt in an instant.
1:35 PM
Rejected and Abandoned the Right Man Found
1 Ma
His breath came in desperate gasps, a broken sound of life slipping away. Weakly, he stretched out his hand toward me, his lips moving, but no words escaped.
I could only make out his silent apology.
“I’m sorry.”
Nathalia, in her frenzy, lost all sense of control. In a desperate scramble, she tried to reload the gun, but before she could, a motorcycle slammed into the driver’s seat, throwing her against it
The gun flew from her grip.
In a final, violent moment, the windshield shattered, and a shard of glass lodged into her right cheek
Moments later, the wail of sirens filled the air as police cars and ambulances arrived, but it was too late to undo the damage.
Norman held me close, his arms wrapping around me with a strength that almost made me believe everything would be okay.
It wasn’t until the doctors noticed a deep, 20–centimeter gash on his thigh that the reality hit.
The wound was from when he lunged forward to shield me, the jagged edge of the broken car door tearing into
him.
His leg had already begun to show signs of blood loss, the skin pale and cold to the touch, but Norman remained blissfully unaware.
Until the second before he passed out, he whispered to me, his voice a soft, comforting anchor “Irene, don’t be
afraid. I’m here.”
Relief flooded through me when the doctor assured me that Norman would be fine, that the artery had been spared, and that he’d wake up soon.
I let out a shaky breath, my chest heavy with the weight of it all
But then the doctor’s hesitation pierced the fragile calm.
He delivered the news with grim sympathy.
Mathias couldn’t be saved.
At that moment, an emotion I couldn’t quite name swirled inside me.
I should have hated him. I thought I did.
But after Mathias gave his life to shield me from that bullet, the anger in my heart seemed to drain away.
And then, Nathalia’s fate was sealed.
to death on
Her charges were many, and her actions were unforgivable. Without hesitation, she was sentenced to death
the spot.