Chapter 8: The Right Decision?
Anna POV… … … …
"Marry me," he repeated, "and I'll save your life. Or die like a fool."
His last words hit me harder than I expected. They sounded less like an insult and more like a strange kind of encouragement.
As I stepped away from the edge of the bridge I had been about to jump from, the weight of his words echoed through me.
At that moment, I couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or just playing with my desperation. His face was unreadable—his expression didn't match any emotion I could name, making it impossible to figure out what he truly felt.
"You heard me right, Anna. Marry me, and I'll take away your pain." This time, he wasn't hiding it. His face told me he meant every word.
I stood there, frozen, my gaze fixed on him. Maybe I was searching—searching for any hint of a lie, a joke, a smirk. But there was none.
"Are you…" The words caught in my throat. I remembered who he was—or rather, what he was. He wasn't a human.
Yes, he could save me. I was certain of that. But the choice I faced now was heavier than life or death. Could I trust him?
He suddenly tossed a pen and paper into the air like they weighed nothing, letting them hover in place as if the sky itself held them.
"Sign this," he said, eyes locked on mine, "and I'll take your pain away. I wouldn't dare lie to you." That was the moment I knew—he wasn't joking. He was dead serious.
"What are you?" The question slipped from my lips before I could stop it. He chuckled and stepped closer.
"Do you really want to live… or do you want to die?" He answered my question with one of his own, and it shook me.
But as his question settled in, I felt it—that flicker. That buried spark. The desire to live. The craving for justice. The hunger to make those who hurt me pay.
The memory of the man who murdered my family without a trace of remorse seared through my mind. And then there was Louis—twisting my pain for his own gain.
"How will you heal me?" I asked driven by rage, my voice suddenly steady, my eyes sharp with resolve.
"I don't need to explain things like that to you, Anna," he said, stepping even closer.
"I just make it happen. And you'll see for yourself."
"Dare me, and you'll see—I don't make empty promises," he said with a smile.
I swallowed hard, though there was nothing in my mouth. A flicker of fear still lingered in me, rising every time he stepped closer, echoing like a scream across a thousand mountains.
My hands tangled in my hair, scratching at my scalp like someone on the verge of losing their mind.
"Try me and see," he added, his tone steady.
I stared at him, uncertain, trapped between choices. Should I take him at his word—marry him, survive, and get the chance to avenge everything? Or should I just end it all right here?
"Only a loser would choose death," he said suddenly, his voice slicing through my thoughts like a knife. "If you look closely, you'll find a reason to live."
My gaze deepened. Could he really hear what I was thinking? Or was it just an unsettling coincidence?
"Don't give me that look, Anna," he said, voice firm. "Your thoughts are your own—and they're sealed."
And that's when it hit me.
He could hear them.
"You can hear me… when I think?" I asked, stunned. I couldn't hide my shock—it was too much, too fast. Too unreal.
"Yes, Anna Stone. I told you—you are my fated one, didn't I?" he grinned, and somehow, that grin made me fear him even more.
"Now, let's make this a deal. I know you still want to live. I know you still crave justice against those who wronged you. And here I am—offering you that chance in the blink of an eye."
"The choice is yours, Anna. And I promise, from this moment forward, I won't interfere with whatever decision you make."
"If you choose to end your life, that's your call. If you choose to live, it's yours as well. The ball is in your court, Anna Stone."
His voice dripped with certainty. He wasn't bluffing.
As he spoke, a part of me wanted—needed—him to beg me not to die. To plead with me not to make such a stupid decision. But the look in his eyes told me everything. He was done. Tired of my self-doubt. He was leaving the choice to me—for real this time.
"Anna Stone," he said firmly. "Make your decision. Give me the will to either walk away… or save you."
He wasn't joking. His expression was as serious as death itself. And I knew I had to choose.
But no words came. I was still drowning in confusion.
"I have other things to attend to," he added, voice cold. "Look into that ocean—it might seem like an escape. But is that the decision you really want to make? Dying there would make you nothing but a useless coward."
Those words hit me like a slap.
"You're the last surviving member of the Stone clan. If you die now, won't that erase your family's legacy? The man who destroyed your world—he'll still be free. Still breathing. And you'll be nothing more than a pathetic loser, even in the afterlife. I—"
"I'll do it," I cut in, my voice sharp. His words were all the motivation I needed to make the hardest decision of my life.
"I'll do it. Save me… and I'll be your wife." The words left my lips, and my eyes locked onto his golden-brown gaze.
A smirk tugged at his lips as he stepped closer. "I'll make sure you don't regret this," he said softly.
Before I could react, his hand pressed against my chest. A sharp, tingling cold spread through my heart.
And then—I collapsed.
As my eyes fluttered shut, the last thing I saw was his face, still wearing that smile.
And I wondered—had I just made the right decision? Signing a marriage pact with a man I didn't even know.