Chapter 183- Choas
HARDIN'S POV
Ronny.
He was the last person I expected to see.
The sound of his voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding. "Drop your weapons! Everyone, freeze!"
My head snapped toward the entrance, and there he stood- Ronny, my childhood friend from the orphanage. He was flanked by a group of armed officers, their presence filling the warehouse with a surge of tension.
"What the hell?" I muttered under my breath, disbelief swirling with relief.
Claudia's eyes widened in shock, her grip tightening on the knife she held. Garry, on the other hand, sneered, his hand still hovering dangerously close to Ariana.
Ronny's sharp gaze darted from me to the others, and when it landed on Claudia, his expression twisted into something I'd never seen before -betrayal.
"Claudia?" he said, his voice laced with disbelief. "You... you're part of this?"
Claudia's mask of confidence faltered, her lips trembling as she took a step back. "Ronny, I- this isn't what it looks like," she stammered, her usual cunning slipping in the face of someone who truly knew her.
“Don't lie to me," Ronny snapped, his voice like a whip. "I thought I knew you."
"Stay out of this, Ronny," Uncle Garry growled, pulling a gun from his waistband and pointing it directly at Ariana.
"Garry, nol" I shouted, instinct taking over as I lunged forward.
The next few seconds were a blur. Garry grabbed Ariana, yanking her in front of him like a shield, his gun pressed against her temple.
"Don't move!" he barked, his voice shaking with anger.
Ariana struggled, her wide, terrified eyes locking with mine. My blood turned ice cold.
"Let her go," I said, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me.
Garry's lips curled into a cruel smile. "You think you can waltz in here, take everything that belongs to me, and walk out unscathed? Think again, boy."
"Belongs to you?" I spat, stepping closer despite the gun aimed at the woman I loved. "Ariana and I aren't pawns in your sick game, Garry."
"Stay back!" he shouted, his finger twitching dangerously on the trigger.
Behind him, Claudia's eyes darted around, panic setting in as the officers slowly closed in. She still held her knife, her knuckles white as she gripped It tightly.
"Garry" Ronny warned, his gun trained on the man. "You don't want to do this."
"Oh, but I do," Garry sneered, pressing the gun harder against Ariana's temple, "She's the key to all of this. Without her, Everything will be mine."
"Let her go," I repeated, my voice dropping to a dangerous growl
Ariana's sounds of agony were like a dagger to my chest, I couldn't lose her Not like this.
Suddenly, Claudia moved. She lunged toward me with the knife, her eyes wild.
"Hardin!" Ronny shouted, but I saw it coming.
I sidestepped her attack, grabbing her wrist and twisting it until the knife clattered to the floor. She screamed in pain, but I didn't let go, my grip like iron,
"Why, Claudia?" I demanded, my voice breaking with a mixture of anger and disbelief. "Why would you do this?"
Tears streamed down her face, but her expression remained. defiant. "Because I loved you!" she screamed. "And you threw me away like I was nothing. For her!" She jerked her head toward Ariana, venom dripping from every word.
"This was never love," I said, my voice cold. "You don't destroy the people you care about.”
Claudia's face twisted with rage, but before she could say anything else, Ronny's voice cut through.
"Enough!" he shouted, his gun still aimed at Garry. "Everyone stand down!"
But Garry wasn't listening. His eyes were wild, his grip on Ariana tightening.
"If I can't have what's mine, no one will," he snarled.
And then he pulled the trigger.
Time seemed to slow. I moved on instinct, throwing myself in front of Ariana. The sound of the gunshot rang in my ears, followed by a searing pain in my side.
I collapsed to the ground, my vision blurring as blood seeped from the wound.
"Hardin!" Ariana screamed, dropping to her knees beside me. Her hands pressed against my side, trying to stem the flow of blood.
I reached up, my trembling fingers brushing her face. "Ariana," I whispered, my voice barely audible.
"Don't you dare give up on me," she sobbed, tears streaming down her face.
The room was chaos-shouts, gunfire, and the sound of officers taking down Garry and Claudia, But all I could focus on was her.
"I love you," I said, my voice breaking. "I should've told you sooner, but I was too much of a coward."
"Stop," she pleaded, her hands shaking as she tried to stop the bleeding. "You're going to be fine. Just hold on."
I smiled weakly, the edges of my vision darkening. "You... you made me believe in something again."
"Hardin, please," she cried, her voice cracking.
I felt myself slipping
, the pain fading as a strange sense of peace washed over me.
And then everything went black.
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