A Breath Away From Death Chapter 05
Charlotte’s legs buckled beneath her, and she crumpled to the ground, the shock of the moment overwhelming her. For a fleeting second, she struggled to regain her voice, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Reece. I had no idea who Amelia truly was. I was merely joking around with her. Please, I beg you, show some mercy!”
The coldness in her tone was met with a chilling response. “Joking? Then allow me to show you what a joke feels like.”
A deafening gunshot rang out, reverberating in the air like a thunderclap. Blood sprayed in an arc, painting the ground with a vivid scarlet. Charlotte instinctively clutched her arm, her scream piercing the tense atmosphere.
“My arm! No! I just got promoted! How can I possibly work like this?” Her voice trembled with disbelief and agony.
“I have little tolerance for those who raise their voices,” my father declared, his expression unyielding, his grip on the gun unwavering.
He continued, “If you’re upset that I only took your right hand, rest assured, I can just as easily take the other. You won’t need them where you’re going.”
Charlotte’s eyes widened in sheer terror, the panic washing over her like a wave. She turned to Ethan, desperation etched across her features.
“No, it’s not what you think! Ethan, please! You know I had no clue about Amelia’s condition. I even tried to help her! You have to tell him!”
Ethan’s brow furrowed, his expression a tumult of emotions. He appeared torn, caught in a web of conflicting loyalties. Just then, one of my father’s men stepped forward, a grim determination in his stride, and activated the security footage from the party.
The screen flickered to life, revealing Charlotte’s treachery in stark detail. The video captured her pouring a potent sports drink into my champagne, a malicious glint in her eye. It showed her stepping on the medicine packet while I struggled on the floor, and then viciously kicking me, worsening my injuries.
Every word we had exchanged was recorded, the evidence damning.
Ethan’s complexion drained of color as he absorbed the scene unfolding before him. My father’s anger intensified, his grip tightening around the gun as he aimed it directly at Charlotte’s head.
“How dare you bring such humiliation upon my daughter?! I will make you disappear from this world!” His voice dripped with venom, a promise of retribution that sent shivers down my spine.
For him, erasing someone’s existence was merely a matter of pulling a trigger.
Charlotte’s fear was palpable; she crawled toward Ethan, who seemed to be in a daze, and grasped the hem of his shirt with her uninjured hand, desperation radiating from her every pore.
“No, please! Ethan, you’re Amelia’s fiancé! You saved her once! You have to help me! Please, tell him to spare my life!”
Ethan’s gaze flickered to Charlotte, disbelief etched in his features. Anger coursed through him, and he forcefully pushed her away, his voice a low growl.
“Get off me! You deceived me and nearly killed Amelia! How dare you even think to ask for my help?”
But Charlotte was relentless, clinging to his leg as if her life depended on it.
“You can’t let me die! My father saved your life once! You promised him you’d protect me! You saved Alia, so you must save me too!”
For a heartbeat, Ethan froze, caught in a storm of emotions. He turned to me, his eyes a tumult of conflict and uncertainty.
Charlotte had wedged herself between us, but I had never once doubted Ethan, even when his patience with me began to wear thin. Until now. I had thought he chose her over me because she had manipulated him so expertly.
I hadn’t anticipated that even after uncovering the entire truth, he would still hesitate in choosing between us.
My father sneered, raising his gun once more, the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a knife.
“Papa, that’s enough.” I inhaled deeply, my voice steady, and intervened.
When Ethan heard me speak up for him, a flicker of hope ignited in his eyes.
“Amelia, I knew it! I knew you’d find it in your heart to forgive me.”
He turned his back on Charlotte, stepping toward me, but I halted him with a voice that was ice cold.
“Stop!
A life for a life. We’re even. I spared Charlotte for you. From this moment on, we are no longer entangled in each other’s fates.”
