fiction
Rafael Moretti refused to look at any woman’s face, because he said beauty had lied to him once before. But when the white sheet was finally removed from the woman he chose, the millionaire froze as if the past had walked into the room breathing 😨 / Chapter 8 / 10

Chapter 8 - Fire and Water

The old Moretti boathouse on the northern coast was a rotting timber monolith beaten by decades of grey sea spray. Inside, the air smelled of damp wood, rust, and old oil.

Leila sat tied to a heavy wooden chair, a thick strip of duct tape bound across her mouth. Her wrists were raw where the industrial zip-ties dug into her skin. Standing in front of her with a chilling smile was Valeria, holding a silver lighter and flicking the small flame on and off.

"Such a tragic waste," Valeria purred, pacing back and forth across the planked floor. "You really thought you could walk back into our lives, didn't you, Leila? You thought Rafael's obsession would save you."

Leila glared at her through the dim, flickering light, her dark eyes blazing with absolute defiance. She didn't cower; she didn't beg. She simply watched the flame, waiting.

The heavy front doors of the boathouse suddenly exploded inward with a deafening crash of splintering wood and iron hinges.

"Valeria! Drop the lighter!"

Rafael stood framed in the doorway, his light-blue suit jacket discarded, his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows. In his right hand, a firearm was leveled directly at Valeria’s chest. His eyes were wild, blazing with a terrifying, protective fury.

Valeria didn't flinch. Instead, she laughed, stepping back and holding the flame directly over a puddle of high-octane boat fuel pooled across the floorboards.

"Ah, the loyal hero!" Valeria mocked, her eyes wide and manic. "Step any closer, Rafael, and I turn this entire dock into your fiancée's crematorium. Just like I did with your father's legacy."

"You killed him, and you destroyed my life," Rafael said, taking a slow, calculated step forward. His voice was dead calm, hiding the absolute volcano raging inside him. "It ends tonight, auntie."

"It ends when I say it ends!" Valeria shrieked, flicking her wrist.

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