CHAPTER 62
C HAPTER 62
ALLYN
War was near.
The air in this abandoned building feels suffocating—whether it’s the limited ventilation or my own panic, I can’t seem to catch a breath. Though it’s a warm night outside, the temperature inside has dropped to freezing.
My gaze shifted to the men surrounding us, weapons drawn, waiting for a signal from Maddox. Unlike me, he was visibly calm, his posture relaxed. His hands rest casually in his pockets, and his dark, lifeless eyes are fixed on the man across the field, encircled by his soldiers.
My father—Mikael Romano.
Mikael barely glanced at Maddox. His eyes were locked on me, cold as ice, filled with murderous intent.
Seeing me beside Maddox was a bitter sight for him— it’s written all over his face. His men, too, are armed, their weapons raised and ready to fire.
But I forced myself to appear confident, keeping my head high despite the terror twisting in my gut.
“Maddox King,” Mikael drawled, his icy voice breaking the silence as he acknowledged Maddox’s presence.
“Such a pleasure seeing you again,” he added, the sarcasm dripping from his tone. “Still, I must admit, I preferred you beaten and bathed in your own blood,” my father said, stepping forward. His men followed, prompting Maddox’s soldiers to advance, weapons raised.
Men against men. Guns against guns.
Blood against blood.
“I bet you do, Mikael,” Maddox replied, his voice low and cold. “Where is my sister?”
Mikael took a step closer with his men trailing behind him.
“Bring me Lydia alive, and I’ll be generous enough to overlook your foolish actions and spare your miserable life,”
Maddox’s voice was calm and steady, yet cold enough to pierce the silence of the night.
“Believe it or not, Mikael, we’re on the same side.”
“Are we?” Mikael sneered, his face twisting in disdain.
“You want my father dead. I want the same thing.”
Maddox stepped forward, standing at the head of his men like a true leader. I followed closely, moving to his side. His gaze shifted to me, softening for a fleeting moment— as though my presence gave him strength.
“That’s where you’re wrong, King. I want you dead.”
Everything happened in a blur. The sound of guns being cocked echoed sharply as Mikael drew his weapon. But before he could aim it at Maddox, I stepped forward, placing myself in front of him, shielding him with my body.
Mikael’s gun was trained on me now. Our eyes locked, and I held my ground, waiting for him to pull the trigger.
I stood tall, my head high, even as my father’s gun aimed directly at me. Around us, at least twenty more weapons were pointed my way by his men, but I didn’t care.
Not when it came to Maddox.
Maddox tried to push me aside, his curses loud enough for everyone to hear, but I stood firm.
My father’s expression, once smug, had vanished, replaced by fury. His jaw clenched—his grip on the gun tightening as he stared at me.
“Enough,” I said. “If you want him, you’ll have to kill me first.”
For a moment, I glanced at Mikael’s men, their guns all trained on me, waiting for his order to fire—an order that never came.
But I knew Mikael too well— he would never harm me.
He would never pull the trigger while I stood in his way.
I was his only weakness.
“After everything I’ve done for you,” Mikael said, his voice light yet icy. His expression was one of disappointment, his gun still aimed at me. “And this is how you repay me?”
The bitterness in his words cut deep, opening wounds I had long tried to ignore. Because I knew even after everything Mikael had done to save me, protect me, and keep me by his side—I would still choose Maddox— unconditionally, without hesitation. Always.
I wasn’t a good daughter, but I had made peace with that a long time ago.
“I’m sorry I’m not the daughter you’ve always wanted.”
My voice trembling as I choked back tears. I wanted to appear strong, even though I wasn’t. Maddox stood behind me, his body pressed against mine, my back resting firmly against his chest.
“But I won’t let you do this. I won’t let you kill him.”
The room fell silent.
Mikael and I locked eyes, staring each other down for what felt like an eternity. Just when I thought he was about to pull the trigger and end it all, a slow, deliberate clap echoed from the shadows.
All eyes turned toward the sound.
From the darkness stepped none other than Martin King himself, his presence commanding and deliberate.
At his side, unharmed and wearing a smirk as sharp as a blade, was Lydia King. Alive, untouched, and ready to destroy.
And then, as if struck by lightning, my breath caught in my throat. The realization hit me like a freight train.
We were played.
Martin stepped forward, standing next to Mikael as if they were old friends.
Lydia followed close behind, her presence confirming my worst fears that my father played me. He’s with Martin and Lydia.
This wasn’t a meeting to negotiate—it was a purge.
A trap— with no way out.
Maddox must have realized it, too, because this time he used force, shoving my body behind his, shielding me from what was coming.
I dared to glance up at his face. His stone-cold mask betrayed the storm of emotions raging beneath— fury, bitterness, hurt.
All of it, crashing down at once.
“I told you, Mikael, but you had to see it with your own eyes,” Martin said with a laugh. “You didn’t believe Lydia when she said your own daughter would choose my son over you. Now, do you believe her?”
Maddox’s gaze shifted to Lydia, his jaw clenched so tight it looked as if he was planning her funeral.
“I told you to get rid of her, brother,” Lydia said coolly, her voice cutting through the room like ice.
Her white hair spilled over her shoulders, making her look every bit like an Ice Queen.
“She only brings death.”
“You played me,” Maddox growled, his voice sharp and cold, like the edge of a blade. His deadly gaze pinned Lydia in place.
She didn’t flinch. Instead, she nodded.
“It was the only solution.”
My eyes darted between the three of them standing before us. Suddenly, our army of men felt minuscule as more of Mikael’s people poured into the building, their weapons drawn, surrounding us.
We were in a freaking trap.
This isn’t a meeting— it’s a planned funeral.
Maddox’s funeral—organized by my father, his father, and his sister.
“You’ve stooped this low, Mikael? Allying with the man who ripped me away from you? You wanted his death for years, and now you’re with him?”
All those months with Mikael— I studied him. I learned his every move. We spent days, weeks, meticulously plotting Martin’s demise.
My father hates him with every fiber of his being, yet here he is, betraying his word and siding with him.
He’s the real traitor.
“I’d do whatever it takes to protect you!” Mikael roared, his voice cracking with fury, the vein in his forehead bulging.
Maddox’s grip around me tightened.
“I would do the unthinkable to save you from this monster,” Mikael spat, pointing his gun at Maddox.
“You’re the monster here,” I hissed.
Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.
“A monster with no honor and dignity.”
“Can I shut this bitch up already?” Lydia’s cold, irritated voice cut in as she rolled her eyes.
“You so much as aim at my daughter, and I’ll slit your throat,” Mikael growled.
“Get Allyn out of here, now!” Maddox’s commanding voice shattered the tension, cutting through the chaos. He turned to three of his men.
“Guard her with your lives.”
My heart plummeted.
“NO!” I screamed, my voice breaking.
I wouldn’t let him stay here alone.
Not to face a death that was all but certain.
People say love makes you reckless. That it blinds you, consumes you. You stop thinking straight, willing to risk it all for the person you love. Maybe they’re right.
Maybe I love Maddox King.
Because there’s nothing I wouldn’t do or sacrifice, to save him. Even if it means losing myself. Even if it means I’m the one who gets hurt. I’ll gladly take the pain if it means saving him.
I lifted my chin high— despite the tears streaking my face.
“I want to make an offer,” I said.
Mikael arched a brow, curiosity flickering behind his icy glare.
“Oh, please, let’s hear it,” Martin interjected with a mocking laugh.
This man—this pathetic excuse of a human being—deserves to burn for every ounce of pain he’s inflicted. For everything he’s done to me, to Maddox.
What kind of father conspires to murder his own son?
My gaze snapped back to Mikael.
“This is all because of me, yeah?” I said, loud and firm.
He didn’t hesitated. He nodded, his gun steady and ready, waiting.
“Fine,” I said, my voice unwavering. “I’ll go with you. I won’t fight. I’ll do whatever you ask.”
“Allyn,” Maddox’s voice, rough and low, reached me from behind, sending a pang through my chest.
I turned to him briefly— he fell silent, his expression stricken.
I looked back at Mikael, his sharp gaze fixed on me.
“I’m waiting to hear what you want in return for your submission.”
“Let Maddox leave out of here. Alive.” I said. “And I’ll come with you.”
The words stung, cutting deeper than I imagined. But if this was the price for his life, I would pay it.
There are no happy endings for us.
The odds are stacked too high.
And I didn’t want him to find out like this, but if I don’t say it now, Maddox might never know. That thought alone would destroy me.
“But if you kill him,” I continued, “you’ll lose me forever, Mikael. I will never forgive you for killing the father of my child. And believe me, I will have my revenge.”
“What?”
The word echoed in the room, uttered in unison by Martin, Mikael, and Maddox. But only Maddox’s voice mattered.
I turned to face him, a sincere smile breaking through my tears.
It was small, fragile, but genuine.
If this moment was the last time I would ever see him, I couldn’t leave without telling him the truth. He had every right to know.
Maddox’s face was frozen in bewilderment, his mouth slightly open, the shock written across his features as if he’d just been struck by something hard.
Slowly, I touched my stomach, and his eyes followed the movement, widening in realization.
“I’m pregnant,” I whispered.
The words were quiet yet loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. My eyes stayed locked on Maddox’s. Only he mattered now.
“I’m carrying your child.”
The shift in his expression was almost frightening in its intensity.
In the span of a heartbeat, he transformed.
Shock melted into tenderness, only to harden into something dark and unyielding. A storm brewed in his gaze, a fire so fierce it looked ready to consume everything in its path.
The air felt heavier as his jaw clenched, and his eyes gleamed with a dangerous flame. His gaze shifted over my shoulder, to someone behind me. He gave a small, deliberate nod.
Before I could react, two of Maddox’s men grabbed me, pulling me toward the exit. Their bodies acted as shields, ensuring I was protected.
“No!” I screamed, twisting in their grasp, my voice drowned out by the sudden chaos.
“Fire!” Maddox’s voice roared, cutting through the air like a blade.
The men dragged me outside, forcing me into a matte black jeep.
The vehicle’s doors slammed shut, sealing me inside as the driver sped off into the night. The abandoned building erupted into chaos, flames of gunfire lighting up the darkness. The sharp cracks of bullets echoed off, mixing with the anguished cries of men.
I screamed, cried, and pounded on the doors with every ounce of strength I had.
“Stop! Let me go back!” My pleas fell on deaf ears.
They were resolute, their faces grim as the jeep tore away from the chaos behind us. When I wouldn’t relent, one of them pulled out a towel, pressing it firmly against my face.
The chemical scent overwhelmed me instantly, and the world blurred into darkness as my body slumped into the seat.