- New York, Bronx County
A young couple pulled up to the house in a blindingly white Bugatti Chiron.
The strange, almost intimidating car drew both confusion and awe from passersby—no one around here had ever seen anything like it.
A blonde woman with long hair jumped out of the hypercar, wearing a light blue dress that fell below her knees.
“We don’t have much time! We need to get out of here—they won’t let up. I’ll grab the files. Ash, adjust the hourglass. One mistake on the track and everything falls apart!”
“Got it. Mili, just come back fast!”
She gave a quick nod and disappeared through the front door without looking back.
Ash leaned forward, reaching for the mechanism mounted on the car’s dashboard. Purple grains, as if by magic, slowly flowed upward in a thin stream, sparkling in the glass flask. Carefully, he set the date and time on the golden ring that encased the elegant hourglass.
Meanwhile, Mili was frantically stuffing documents and personal items into a black leather bag.
Suddenly, Ash spotted a familiar silhouette in the distance—the same green SUV that had chased them an hour earlier.
He leapt from the sports car in one swift motion, drew a pistol from a leather holster, and took position on the roof.
His aim was steady—his heartbeat pulsing in sync with the glowing sight.
The SUV was still far off, but then its windows dropped, and gun barrels instantly poked out.
“Take’em out, boys! That car’s ours! Whoever hits the car with a bullet, I'll kill them on the spot! Aim for the guy!” a raspy voice barked.
At that exact moment, Mili stepped out of the house. Bag in hand, eyes wide—she hadn’t yet realized she was standing in the middle of a firefight.
Ash didn’t see her. His focus was locked on the threat and the target in his scope.
The first shot rang out. Then the second.
In a flash, the area erupted in a storm of gunfire and panic. People screamed and scattered, diving behind cars and into alleyways.
Ash prayed Mili had found cover in time.
In a single instant, he changed the magazine, took a new angle, and fired—the bullet pierced the front wheel of the enemy vehicle.
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The SUV screeched, tipped onto its side, and spun as it rolled down the hill. Seconds later, it exploded with a deafening blast just ten meters from Ash.
He spun around and bolted toward the house. He had to make it before reinforcements arrived.
And then… Ash froze, just a few steps from the front door, as if someone had cut the strings that moved his body.
His face twisted into a grimace of horror.
Mili lay motionless on the cement walkway near the house. Her snow-white locks, stained crimson, were tangled at her temple. Beneath her head, a pool of blood spread slowly across the cold cement, seeping into the tiny cracks.
Tears burst forth. Salty, hot… and full of grief.
Ash pulled himself together and stepped forward slowly, collapsing to his knees beside the body of the woman he loved.
With a trembling hand, he touched her pale face. He pressed his head to her chest, hoping in vain to hear a heartbeat…but he already knew.
There was no chance of surviving a shot like that.
And yet he kept listening. Kept believing. In despair… and in hope.
“Mili… please! I’m begging you… just one… just one beat!!”
But the heart remained silent.
He closed his eyes. Everything inside him broke. The pain hit him as suddenly as the bullet that struck her.
Cold crept in slowly, almost gently—something merciless and patient.
Mili no longer breathed. The heavenly sparkle in her eyes was gone. The laughter that once filled his soul with warmth had vanished.
Tears burned Ash’s face like drops of molten metal. Pain tore through his chest—from the inside, cold shadows of death pulling his heart apart piece by piece, leaving behind a jagged, bloody void.
“NO-O-O-O… NO, NO!” his voice burst out, wild, twisted by rage and agony. Convulsions wracked his body with unbearable pain.
“Miliana, don’t go, please…” Ash whispered, pleading, as he held her close, as if trying to keep her soul inside her body.
Tears rolled down onto her pale face. Shaking, he touched her cold lips with a gentle, silent kiss.
“No… no… no…” his voice grew quieter, until it faded completely.
Blood stained his trembling hands. Ash clung to her desperately when suddenly, sirens wailed in the distance.
He lifted his head sharply and spoke a vow over her body.
“I’ll fix everything! Mili… I’ll fix it. I promise you.”
Ash leaned down one last time and softly kissed her cold lips.
He had to hurry.
He glanced down—in her weakening fingers, she was still clutching the leather bag. The same one she’d taken from the house. Its contents… an unbearable price. And now, it had been paid in full.
Without wasting a second, Ash grabbed the bag and gently lifted Miliana into his arms.
Reaching the car, he carefully placed her in the passenger seat, strapped her in tightly, and climbed behind the wheel.
The sirens in the distance were getting closer.
Ash slammed the gas pedal, speeding away at a mad pace, leaving behind a street soaked in blood and silence.
The white Bugatti vanished into the blazing sunset on the horizon.