Sweet Vengeances
Chapter 74: Falling Into Darkness

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Falling Into Darkness

The night seemed to go on forever, the shadows extending past the horizon as though the entire world had engulfed them.

Lily’s heart pounded against her ribs as she stood motionless. Red and blue lights flickered over the tarmac as the thunderous shriek of sirens reverberated in the air. However, it was all insufficient to mask the nauseating insight that was churning within her.

Carlisle had left.

Once more.

As she feverishly searched the airfield for any trace of him, her pulse was erratic and her breathing was irregular. He had been there, pinned under Ethan’s hold, the battle all but finished, so it didn’t make sense.

However, he was no longer there.

Like a ghost that eludes their grasp.

Ethan’s face was grim as he gripped his injured shoulder. Although his rifle was by his side and his knuckles were white, Lily understood that the fight against the bruises and bullets wasn’t the real one.

It was the fight to avoid failure.

James was on the ground, his leg covered in blood from Alejandro’s bullet wound, and Alejandro was pacing close to him. Officers surrounded them, some searching the runway and others holding James. But the truth was already known to Lily.

Carlisle would not be found.

As he was ever one step ahead.

She could still taste the harsh aftertaste of loss.

"Where on earth did he go?" Alejandro snarled, clearly frustrated. "He was with us! Without assistance, there was no way out.

Lily felt a knot in her stomach. That was it. He had received assistance.

Her hands clenched into fists as she looked at James.

The only person remaining was him.

Lily approached him slowly and deliberately. Her voice was as keen as steel when she said, "Where is he?"

Even though he was hurt, James laughed. "You don’t understand, do you?" He spoke in a harsh, laughing voice. "Carlisle is not a thug that can be defeated with a few well-placed shots. He is a monarch. Moreover, kings never fall.

Lily lost her temper. Squatting next to him, she grabbed his collar and pulled him in. She growled, "That ’king’ just left you bleeding on the ground." Before I make you regret every decision that led you here, tell me where he went.

James’s grin wavered as he winced. Then he smiled once again. With his breath heated against her face, he said, "That’s the thing, sweetheart." "I wouldn’t tell you even if I knew."

Lily’s hold became more firm.

A hand was placed on her shoulder by Ethan. "He’s not worth it," he whispered.

She gritted her teeth. However, wasn’t he?

After all?

Following the treachery?

James’s previous remarks were still reverberating in her brain.

"Did you truly believe I would turn on Carlisle?"

She had made a mistake. For a moment, she had trusted him.

She pushed him away and stood up suddenly.

With a moan, James collapsed back onto the sidewalk. With pain in his voice, he murmured, "You’ll never win." "You will simply continue to pursue ghosts."

Lily’s chest constricted as she turned away.

Perhaps he was correct.

However, that did not mean she would give up.

Hours Later: The Consequence of Failure

As Lily sat on Ethan’s couch with a blanket over her shoulders, the weight of her fatigue pulled at her. The only light in the dimly lit flat came from a solitary lamp by the window. In peaceful contrast to the night’s tumult, rain pattered softly against the window.

With his arm in a sling and the bandage contrasting sharply with his skin, Ethan sat across from her. He waited, watching her.

Since they had left the airstrip, she had hardly spoken.

He hadn’t either.

What was there to say, after all?

Carlisle remained outside.

What was the duration of James’s detention?

And Lily—she had no idea what was going to happen next.

Tracing the lines on her palms as though they contained answers, she gazed at her hands.

The silence was finally broken by Ethan. "Speak to me."

Lily breathed out slowly. "I’m at a loss for words."

Ethan’s eyes remained fixed. You’re putting the blame on yourself.

With a sudden, excruciating twist in her chest, she looked him in the eyes. "Should I not?" Her voice broke. "Ethan, we had him. And he fled.

Once more.

Ethan put his hands on his knees and leaned forward. "We’ll track him down."

There was no humor in Lily’s laughter. What comes next? This cycle never stops. He will always find a way to return.

Ethan rubbed his fingers over his jaw and let out a deep exhale. "We will not allow that to occur."

We.

Lily gave him a serious look at that moment.

He was still here despite everything.

He was still here despite his wounds, setbacks, and never-ending battle.

She was frightened by that.

For how long until she lost him if he stayed, if he continued to sacrifice all for this?

Before she lost herself, how long?

She pushed the thought away with a forceful swallow.

However, it persisted.

Going Too Far

Ethan’s tone grew softer. "Lily."

She made herself look into his eyes.

His expression had a certain rawness about it.

Something hazardous.

Because everything seemed to be visible to him.

Each crack. Each wound. Every uncertainty.

She longed to turn her head away.

She didn’t.

Ethan’s fingers brushed hers as he went for her hand instead. It was a tentative, gentle touch.

But it touched her flesh like a spark.

She gasped.

She also became aware of something else at that very moment.

She wasn’t simply descending into obscurity.

She was falling for him.

She felt a new surge of anxiety at the realization.

Because there might not be a way back if she fell too far.

Not now.

Ethan grounded her with a light touch on her hand. "We’ll overcome this."

Lily’s throat became constricted. Would they?

She wished to have faith in him.

Wanted to think that victory was still possible.

But she kept thinking about what James had said.

"You’re never going to prevail. You will continue to pursue ghosts.

Ethan silently reassured her as his thumb skimmed over her knuckles.

And Lily permitted herself to hope for the first time in a long time.

Even though it scared her.

However, somewhere deep within, beneath the fatigue, the anxiety, the burden of all...

There was still a hint of uncertainty.

She didn’t respond to Ethan.

Because she had doubts about her belief in happy endings.