Can’t Win Me Back

The hospital corridor was eerily silent in the dead of the night.

The lone nurse on duty drowsed at the nurses' station, oblivious to the flashing red light from the malfunctioning surveillance camera down the hall.

A figure clad in a white doctor's robe and mask darted past the station, his movements purposeful.

He carefully scanned his surroundings before pushing open the door to Natalie's ward and slipping inside.

The patient lay curled up in bed, seemingly fast asleep.

The intruder crept closer, a glint of steel catching the dim light as he drew a dagger from his sleeve.

He raised the weapon high and stabbed the person on the bed.

All of a sudden, his vision went dark.

Unexpectedly, the person on the bed leaped up and threw the blanket over his head! Panic surged through the assassin.

He flailed wildly with the dagger, ripping the blanket free.

But before he could react further, the cold muzzle of a gun pressed against his forehead froze him in place.

"Don't move.

Not unless you want your head to be blown off." Under the dim light, Axel's eyes glinted with a dangerous glint.

A cynical smile played on his lips, sending shivers down the assassin's spine.

The ward door burst open, revealing Sean and Xavier leading a team of men who quickly surrounded the intruder.

"Are you alright, Mr.

Axel?" Sean inquired, his voice laced with concern.

Axel clicked his tongue.

"I didn't even attack him.

All it took was a blanket to take this fool down." With a practiced ease, Axel disarmed the assassin.

He sneered.

"Sir, you can barely fight, yet you're trying to be an assassin? Try harder next time.” The assassin's face was drained of color.

His knees buckled, and he crumpled to the floor in a heap.

growled, nudging the

you? Reveal his name, and you'll face attempted murder charges at

or two in prison, you can walk free and live

guarantee that you'll be able to walk out of this ward with

never met him in person!" the man stammered, sweat drenching

"But...

a million to my account two days ago and promised another after the job! We even spoke just

searched the assassin for

tossed it to

to the

way to unlock this phone." Sean

"Thank you, Mr.

silence returning to the

though they had helped Alyssa out, a sense of unease lingered in Axel's gut as an oppressive premonition weighed heavily on

making

his pupils constricting as he read the

was a text

were a gut

him so much that his vision blurred, and he nearly lost his grip on

She wrote, "Goodbye, Axel.

I'm leaving Solana City.

to find

you hear news about me or you manage to find out where I am, I

fingers trembled as he typed and retyped

you, Amber? Tell me." A long time

was no

He wasn't satisfied.

unshed tears, Axel

as if he had gone

I know you're there!" "Who do you think I am? Can you avoid seeing me just because you don't want to? Do you think you can control me?" "You're

you love

back almost immediately, its words acold and sharp knife that

"I don't

that happened to appear in my world of

me what the

simply gave me a feeling that I've never had

disappear, but

anything for you anymore,

is all that

really love me, don't