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.

nudging the man's head

his name, and you'll face attempted murder

decade or two in prison, you can walk

able to walk out of this ward

to him over the phone! I've never met him in person!"

"But...

number and our message history! He wired a million to my account two days ago and promised another after the job! We even spoke just 30 minutes

assassin for

it to Axel after

him to

a way to unlock this phone." Sean nodded

"Thank you, Mr.

was escorted away, the silence returning to

a sense of unease lingered in Axel's gut as an oppressive premonition weighed heavily on

his phone vibrated, making his heart

constricting as he

was a text

were a gut punch, sharp and

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

She wrote, "Goodbye, Axel.

I'm leaving Solana City.

try to

find out

as he typed and retyped

Tell me." A

was no

He wasn't satisfied.

with unshed tears, Axel bombarded

as if he

seeing me just because you don't want to? Do you think you can

you love me? Say

almost immediately, its words acold and sharp knife that sliced

don't think that's

of light that happened to appear in

me what the

gave me a feeling that

will never disappear, but feelings

feel anything

is all that I'm able to

really love me, don't approach me