The Last Hour

I had nowhere to go—and no reason to find somewhere to stay.

In the final three hours, I sat on the steps by the door, letting the sunlight fall over me. It should have been warm, but it couldn't reach the cold sinking deeper into my body.

Suddenly, the gate creaked open. I looked up to see Rose standing there with her arms crossed, leaning lazily against the gate as she stared at me. "You really are hard to kill. Still alive after all that."

I blinked, then smiled faintly. "Not for long. Don't worry."

She was about to reply when she heard something from behind her. In an instant, she dropped her arms and let tears well up in her eyes. "Hazel, I didn't mean to upset you. Please don't be angry, all right? You just got out of the hospital—you shouldn't get worked up. I'll tell the housekeeper to make some chicken soup for you—"

Before she could finish, Ian burst through the door, fury blazing in his eyes. He shoved his phone in my face, the screen showing a message someone had sent him.

'Boss, your wife's something else. She sent a group message to your enemies, said you're in love with Rose, and they should go after her instead. Even included photos, addresses—her social accounts are all exposed.'

Ian's expression twisted into something feral. He kicked me hard in the chest. "I never should've had you rescued! You should've died there!"

I gasped for air, the sunlight blinding me as I looked up. A gun pressed cold and heavy against my forehead, sending a chill through my spine.

"It wasn't me."

Those three words—how many times had I said them in the past three years?

Rose rushed forward, crying as she clung to Ian's arm. "Ian, please! Hazel didn't mean it. I took away the man she loves—it's normal for her to hate me. Please don't hurt her; she just got out of the hospital. If my account's gone, it's fine. Even if people come after me, I can handle it."

Ian's anger softened instantly. He pulled her into his arms, holding her like something fragile. When he turned back to me, his voice was full of contempt. "I regret ever picking you. Restless, cruel woman."

Just then, one of his men called. "Boss, a bunch of our enemies just put a bounty on Ms. Wells' head! What should we do? Maybe take her abroad? Someone must've leaked that she's here at the villa—they're already on their way!"

Ian's eyes flicked to me. "I know who tipped them."

He opened a livestream—the first time he'd ever shown his face online—but a moment later, he turned the camera toward me. His voice was calm, steady. "I'm Ian Sutherland. From this moment on, I'm out. No more business in the underworld. Anyone with a grudge, any score to settle—take it to her. Everything I did in the past was under her orders. I want no part of her anymore. Do whatever you want with her."

I drew in a shaky breath. "I've been the shield for Rose for three years, and now you want me to die for you too?"

Ian grabbed me by the collar, dragging me across the yard and out to the main road. When he finally let go, he looked down at me with cold indifference. "You brought this on yourself. Live or die—it's up to fate now."

That was the last time I saw his back—cold, resolute, and disappearing without hesitation.

He hadn't even been gone ten minutes when his enemies came flooding in from all directions. They tore into me like wild beasts, releasing years of rage and grief. Not one of them held back.

They severed the tendons in my hands and feet, shattered my legs, and drove their knives into my chest over and over again. They screamed for revenge—for brothers, for family, for blood. One of them grabbed my chin and demanded I apologize.

However, the pain no longer registered.

I just stared blankly up at the bright blue sky. How beautiful. Not a single cloud. Exactly the same as the day I first arrived in this world.

"Mission failed. Erasure initiated. In one hour, all records of your existence will be deleted. Hazel Tanner will cease to exist in this world."