Heer
The days following the encounter with the man in the office were nothing short of suffocating.
Carlos had kept his distance, his coldness a shield I couldn't break through. I understood why. But it didn't make the silence between us any easier to endure.
The weight of his loyalty to the mafia, and the price he was willing to pay for it, hung over us like a storm cloud. I couldn't shake the image of him standing there, his fists clenched, the look of desperation in his eyes as he tried to protect me.
But was he really protecting me? Or was he protecting himself?
I didn't have the answers. I didn't know if I could trust his promises anymore, especially after everything that had been said in that room.
But I couldn't stop myself from feeling something more. Despite the fear, despite the uncertainty, I felt something inside me stir when I looked at him. A desire. A need. To understand him. To make him see that he didn't have to carry this burden alone.
I was still angry. Angry at him for making me a pawn in his world, angry at myself for letting it happen.
But then… there was that moment. When he had told me he would protect me. When I saw the sincerity in his eyes.
Maybe he hadn't betrayed me yet.
But I feared that the worst was still to come.
Carlos
The silence between us was unbearable.
I couldn't look at her. Not now. Not after what had been said. Not after the deal I'd made.
Heer was right to be angry. She had every right to hate me for bringing her into this world. A world where betrayal was a currency, where trust was as fleeting as shadows.
And yet, here she was. Still standing by my side.
I wasn't sure if it was courage or stupidity that kept her here. But it didn't matter. What mattered was the fact that I couldn't let her go.
Not now.
Not when I needed her most.
But loyalty had a price. And tonight, I was going to pay it.
The air in the room was thick with tension as I paced back and forth. The call had come through—another business matter that I couldn't ignore.
But the price of doing business was becoming more apparent with each passing day.
The betrayal that had been circling me like a dark cloud was finally coming into focus. There was a traitor among us. A rat in the system. Someone who had been working against me from the inside.
And they were going to pay for it.
But I knew the cost would be high.
Heer
I watched him, from across the room, as he stood by the window, his broad shoulders tense with anger. There was something darker in him now—something colder. And it scared me.
I wasn't afraid of him. I never had been. But I was afraid of what he was becoming. The man who had promised to protect me now seemed more dangerous than ever. His loyalty had cost him so much, and now, the price of betrayal was closing in.
"Carlos," I said softly, trying to break the silence.
He didn't turn around.
"Carlos, please. Talk to me."
But he didn't respond. His silence was suffocating, and I could feel the walls closing in around us.
Finally, he spoke, his voice low and controlled.
"They betrayed me, Heer," he said, almost in a whisper. "They betrayed my trust. And for that, they will pay."
I swallowed hard. I knew what he meant. I knew what that looked like in his world. But hearing the coldness in his voice, the darkness that had taken root inside of him, sent a chill down my spine.
"You don't have to do this," I said, my voice trembling.
His back stiffened, and for a moment, I thought he might turn around. But he didn't.
"I do," he said simply. "I can't afford weakness. Not now."
The words stung. I wanted to argue. To tell him he didn't have to be this person. But I knew he had already made his decision. He had already crossed the line.
I didn't know if I was still fighting for him or if I was fighting for myself.
But I couldn't lose him. Not like this.
Carlos
Her words echoed in my mind, but I couldn't allow myself to be distracted.
She didn't understand. She couldn't.
The betrayal had been too great. Too close to home. I had trusted him—trusted them—with everything, and they had torn it all apart for a taste of power.
I had no choice but to act.
But when I turned around and saw the fear in Heer's eyes, I faltered for just a moment.
What if I was wrong? What if, in my pursuit of revenge, I lost everything?
I couldn't lose her. Not like this. Not because of me.
But the choice had already been made.
Heer
He was slipping away from me.
I could see it in his eyes. The darkness that had always been there, hidden beneath the surface, was starting to consume him. The man I had started to understand, the man who had shown me glimpses of tenderness, was being swallowed whole by the very world he had built.
I knew it wasn't his fault. I knew he was a product of his environment. But I couldn't stand by and watch him destroy himself.
I couldn't lose him to this.
I had to do something.
I had to remind him of who he was beneath the mask.
"Carlos, please," I whispered, stepping closer to him. "You're not this man. You're not the monster they're making you become."
He turned to face me then, his expression a storm of anger and guilt.
"I don't have a choice, Heer," he said, his voice low and strained. "You don't understand what's at stake. If I don't do this, I lose everything."
"But you're already losing yourself," I said, my voice shaking with emotion.
He didn't reply. His jaw clenched, and I could see the battle raging inside him. The need for vengeance. The need for control.
And the need to protect me.
I couldn't change his world. But maybe, just maybe, I could remind him of the person he used to be.
The person I knew was still inside.
Carlos
She was right. She always was.
But I couldn't stop. I couldn't turn back now. The betrayal ran too deep, and the cost was too high.
I had promised to protect her, but I couldn't protect myself from the choices I had already made.
But when I looked at her, when I saw the pain in her eyes, I knew that if I lost her, I would lose myself completely.