I shifted restlessly in the bed, the sheets cool and untouched on the other side.

  Too untouched.

  Car's absence felt louder than any noise. The room was dim, lit only by the faint glow of the moon bleeding in through the curtains.

  The ceiling stretched above me, bnk and indifferent, the faint outline of the light fixture casting a shadow that almost felt like it was staring back.

  Sleeping without her was harder than I liked to admit.

  The bed felt too big. The silence too heavy.

  I rolled onto my side, instinctively reaching toward where she usually y—only to find cold sheets. No warmth. No steady breathing. No arm pulling me close in the middle of the night.

  "Why does she need to go to meetings, man..." I groaned quietly, dragging a pillow closer and hugging it to my chest.

  I knew why.

  Responsibilities. Territory. People depending on her. Wars that didn't pause just because I wanted her home.

  Still didn't mean I had to like it.

  I stared up at the ceiling again, my mind refusing to settle. Every tiny sound in the mansion seemed amplified—the faint hum of the air conditioning, distant footsteps from guards rotating shifts, the occasional creak of the structure settling.

  I sighed and turned onto my back.

  "I wonder what Elena's up to," I murmured into the dark.

  The name felt strange in my mouth. Distant. Like something from a past life.

  I hadn't thought about her in ages.

  And I was gd.

  Whatever chaos she was tangled in now, whatever choices she'd made—I was no longer part of that storm.

  Still, the thought lingered for a moment.

  Not longing.

  Just curiosity.

  Then I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly, trying to imagine Car's arm around me, the weight of her presence anchoring me the way it always did.

  Even after I told myself it didn't matter, the thought refused to leave.

  It clung to the edges of my mind like a shadow that wouldn't quite disappear.

  "What if I never left..." I whispered into the darkness.

  The room felt heavier suddenly.

  If I had stayed.

  If I had tolerated it a little longer. If I had convinced myself it wasn't that bad. If I had kept shrinking to fit into something that was slowly breaking me.

  Would I be getting yelled at right now? Controlled? Hurt?

  The idea made my chest tighten.

  I turned onto my side, pulling the bnket higher around my shoulders as if it could shield me from memories that weren't even fully formed.

  I shook my head firmly.

  No.

  Whatever my mind was trying to repy, it didn't matter anymore.

  That version of my life was over.

  I wasn't there anymore.

  I wasn't small. I wasn't afraid. I wasn't waiting for someone else's mood to decide how my day would go.

  I was safe.

  I was loved.

  Car's absence tonight didn't change that. If anything, it made me realize how different this love was—how steady. How warm. How protective without being suffocating.

  My breathing slowly began to even out.

  The tension in my shoulders loosened.

  The ceiling above blurred as my eyes grew heavier.

  The "what if" finally lost its grip.

  And just like that, exhaustion wrapped around me fully, pulling me under into sleep.

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  The crash was violent.

  Gss exploded inward.

  For half a second my brain didn't understand what it was hearing — then came the deafening crack of gunfire.

  The bedroom door burst open with a splintering snap.

  My eyes flew open, heart smming so hard it felt like it was punching my ribs from the inside.

  Instinct took over. I rolled off the bed and crawled toward the far corner of the room, bare feet slipping against the marble floor.

  More shouting.

  Boots.

  Heavy. Fast.

  The room filled with blinding white beams as fshlights cut through the dark, attached to rifles that looked too rge, too real.

  I threw an arm up to shield my eyes.

  "?Muévete!" (Move!)

  "?Dónde está el!" (Where is she?!)

  "?Contesta!" (Answer!)

  Their voices overpped, sharp and urgent. I could barely make out what they were saying — the words blurred together in panic. My ears rang from the gunshots.

  I pressed myself tighter against the wall, knees pulled in, breathing shallow and fast. The light burned into my vision. I kept one eye barely open, trying to see without fully exposing myself.

  One of them stepped closer.

  Boots stopping inches from me.

  The barrel of a rifle lowered slightly in my direction.

  That's when I saw it clearly — the bck vest across her chest, letters bold and unmistakable in the flickering light.

  CJNG.

  My stomach dropped.

  This wasn't random.

  This wasn't a robbery.

  This was targeted.

  They were asking me something again, louder this time. I caught fragments — "Miguel?"... "?Es el?" (Is this him?) ... "hab." (Talk)

  They wanted me.

  One of them grabbed my arm roughly, pulling me slightly forward. I flinched, vision swimming from adrenaline and fear.

  I didn't know what to say.

  Didn't know what they wanted exactly.

  All I knew was that the war Car had been worried about...

  Had just stepped into our bedroom.

  "N-No entiendo..." (I-I don't understand) I choked out, my voice shaking as they yanked me upright.

  My feet barely kept up as they dragged me out of the bedroom. The hallway lights flickered from damaged wiring, gss crunching under their boots.

  Then I saw her.

  Le.

  She was sprawled near the staircase, her weapon a few feet from her hand. Unmoving.

  "Le—!" My chest burned as rage and panic collided. I twisted violently against the women holding me, trying to break free. "Let me go! Let me go!"

  My wrists were locked down harder.

  "?Cálte ya!" (Shut up already!) one of them barked in my ear.

  I couldn't stop staring at her. Her hair spread across the marble. No visible blood. Please let there be no blood.

  "Why me again..." I whispered, my voice cracking.

  The mansion that once felt like a fortress now felt hollow. Overrun.

  They dragged me down toward the entrance. The night air hit my face, cold and sharp compared to the chaos inside. Vehicles idled beyond the gates, headlights slicing through smoke and dust.

  My heart pounded so hard it blurred everything.

  "Please, Car... help me..." I whispered, not even sure if the words left my mouth or stayed trapped in my head.

  Then—

  A sharp pinch at the side of my neck.

  Confusion.

  My body went heavy instantly, like someone had flipped a switch. My limbs stopped responding. The world tilted sideways.

  The st thing I saw was the mansion shrinking behind us, lights fractured through broken gss.

  Then darkness swallowed everything.

  ——