chapter 35: When There Was Me And You

Autumn
Ian will come, I chanted in my mind. He will.
"Argh!" I let out as Lennox electrocuted me. I could feel the numbness within my body. If I was labeled as paralyzed, it wouldn't be surprising for me.
"My favorite part is to press this button and hear you scream." Lennox was showing the remote on his hand. He would press the button and I got electrocuted.
He never gave me food. I didn't know how many days passed since I became his time pass. All I knew was that I was hungry. He barely gave me water to drink. That was it.
I shook my head seeing the blade on his hand. "No more of that. I beg you, Lennox."
He ran the blade through my shoulder this time. I closed my eyes, afraid of what would happen next. Only I knew how I was tolerating his torture.
Where were you, Ian?
"Please..." I wept. I wanted this suffering to end. I felt a sting in my shoulder. He was a psychotic human being. This was not torture, this was a step before death. Even death would be better than staying lifeless.
"Ian..." I managed to mumble.
"You're still hoping for that guy? It has been a week since you're under my clutches, my favorite student. Your Ian has forgotten you. Even if he didn't, he would never find you here." He pushed my chair on the floor again. He would do that every day before going away so that my face was on the floor. "Only your death can get you out of this place. " Saying that, he went away. I was lying almost lifeless on the cold floor, covered with my own blood. I was bearing the torment for many days, with the hope of Ian saving me.
Did he really forget me?
No, Autumn. He was definitely out of his mind and couldn't think calmly. I wish he would.
My entire body was aching with pain. I couldn't tolerate it anymore. I felt death was better than remaining like this for the rest of my life.
How long would I wait for Ian? If he could come, he would've come the day I got kidnapped. Should I even have hopes now?
I was gradually losing all the hopes of me being rescued. Lennox wanted to kill me slowly. He wanted me to beg for death. If this was what he wanted, I would give him.
At least my death would bring peace to me and everyone else. Ian wouldn't have to stress out the rest of his life to look out for me. I would tell Lennox that my last wish was to let my family know that I was dead. Then everyone would stop looking out for me and could go back to their regular lives.
I didn't have to worry about the Shadow. Ian was the king. He could merge the gangs and name it the Silver. I trusted him enough to take care of my gang.
The Becketts might have trouble for a few days, but they could eventually move on for the sake of Ian. After all, his condition would be the worst. Others had to pretend to be okay for his sake.
My mom and Dad could try to live their lives normally. They might go on tours and try to forget me.
I remembered the time when I was four years old and sitting on the lap of my dad. It was the first time I got to know that he was the mafia king.
"So, I can be in that too?" I asked curiously. He ruffled my hair.
"In the mafia? Of course. You can be the leader too. A Lady Leader."
"Isn't that a big word?"
"Well, you can shorten it to L.L."
"That's so cool!" I beamed in excitement. "But dad, does it mean I have to die like grandpa?"
"Hush. You shouldn't say such absurd things. If you die, your mom and dad will die too. So, you have to live. Even if you're losing all the hope, just think of your parents before dying. Capisce?"
"Capisce."
"That's my girl!" He placed a kiss on my cheek, and I ran towards the garden. "I'm gonna catch you!"
I smiled at the remembrance, but it was short-lived.
How could I survive in this game? I had to give up at one point. If I didn't give up, I would die either way. It was better to die on my own will rather than dying out of pain.
I never knew I had to die in this way, but none could ever beat destiny. I couldn't do anything as it was my fate. I just had to face it.
I gulped and managed to call out aloud, "Lennox!"
One of his men got inside immediately and asked, "What do you want, bitch?"
"Ri-tso," I managed to say, as I lost all of my energy. He nodded and went to call him.
While I waited, Lennox came at last. "What do you want, my dear Autumn?" An evil smirk was plastered on his face.
"Ki��ki..."
"Bring water," he ordered the same man who called him. Meanwhile, he made me get up from the ground along with the chair I was tied to. He gave me water and I drank as much as I could until he pulled off the bottle. "Now, what do you want to say?"
"Kill me, please," I cried out. "Just kill me and stop all this. I don't want to live. Give me peace and finish me off."
"I waited for this for a week, Autumn Emerson. Alas! Autumn Beckett. But if I kill you, how will I get your and Ian's gangs?"
"As my last wish, just make a live video of me and add the Becketts, my parents, Dante and Mr. Atticus only. I will tell Ian to hand over the gangs to you there." I would tell Ian but he would never give up on the gangs. I knew that. Instead, he would take over the gangs of Lennox after he saw the video.
"Sounds good." He seemed pleased with my idea. "I am making a group for live video now." He took out his phone and started recording me, while his other hand had the gun pointed on me.
"This is not how I will kill you," he said when I kept looking at the gun. "It's if you forget what you were supposed to say, I would shoot you in front of them. If you be a good girl and say good words, I would end the live video and kill you in my own way."
I nodded.
"It's streaming live and surprisingly, everyone is active. You have only five minutes," he let out.
I started talking, "First, I want to thank my mom and dad. You gave me a nice life. This life will be less to express my gratitude to you. I cannot say more because I only have five minutes before my death. Mr. Atticus, you helped me to establish the Blooming Restaurant. You made the restaurant what it is today."
"That's so emotional," Lennox commented. "I am touched."
I continued, "Dante, I am sorry for everything. I don't hate you. I just hate your annoying ugly face and your foolishness. Boss Lady, I know you told me to call you 'mom', but I love that title. Take care of yourself and dad. Dad, you are so understanding and friendly. I wished to learn more from you, but that will never happen now. This is the end. So just be happy."
"Only three minutes left," Lennox sang.
"Lia, try hard and you will be successful in life. Just forget this is even happening. Steven, I am sorry for calling you every time I was in a mood to rant about Ian. You are very nice. Isabel, you are still my best friend. Stay happy with Ilian. Aubree, it's not your fault. Never feel guilty. That's just fate. And please get married before it's too late to enjoy your life." I closed my eyes and thought of Ian's face.
"Everyone, don't worry about me. I will be fine when I see all of you happy. I will rest in peace. Just don't miss me much and take care of Ian."
Lennox warned, "One minute left."
"Ian..." I didn't know what to say. All I could think was the situation he was going through. The thought of never seeing him again clenched my heart. "Just take care of everything and move on. Forget my existence. Always be happy in life. If I see you sad, I will be sad too. And please, hand over the Shadow and the Silver to Lennox."
"Okay, that's it. You heard the girl. Autumn, say goodbye."
"Goodbye, everyone," I mumbled.
Lennox ended the call and gave me an evil smirk. "You did well. Goodbye, my favorite student."
I wish I had a chance to kill Lennox. Death was inevitable for me. Even if I survived this kidnapping, I would die due to the injuries. I knew that perfectly.
Soon, Lennox brought me to the cliff. After a week, I could stand in an open space. My hands were still tied, but my legs weren't. I got off that chair, which was a blessing for me.
"Your death will be suicide, Autumn. As you told me to kill you, I changed my mind. I will not kill you. You will kill yourself," he announced. "I will go downstairs and check if you are actually dead after you jump from the cliff. If you aren't, that's when I will shoot you, right in your heart."
I nodded. I had no option but to agree. I wanted to die. It would give everyone peace. Or at least, I would be in peace.
He pushed me to the edge and ordered, "Jump."
I closed my eyes. A series of flashbacks covered my mind. Most of them reminded me of Ian.
I liked it when there was me and you, Ian.
Starting from the day our marriage was announced at his post-coronation party to our kiss in the Summit, I remembered every moment. A smile formed on my lips at that thought.
My parents, my parents-in-law, Steven, Lia, Aubree, Isabel, Mr. Atticus, Dante, and Ian �� please take care of yourselves and be safe.
Without opening my eyes, I spread my arms and jumped off the cliff. Only God knew what my destiny held. Maybe, this was the end of my life.