Third Person’s POV
NATHALIA was almost startled out of her wits upon hearing the loud alarm throughout the area. Accompanying it was a loud bang from outside.
She stood up from her seat on the bed and tried to squeeze herself against a corner. She simply stared at the door until the commotion seemed to subside before it abruptly swung open.
Cole appeared before her once again. He was sweating, and there were traces of blood on his clothes.
“W-What are you—” she started to speak, but was taken aback as he suddenly pulled her. She was left in shock as she saw three guards outside lying on the floor, lifeless.
She couldn’t believe her eyes as she looked at Cole. “What did you—”
“Stephen and the others are here to get you,” he said, gasping for breath.
Nathalia blinked, her eyes welling up with tears. The hope that had been slowly fading just a while ago came rushing back. But her attention was suddenly diverted from Cole as she realized he was about to separate her from her husband. Confusion swept over her as she caught sight of the bodies once again.
“Then why did you—” she began, but she covered her ears when a series of gunshots rang out. Cole swiftly pulled her towards the back of a wall. He peeked out slightly to exchange gunfire.
She couldn’t help but stare at him, various questions racing through her mind now.
Why was he helping her after betraying her?
Her thoughts snapped back when the surroundings fell silent again, and Cole pulled her once more. However, she paused briefly at one of the bodies they passed by, grabbing the gun it held.
She wasn’t sure of Cole’s true intentions, but it was better to be sure.
Even if his intentions were good, it was certain he wouldn’t be able to fight alone.
They continued running, but they were taken by surprise when, upon turning a corner, they encountered five enemies.
Without thinking twice, Nathalia shot one of them straight in the heart. She swiftly turned as another one attempted to attack her from behind. She faced him and delivered a strong punch to his stomach before swiftly twisting his neck.
However, as he fell, another one appeared in front of her, aiming a gun at her. But before he could pull the trigger, he collapsed to the ground.
And there stood Cole.
“We need to get going,” he said, approaching her, but suddenly, the sound of gunshots filled Nathalia’s ears.
The world seemed to slow down as Cole collapsed slowly. Before she could even recover from the shock, a series of shots echoed again.
“Nathalia!”
She turned her gaze slowly toward the voice. Aries stood before her, his eyes filled with desperation.
Her body trembled, not from fear but from the surge of anger welling up inside her.
This was too much. How could Aries shoot his own brother?
He approached them slowly. Just as he was about to shoot, someone suddenly grabbed the gun from her hand.
Everything unfolded rapidly. She hadn’t even noticed him getting closer!
Just who the hell is this guy?

“I knew it. Right from the beginning, I doubted your loyalty to the group. I’m sure your time with the Andersons has messed with your thinking,” Aries stated.
He stopped right in front of his older brother. Even if Cole wanted to stand, he couldn’t. He was injured in the knee and shoulder, and his chest was bleeding.
Nathalia’s eyes widened in horror. She was about to reach for Cole when she was quickly grabbed by Aries’ subordinate, John, on both arms. He pushed her forward and tightly bound her.
She glared at him furiously. “Let go of me, you asshole!”
John smirked at her. “Woah. Fierce!” he taunted.
She was about to retort when Aries spoke again. Her attention refocused on the two siblings.
“Well? Has your heart softened, big brother?” Aries sneered at Cole. “Maybe you’ve forgotten that if it weren’t for the Fuentes and Andersons, our parents might still be alive. Our father.”
Despite his weakness, Cole couldn’t suppress a chuckle, which caused another spurt of blood from his mouth.
“I haven’t forgotten that. But I was blinded by anger and never even realized that my own brother was just using me,” Cole managed to say, even though he was struggling.
Nathalia raised an eyebrow, unable to believe her ears. She looked at Aries, who suddenly burst into loud laughter. Then his eyes widened as he pointed the gun at Cole.
“Why? Do you think I’d ever accept you as a sibling? Never, no matter what you do. You’re living proof that Dad betrayed Mom!”
Cole winced. “I shouldn’t have trusted you from the beginning.” He was trying to get up when Aries fired his gun twice.
The tears Nathalia had been struggling to hold back finally fell in succession. She pushed John aside and ran towards Cole as fast as she could.
“C-Cole...” she sobbed, her voice breaking.
He managed to smile weakly at her. “I’m sorry if I failed to protect you, M-Madame. Please live a happy life.”
Her head shook vigorously, and her vision almost blurred due to the tears that continued to well up in her eyes.
“No! Cole! Get up! You still have so many songs to sing to me. You’ll still make me laugh with your corny jokes!”
He smiled at her again. “D-Don't worry about me. I’ll be at p-peace. Because I know I tried to do what’s right in my final moments.”
Her sobbing intensified as he slowly closed his eyes.
“Come on, Nathalia! Why are you crying over that traitor? We don’t need him. It’s just you and me that need to be together, and no one can stand in our way.”
Aries forcefully stood her up and dragged her. John followed suit. She wanted to fight, but she felt weakened.
Just as she was about to lose hope, she heard his familiar voice.
“Nathalia!”
Her eyes widened as she looked in the direction of the voice. Her knees almost gave way as their gazes met.
He came. He really did find her.