Page 43 of Echoes of Eternity

I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow. “You really think I’m going to forget everything? You’ve got a funny way of thinking, Kaito. Aren’t you tired of this little game of yours?”

His face fell for a moment, but he quickly recovered. “I can change! I’ve changed. Just remember the good times we had.”

“Good times? You mean the ones filled with chaos and disappointment? Yeah, those are really memorable,” I shot back, my tone laced with sarcasm. “It’s over, Kaito. You need to get that through your thick skull. I don’t know how many ways I need to spell it out for you.”

He sighed, frustration flickering in his eyes. “You’re just being stubborn. We can?—”

“Stubborn? Or maybe I just value my sanity. There’s a difference.” I leaned back, meeting his gaze unflinchingly. “This isn’t a fairy tale, and I’m not your damsel in distress. I never was and you knew it. It’s exactly why you tried to weasel your way back into my neighborhood, spreading your damn drugs around my home. You think I don’t know your tactics, Kaito?”

“Suddenly you became your own knight in shining armor, Mae? That little job of yours is getting to your head. It’s not going to be enough to take care of yourfolks, not the way I can,” he threw back, trying to hit me where it hurts.

And that was one of the reasons why we began to fall apart. He was petty and juvenile. He just didn’t realize I didn’t play the same petty game. So when I cut him out of my life, he couldn’t think of his next move, not until desperation finally drove him to things like begging me to come back.

“That little job of mine and anything else in my life is none of your damn business,” I snapped, jabbing my finger in his chest.

His eyes narrowed, a flicker of something dark and dangerous sparking in them. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Mae. You think you can stand on your own? You’re still in my world whether you like it or not.”

I crossed my arms, defiance surging within me. “I’m in my own world now. I’m done living in your shadow. You’re sorely mistaken if you think I’m one of the hoes that hang around your men.”

Kaito stepped forward again, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “You know you miss me. You miss the thrill, the rush. Don’t pretend like you’re above it all, little miss from-the-hood-who-thinks-she’s-left-it.”

I felt my heart pound, not from fear, but from the undeniable memories that flared to life. “What I miss is something you can never give me. And it has nothing to do with you.”

The space inside the abandoned building was dimly lit, with only a flickering street lightor two filtering through broken windows. If he truly thought I would fall for his excuse of trying to stir up memories by bringing me to a place like this, he must really think I was stupid.

I looked around for an escape route, Kaito’s frustration at my constant rejection intensifying. He began pacing and movements becoming erratic as he began mumbling to himself. It was clear that his mood was quickly shifting. I needed to think quickly.

Suddenly, Kaito’s phone rang, breaking the tension between us. He glanced at the screen and frowned before answering it. The conversation was terse, and I could only catch snippets of it, but the tone was threatening and authoritative.

“Yeah, I know. I’m dealing with it,” he said into the phone. “Just make sure everything’s ready.”

The call ended, and he turned back to me, his expression more controlled but still simmering with anger. “We’re going to have a little chat about your future,” he said coldly. “And if you don’t like it, well, I’m sure you can guess what happens next.”

I needed a plan, and I needed to act fast. Every second spent in this abandoned building was a step closer to a situation I couldn’t control. I glanced around, desperately searching for a broken pipe, or large shards of glass that could fit in my hand.

“No, we’re not. We’re done here.”

My ex’s phone call had done little to ease the tension; if anything, it had heightened my anxiety. I needed to keep him distracted long enough to find a way out,but how?

The tug in my chest persisted, pulling at my very core as if trying to guide me toward something unseen. It was almost as if the feeling was trying to reach out to me, but I didn’t know how to reach back.

“Is this what you wanted?” Kaito snapped, breaking my train of thought. “To make me suffer? To throw everything away?”

I curled my lip, refusing to continue the pointless conversation or to humor his little hissy fit. He didn’t seem to care about my words anyway, his anger overshadowing any semblance of rational conversation.

Suddenly, I heard the distant sound of footsteps approaching, accompanied by the low hum of more vehicles pulling to a stop. Crap, I didn’t realize his men were still around. I thought he sent them back to wherever they came from.

My ex’s face darkened, and he turned toward the sound with a grim expression. “They’re here,” he said, his tone laced with menace. “And when they arrive, you’ll have to make a choice.”

I had to be strategic. I couldn’t afford to make any mistakes, especially with the stakes so high. It was all of his goons versus me.

The door to the building creaked open, and a group of darkly clad men entered. Their presence was imposing, their faces hidden behind masks of stoic indifference. The tension in the room was palpable, and Kaito’s demeanor shifted from anger to a more calculated aggression.

“We could have used this time better, you know?Fuck and make up or something, like old times,” he sighed.

One of the men, a towering figure with a scar across his cheek, approached me. His eyes were cold and assessing, and he seemed to be waiting for instructions. My ex’s demeanor was now that of a man in control, orchestrating a scene that had clearly been planned out.

“This is the part where you get on your knees and beg my forgiveness for what I’m about to be forced to do.” Kaito’s voice was cold and commanding. “I don’t know what it is about you to make me continually give you chances when in any other arena, I would have painted the walls in blood by now.”

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