Tainted Innocence

Chapter:24

Logan men arrived at the scene, attempting to extinguish the flames. Lisa remained motionless, kneeling on the ground.

"Sir, we've caught him. He's carrying a petrol can. He's the culprit behind the fire," declared two of Logan's men, gripping another man by the collar.

"Who commanded you to do this?" Logan demanded, delivering a fierce punch.

"Please... sir, have mercy," the man pleaded, but Logan, consumed by fury, kicked him squarely in the chest.

Spit out the name, you despicable coward!" Logan snarled, his voice laced with venom

"It was Nircolas, sir. He ordered me to set this house b—," the man's confession was cut short as a gunshot rang out. Logan scanned the area but found no one.

"Lisa," he thought, his mind racing. He searched around but she was nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, Lisa wandered the road, lost in a daze. The man's words echoed in her mind. He had set her home ablaze. He had deceived her. Betrayed her.

Unaware of her surroundings, Lisa found herself perilously close to the edge.

"Lisa," a familiar voice jolted her back to reality. Her vacant gaze met Logan's worried eyes. He rushed toward her, realizing the danger she was in.

"My men have taken out the dead bodies," he said, the words striking her like a bolt of lightning.

"Dead... bodies?" she stuttered, shock rendering her numb. Visions of her parents flashed before her eyes.

"Let's go, Lisa," Logan said gently, reaching for her quivering shoulder. But Lisa was paralyzed, unable to move, staring blankly at him.

Suddenly, the sound of a car's steering wheel caught their attention. Lisa's panic surged, her body trembling with fear.

The car door swung open, and he emerged. Seeing him, Lisa was transported back to those terrifying moments. The betrayal, the death of her parents—all replayed before her eyes.

"Let her go," Nircolas demanded, his voice seething with unchecked fury, though his face remained hidden in the darkness.

"Let her go so you can kill her?" Logan retorted with equal ferocity.

"If you value your life, hand her over to me," Nircolas snarled, baring his teeth as he advanced. His madness was evident, his eyes ablaze with anger. He was no longer the man who had adored her just days before—the man who had fed her, caressed her hair.

It was all a facade. The moments she had cherished were nothing but a cruel joke to him. She was merely a pawn, a plaything.

"Why?" she cried out, her voice piercing the tense air. Both men turned to her. Nircolas's gaze held a tumult of emotions she could no longer decipher.

"Lisa, come to me," he implored, his tone now soft, reminiscent of the way he used to speak to her. His eyes conveyed a deep yearning.

But Lisa's trust was shattered. The man she once saw as her protector was now the source of her deepest fear. He had callously torn her heart apart.

"Are you the son of my parents' killer?" she asked, her voice choked with tears. Nircolas tensed, his jaw clenching.

"We can discuss this later. Please, come here," he pleaded.

"Answer me!" Lisa demanded, tears streaming down her face, her body shaking with rage.

"Yes, I am," Nircolas admitted.

"Are you the one who abducted me? Were you planning to murder me that day?" she pressed on.

"Yes, it's true," Nircolas confessed.

"Bu...enough " She cut her. She could bear no more of his words.

"I curse the day I met you, Nircolas Mickelson. I curse the day I fell for you. I curse the day I married a monster like you," she whispered, each word laden with hatred and disgust.

Nircolas stood frozen, the loathing in her eyes tearing at his heart.

His gaze shifted to Logan, his anger now directed at him. He knew Logan was responsible for this chaos. Consumed by rage, Nircolas drew his pistol and fired in Logan's direction.

"Bang."

The gunshot reverberated through the air, leaving everyone motionless. Nircolas, stricken with horror, watched as Lisa clutched her chest, blood seeping from the wound. His hands trembled, and the gun slipped from his grasp.

Logan stood in shock. Lisa had pushed him out of the bullet's path, saving his life.

Lisa gazed at the man who had caused her so much pain. Despite the excruciating physical agony, it paled in comparison to the emotional torment he had inflicted. With a faint smile, she looked at him. They say it's fortunate to die in the arms of a lover, but in her case, she was dying by his hand.

With her vision fading, she saw him running toward her.

"Goodbye, Nircolas," she uttered, her final words before tumbling over the edge. Her eyes closed, and she embraced death.

"Lisa!" Nircolas cried out, desperate to leap after her, but his men restrained him. They had been nearby and rushed over at the sound of the gunshot.

"Let me go!" Nircolas struggled against their grip, but they held firm. Logan, meanwhile, was numb.

He stared at the water, never having wished for her death. But as his gaze fell upon Nircolas, his anger surged.

"Now you will understand, Nircolas. Feel the agony of losing someone you cherish. I've endured the same pain since you killed my brother. I won't end your life. I want you to live with this pain, this regret, this guilt. You are the murderer of your beloved. She perished because of you," Logan's words pierced Nircolas's heart. He stood, numb, gazing blankly at the water.

This story is going to  take a leap.