His fingers gently brushed my soaked hair away from my face before his forehead rested lightly against mine.
For one foolish second...
My heart almost believed him again.
“Elara,” he whispered, his voice filled with heartbreaking tenderness. “I'm sorry. I truly don't have another choice, and I'll carry this sin for the rest of my life if I have to. When this is over, I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
I stared at him in confusion.
Before I could understand...
He suddenly grabbed both of my legs.
My eyes widened.
"Apollo... What are you doing?!"
The next second...
Crack!
A sickening sound split the air.
Agony exploded through every nerve in my body.
“Ahhh!”
My scream echoed across the estate as unbearable pain tore through my leg. My vision turned completely white, and I couldn't even draw another breath.
Apollo had broken my leg with his own hands.
Cold sweat drenched my body as I curled into myself, shaking uncontrollably on the ground.
Without looking away, Apollo picked up the phone and turned the camera toward my twisted leg.
“It's done,” he said hoarsely. “You got what you wanted. Now release Agatha and don't you dare touch her again.”
The kidnapper gave a satisfied laugh.
“Good. I'll send you the address. Bring the money, and don't waste my time. If you're late... you'll be collecting her corpse instead.”
The call ended.
Apollo lowered the phone and looked down at me.
For the briefest moment... Something flickered across his face.
Regret.
Or perhaps guilt.
It disappeared almost as quickly as it came.
He crouched beside me again.
“Elara,” he said quietly, “I swear this is the last time. When I bring Agatha home safely, I'll make everything right between us. No matter what it takes, I'll repay everything I owe you.”
I didn't answer. There was nothing left to say.
Apollo stood, ran toward his car, and the engine roared to life.
As the vehicle sped past me, he rolled down the window.
“Wait for me, Elara,” he called. “When I come back, everything will be different. I promise.”
Then he disappeared.
Just like always... He chose her.
Again.
I lay alone on the cold ground for what felt like forever.
No one came.
Every De Sangue soldier had followed Apollo.
The enormous estate was silent.
With trembling arms, I forced myself to sit up.
The pain from my broken leg was so intense it blurred my vision, but I gritted my teeth and refused to collapse.
Inside a nearby storage room, I found an old pair of crutches leaning against the wall.
Using every ounce of strength I had left, I pulled myself upright.
One painful step.
Then another.
Eventually, I managed to call a taxi.
The driver stared at my swollen leg in horror the moment I climbed inside.
“Miss,” he asked carefully, “your leg looks badly injured. Shouldn't we go back to the hospital first? You need treatment immediately.”
I managed a faint smile and slowly shook my head.
“No,” I whispered. “There's somewhere much more important I need to be. Please... t-take me to the airport before it's too late.”
The ride felt endless.
Every bump in the road sent another wave of agony through my body, but I endured every second without making another sound.
I wasn't running anymore.
I was surviving.
Somehow...
I made it.
The boarding gate was already preparing to close when I finally arrived.
Supporting myself with the crutches, I handed my passport to the airline staff with trembling fingers.
A few minutes later...
The plane lifted into the sky.
I sat quietly beside the window as Chicago slowly disappeared beneath the clouds.
I unlocked my phone one final time.
One by one, I deleted every contact connected to Apollo—every trace of him.
Then I blocked them all.
I looked out the window as the city vanished completely behind the clouds.
“It's over. No one will ever hurt me again, and I'll never come back to this place.”
Chicago disappeared into the distance.
So did Apollo Riccio.
The man who had destroyed my entire life.
From this moment on... He no longer existed in mine.
