58

CHAPTER FIFTY EIGHT
GABRIELLE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Time seemed to slow down as I watched Lucian enter and at the same time Derek pull on the trigger, my scream was useless, his left shoulder was now a bloodied color that left me horrified.
At that moment, I met his expression, his eyes were blazing with fury instead of the pain I knew he must be feeling. His shoulder was bleeding, blood trickling down his arm, while my heart gnawed with concern, he also looked much more like a dark forbidding beast that had been set free and ready to attack.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Derek's finger tighten around the trigger, preparing to shoot again, I didn't think, I only acted. It was a foolish move but there wasn't another option.
"No don't! Please. " I rushed to stand in front of Derek, so I was positioned between the gun and Lucian. "Get out of the way!!" He yelled, his eyes told the rest of the things he didn't say, the confusion, followed by the disappointment, I think this was the first time he realize how I was no longer the same Brie that used to be hopelessly in love with him.
"I'm not leaving you with him! You love me, remember!?" He forced out the words like it was something I had forgotten, The fire of revenge burned in his eyes before he tugged my arm, pushing me out of the way. The apology in his gaze lasted only for a short time before Lucian's enraged roar shattered the moment.
He had moved during the slight distraction.
Derek reacted but it was a bit too late, the gun was knocked out of his hand, sending it flying to the ground before Lucian's body crashed against his, sending them both flying to the ground.

"That depends on whether you are able to keep your own pathetic life!" Lucian snarled, and that was when hell broke loose. I couldn't stand the sight as Lucian immediately brought his enclosed fist down onto Derek's face, hard and brutal again and again to the soft flesh of Derek's cheeks.
"Oh god! no no!" I sobbed aloud.
Gripping hard on Lucian's wounded shoulder, Derek propelled himself upward just enough to slam his forehead against Lucian's nose.
The hit distracted Lucian just enough for Derek to start to stagger to his feet but not before producing a shining metal from his boot.
This time, I screamed Lucian's name in warning just as Derek brought the dagger straight for Lucian's stomach. Lucian moved just in time, blocking the blade and shoving Derek against my dressing table, sending wood and mirror breaking from the force of it. Without giving Derek a chance to recover, his face was hit repeatedly against the wall until it turned bloodied from deep gashes.
My stomach roiled violently at the sight as the knife slipped from Derek's hand as his face squeezed tight in pain. He had to squint against the blood the slash above his eyebrow gushed out steadily.
"You should have continued hiding in your little hole like the sorry pussy that you are!" Lucian sneered.
"Your biggest mistake was to come here and put your filthy hands on things that is mine!" Lucian hissed, his gaze finding mine in that second.
"Don't talk about her, you bastard! She will never belong to you!" Derek spat before gasping for air.

Lucian's response was a dark chuckle, and I watched in revolting horror as he grabbed a substantial piece of broken mirror from the mess on the broken dresser.

"She already is and will always! But you don't need to bother about that as you're soon about to die."
Heavy footsteps sounded from a distance away.
Father's men must have heard the gunshot and would be here at any moment, I still didn't know much about the misunderstanding between my father and Lucian but I knew it was only a matter of time before Derek would lose his life, either by Lucian or my father's men.
My eyes traveled from Lucian whose eyes were hard with murderous rage to Derek. They both were continuously losing blood but Derek was only a few seconds away from dying.
Lucian was going to slash him with that mirror without missing a heartbeat.
No, I couldn't just watch him die, and especially not after he came to free me. Self-loathe flooded through my veins, in this moment, I despised myself. All of these were only because of me, I didn't want neither of the men who believed they were saving me from the other to be hurt.
My eyes suddenly fell on the gun which was only a few distances away from where I stood. I leaned down to pick it up with shaky fingers. My confusion about what to do with it lasted for half a second.
"Let him go." My voice and lips trembled but I was gripping onto the gun quite firmly. Slowly, I pointed at Lucian.
His grey eyes turned dark and forbidding at that moment and I could swear that my soul left me.
He didn't move to do as I asked neither did he seem threatened by the fact that I was holding a gun to him but I could see the confusion and suspicion building up, slowly replaced by the cold look of betrayal and the vivid promise that he was going to make me pay for this act.
"Drop that gun now, wife!" He barked out the order in a way that almost had me instantly obeying.
Almost.
But I didn't, I was already in so much trouble, it would only be a lose-lose situation if I backed out of it at this point.
"Release him...let him leave first" I blinked back burning sensation of tears, it was hard to be the person holding the gun and to be in the situation. I suddenly realized that we were no longer alone, they were at least a dozen of father's men now inside the room but none of them did anything but watch. They seemed confused about the situation. They would not attack me or Lucian and once again Derek was the only victim present. Even if Lucian let go of Derek this instant, there was no guarantee that he would be able to leave through the gates alive.

Lucian seemed to be even more annoyed when I stubbornly insisted.
"You only have two seconds to return to your senses or I'm going to cut him up to pieces and you'll get to watch every fucking minute of it!" He growled.
He was confident that I was not going to shoot him. Well, he was right. Since this whole thing started because of me, then it's only right that I end it as well.

Pulling the barrel against my temple, I met his steely gaze steadily.
"Fine, then prepare to lose me as well."

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