Iris POV
For a brief moment, his eyes seemed to show a little bit of warmth and understanding. However, the silence that came after that moment was so heavy and painful that it felt much worse than anything he could have said. In that intense and quiet moment, I experienced a crushing realization.
I felt like the world I had worked so hard to build around me was collapsing. It was as if the very ground I stood on was breaking apart turning into countless tiny fragments that scattered all around me. Overwhelmed with emotion I let out a loud sob that came from deep inside me and I found myself sinking to my knees.
The salty air around me made my eyes sting as I shut them tight feeling completely defeated by the heavy sadness that was pressing down on me and I sensed an emptiness closing in around me.
“Why didn’t I notice this earlier?” I murmured to the unyielding wind my voice rough and shaky as if I were trying to hold on tightly to the last remnants of my sanity. “I allowed Raf to come into my heart. I genuinely believed that he cared about me. I was so incredibly blind to the truth.”
Out of nowhere I suddenly began to hear footsteps coming closer to me. The steady beat of the footsteps seemed to break the heavy quiet atmosphere that surrounded me. As I listened I prepared myself for what was about to happen feeling a mix of excitement and fear running through my body like a chill. However, when I felt a strong hand land on my shoulder it brought me back to the rough reality of what was going on right then and there.
“Hugo?” I called out. I quickly turned around feeling my heart leap and pound strongly in my chest. To my surprise, I saw him standing there in front of me. His face looked even more somber than it had before.
“I really can't go through with this Iris,” he said in a gentle voice filled with a kind of warmth that was surprising. “I promise you I will not allow anything to happen to you that could lead to your death.”
“What did you just say?” My heart raced rapidly within my chest pounding like a nervous drum filled with a desperate rhythm of hope that pulsed through my blood. “Can you please explain what you mean?”
“Raf instructed me to take you away from this place. I wasn’t meant to bring you to the docks he wanted to keep you safe.”
I looked at him with my mouth open completely shocked and unable to believe what I was hearing. My brain was having a hard time understanding what had just happened and how things had changed so quickly. I couldn’t believe my ears as I asked “Are you serious about this? Did Raf tell you that?”
Hugo's jaw was completely stiff and tense and his knuckles were pale and white because he was holding tightly onto the old wooden railing. He said “Raf needed to make everything look very real and believable to Campani. If he hadn't done that it might have put you in even more danger than before. You need to trust me on this.”
My head was spinning so much that it felt like I couldn’t keep up with all the information that had suddenly been thrown at me. It was overwhelming and I found it hard to breathe. I could feel a tear rising in my throat and it felt like I might start crying at any moment.
I looked at the person in front of me and asked softly almost in disbelief “But… why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” My voice came out so quiet as if I was afraid to make any noise. The feeling of confusion was heavy and thick sitting like a weight right in my chest making it hard to think straight.
“Honestly I wasn't sure if I could trust either you or him up until this exact moment,” Hugo admitted looking directly at the person he was talking to without looking away. “But now I think that if Raf has strong feelings for you like I believe he does we need to hurry because we are running out of time.”
A sudden wave of painful doubt washed over me making me feel lost and exposed. I softly said to myself “Why don't I feel safe right now?” My voice was shaky showing the hurt I was feeling deep inside. It all seemed so confusing. I had always believed that I meant something important to him and that our connection was something genuine. It was hard to understand why I was feeling this way.
Hugo's voice became gentler filled with a sense of calm reassurance that felt soothing. “You do have what it takes,” he told me confidently as he placed his hand on my arm. This small gesture was a sign that he wanted to comfort me even in this difficult and dark moment. “You have what you need. But for now, the most important thing is that you need to have faith in me and believe that I will guide you.”
An overwhelming rush of emotions poured out from within me an intense and unrefined expression of deep pain and feelings of betrayal. I couldn't help but think “How could I have been so naive? How could I have ever believed that he truly sincerely cared for me? I should have seen the signs more clearly.” As I spoke my voice trembled and tears began to fill my eyes making it hard to see.
I continued “I should have understood that this was nothing more than a carefully planned game a way for him to manipulate me for his power and revenge.” Understanding this truth struck me hard like a sharp piece of glass that pierced my heart filling me with a profound sense of disappointment.
“We really can't take our time thinking about what we regret my dear,” Hugo said urgently speaking softly but with a strong sense of determination. “There is a boat that will be arriving in just fifteen minutes. We must hurry and get you out of this place immediately.” His voice was serious and left no possibility for any disagreement.
“But he is still in a lot of danger! Dahlia, you do not understand just how serious this situation is!” I said my voice filled with a sense of urgency. I couldn't possibly leave Raf behind not when he was dealing with such a huge threat to his safety.
“I completely understand what you’re saying,” Hugo responded his voice showing a bit of urgency as he spoke. “That is exactly the reason why we need to focus on keeping you safe above everything else. We really can’t afford to lose you as well.”
A strong sense of relief filled my body as we finally started to move bringing with it a tiny spark of hope in the heavy darkness that felt almost suffocating.
However, before we could take even one step toward our escape an incredible roar suddenly broke the fragile silence around us. Then gunshots erupted cutting through the air with a harshness that made chills run down my spine.
Hugo lost his balance and fell to the hard wooden floor with a noise that sounded painful. As he fell blood began to spread around him creating a bright red stain that stood out sharply against the dark color of the wood. It looked like a creepy flower opening up in the middle of our frantic attempt to get away.
“No!” I shouted the sound coming from deep within me filled with intense sorrow and pain. A feeling of panic took hold of me and I felt like my heart was dropping down into a cold dark place. At the same time, I could feel adrenaline rushing through my body making my heart race even faster.
A frightening person stepped out from the dark shadows and a wicked smile formed on Sam's lips making him look cruel. This person was holding a gun and the metal of the weapon shone ominously in the faint light around them.
“This is quite a dramatic scene don't you think?” he said slowly his voice filled with a mocking happiness as if he found the situation amusing.
I felt my breath catch in my throat and a tight strangled sound came out of my mouth. I whispered “Sam…“ My heart was racing wildly pounding against my ribs as if it were trying to escape.
I looked at him my mind spinning with worry and asked “What have you done?” The question hung there between us thick with fear and an increasing sense of something terrible about to happen…