Page 14 of Savage Pakhan

The glass is cold against my palm when I press my hand against it, using the last of my energy to tell him goodbye.

He shakes his head while I nod in return.

It’s okay. Let me go. I’ll be okay.

A manage a small smile, thanking him for trying to save me because Ivan never would. Alek has shown me kindness even if I wouldn’t be locked into this contract if it weren’t for him. There’s no time to hold grudges or pain.

There’s only time to say goodbye.

I cough, water filling my mouth and slipping down my throat when I instinctively try to breathe.

I cough again.

And again, more water drowning me from the inside out.

This time, a memory does come to mind.

And it’s Alek, saving me from the gunshots at the bridal party. I remember how he felt curled over me, his body heat pressed against me, keeping me safe from any bullets.

For some reason, I hold onto that in my last few moments.

My heart slows and my eyes hood.

That memory locks in, giving me a sense of safety. Closing my eyes, I find peace in that memory, allowing my soul to be secure.

Maybe if things were different, maybe if I could marry Alek instead, this wouldn’t be what happened today.

Maybe in another life I can be with the man who keeps saving me. Happiness wasn’t in the cards for me. That’s okay. Sometimes, souls are damned for ruin, even before they exist.

I cough one last time, the last bit of air from my lungs leaving my body, and the world goes dark.

I float just like I did as a child, finding the peace I’ve been craving since I can remember. In the distance, I hear the loud pounding of Alek’s fist against the glass. His efforts fade into the ether as Death’s hands pull me into darkness.

Goodbye.

And thank you.

4

ALEK

I hit the surface, gasping for air. The filthy lake water hits my throat at the same time, and I cough, sucking in much needed air. I inhale until my lungs fully expand, hold my breath, and dive back down where the car sits at the bottom of the lake.

Kicking my feet and moving my arms in a breaststroke motion. I pass the car, looking for any type of sharp rock that can cut through her seatbelt. I got lucky. My window was down and the one fucking time I don’t carry my knife with me, considering it was my son’s wedding day, I didn’t feel like a weapon was needed.

I’m a fool.

And it will never happen again.

Snagging a rock with a sharp edge and point, I swim to the driver’s side to see her eyes open, staring off into space, her hair floating around her, weightless. Her arms defy gravity in the buoyancy of water, her entire body light as a feather.

While beautiful in death, she’s much better in the light of life.

I swim around to my side, slipping through the back window that I had rolled down, and make my way to her. I saw the belt with the rock and it… works.

It’s working.

“Come on. Come on,” I scream into the water, wasting air.