Shadow Of The Past | ✔️

77| "Forever"

NAOMI:

My world shattered as Ace took the bullet meant for me. I watched in disbelief and horror as he fell to his knees, his body weakening, his eyes meeting mine with pain. My mouth hung open, unable to comprehend the sudden turn of events.

Xavier stood by with a twisted grin, reveling in his malicious triumph. With cold indifference, he left the scene, leaving me to cradle Ace's head in my lap, desperately pleading with him to stay conscious.

"Stay with me, Ace. Don't close your eyes, please. Fight for me, for Amara," I urged, my voice quivering with anguish.

"My plan worked perfectly." Xavier said.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I struggled to comprehend the depth of Xavier's betrayal. "What do you mean?" I demanded, my voice quivering with anger and sorrow. "Why would you do that?"

Xavier smirked, his tone filled with malicious satisfaction. "Well, you see, my precious Naomi," he began, relishing in his moment of twisted triumph. "I knew that if I got you here and put you in this position, when I pulled the trigger, he'd just step in front of you and take the bullet for himself. So, I suppose you know what will happen to him now, unless you want me to spell it out for you."

"You're sick," I hissed through clenched teeth, my voice thick with rage and despair. "You're a coward and a monster."

Xavier's smirk faltered slightly at my words, but he quickly regained his composure. "I'm sorry that it had to end this way for the both of you," he taunted before turning on his heel and walking away, leaving me alone with Ace, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily upon me.

I knelt beside Ace, my hands trembling as I reached out to him. "Ace, please," I pleaded, my voice laced with desperation. "Stay with me. Fucking stay with me, please. Don't you dare close.your eyes." Despite my fear and anguish, I clung to a flicker of hope, unwilling to accept the cruel twist of fate that Xavier had orchestrated.

Luca and Tristan rushed over to where Ace and I were, their expressions filled with concern and urgency. As they knelt beside Ace's  form, Tristan quickly pulled out his phone and dialed for an ambulance.

"We need an ambulance immediately," Tristan said, his voice urgent as he relayed our location and Ace's condition to the operator. Luca and Tristan worked swiftly, trying to assess Ace's injuries and keep him stable until help arrived.

I hovered nearby, my eyes fixed on Ace, my heart heavy with worry and regret. I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and anger towards Xavier for putting us in this situation. As we waited for the ambulance, I clung to the hope that Ace would pull through, praying that this nightmare would soon be over.

Weakly, Ace spoke my name, his voice strained. "Naomi... listen to me, I love you, okay? Tell Amara I said that I love her so, so much..."

"No, Ace. You're not going anywhere. Don't say that, please," I interrupted, my heart breaking at his words.

"I love you, Naomi. I love you so much. Nothing in this world could ever stop my love for you. Not even what's about to happen to me could even do that, because I will continue to love you no matter what happens from the very beginning till forever," Ace's voice grew fainter with each word. "I'm happy I found you again and have never been more grateful for finding you again. I'm proud of everything you've done. Never forget that. Your journey doesn't end here, okay? You still have so much more... I know because I know you can do such good, amazing things in the world. Keep doing what you do and shock this damn earth to the core. Keep going for me, okay? Don't look back to this day, even if you do, don't come back walking to me, okay? Just keep going..."