Dead or Alive

Louis stood in his office, staring down at the divorce papers that had been lying on his desk for days. He'd signed them, obviously, but the moment his pen left the paper, something inside him had felt. Wrong. The weight of the decision weighed upon him, gnawing at the back of his mind. For weeks Louis had struggled to believe that it was the right thing, that he and Victoria would both be better off apart. Yet deep inside a voice whispered that he was making the biggest mistake of his life. The memories of times together replayed in his mind in endless repetition stolen moments of laughter, the way they once talked about building a future together, even when the world around them seemed to fall apart. Despite everything, despite the lies, the betrayal, and the bitterness that had built up between them, Louis still loved her. His hand shook as he reached for the papers once more, his heart aching with such reflection: was this the end? Suddenly, a wave of urgency washed over him. He needed to see Victoria, to talk to her one last time before it was too late. Perhaps there was still an avenue left through which things could be put right, the damage which had been done undone. The alternative slipping from him is no longer part of his life, unthinkable. Louis, with no further thought, took his car keys and ran out of the estate, not remembering the divorce papers lying on his desk. Meanwhile, at Victoria's apartment, things were highly tense. Daniella stood a few feet away from Victoria, clutching a gun; its cold metal felt heavy in her hand as her eyes grew wild with anger and desperation. Victoria's heart raced in her chest, eyes fixed dead on the barrel of the gun as her breath came in shallow, panicked gasps. Every second was an eternity as the room threatened to close over her head. "Daniella, please," Victoria's voice was shaking; she took a cautious step back, her mind racing for a way out. "You don't have to do this. We can figure something out. There's still a way to end this without someone getting hurt." But Daniella wasn't listening. Her hands shook as she tightened her grip on the gun, her face twisted with a hatred that had been simmering for months, years even. "You don't get it, do you?" Daniella spat. Her voice was shaking with anger. "This is the only way. You've taken everything from me, Victoria. My family, my brother, my life! And now... I'm taking yours." Victoria's blood ran cold as Daniella raised the gun higher, her finger hovering precariously over the trigger. Outside, Louis drove down the streets of the city like a man possessed, his mind racing to the beat of his heart. He couldn't shake this feeling that something was wrong. His hands gripped the steering wheel with a tightness that showed in his white knuckles, an image of Victoria's face flashing over and over again in his mind. "I gotta shut this down," Louis muttered, his heart racing. "I gotta make this right." As he winged his way across the city, a pall of dread fell over him. He needed to get to her-he needed to put things right. But time seemed to be slipping away, that nagging fear that it was already too late starting to gnaw at him. Meanwhile, at Victoria's apartment, the situation had ominously changed. Daniella's breathing was erratic, her shaking hand pointing the gun at Victoria. Victoria stood frozen, her mind whirling around a thousand thoughts: How had it come to this? How had her life so absolutely spiraled out of control? Just a few months ago, she had faced the chaos within her marriage to Louis, with the ambitions of love, duty, and personal happiness in a precarious balance. Yet now, in this instant, it all came crashing down. "Daniella, you don't have to do this," Victoria repeated, her voice shaking, hands raised. "This won't solve anything." Daniella's eyes flashed hot with anger. "Shut up! You've already ruined it all. This is the only way you'll ever be out of my life for good." Victoria felt the cold bite of fear settles deep in her bones. She took a cautious step forward; her heart hammered against her chest. "You think this will make the pain go away, but it won't. It'll only destroy you too." Before Daniella could respond, the front door burst open, slamming against the wall with a loud crash. Louis was standing in the doorway, his chest heaving with his mouth agape, while Daniella stood with the gun raised and Victoria froze in shock. "Daniella, stop!" Louis screamed, his voice full of panic. "What are you doing?" Daniella's eyes snapped to Louis as she started shaking her hand, clutching the gun even tighter. "You're too late, Louis. This is the only way things can be right again." "Put the gun down!" Louis implored, homing in on her cautiously. "We can talk about this. You don't have to do this." But Daniella wasn't listening. Her eyes flashed with desperation as she pointed the gun at Victoria and neared placing her finger on the trigger. "No more talking. I'm ending this, right now." Victoria's breath caught as Daniella's hand moved, involuntarily tensing her body. The next few seconds were like time stretching to eternity. "Daniella, don't!" Louis shouted, surging forward at the very second when Daniella pressed her finger down onto the trigger. Time froze as the ringing sound of the gunshot boomed in the apartment. In that split second, it was instinct that took over. Throwing all caution to the wind, Victoria charged forward mindlessly, heaving Louis out of the bullet's path with every last ounce of strength she had. The bullet tore through the air, and Victoria felt a searing pain shoot through her body. Her breath caught in her throat as her vision blurred and she staggered back, hands clutching at her side. And in the next instant, as she dropped to the floor, everything was quiet. The world around her faded as the pain radiated across her body in sharp, unbearable waves. What would her life have been if there was no contract marriage? If there were no Sebastians to deal with? If she hadn't been used as bait by her parents?