Vows and Bullets
Chapter 144: Last Week of August (Part 7)

Chapter 144: Last Week of August (Part 7)

Please DON’T READ this Chapter yet. I will update this next week!

I sincerely apologize, beloved agents, my hand hasn’t healed yet T_T. I’m taking medication and following doctor’s advise so hopefully I can get back to writing soon.

I will replace this Chapter with the real one soon, don’t worry, and upload a new one for the next day. I really apologize once again.

In the meantime, please enjoy the continuation of the story below titled "The King’s Beloved". This is the revised version I am planning to submit for paperback publication. Hopefully, I get a chance someday.

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(Part 7 - Continuation...)

"Hot-tempered," it read on the cover of the box inside.

"Jealous," it read again on the cover of the next box.

"Childish sometimes."

"Can be lazy."

"But very faithful and loyal and honest!" it continued.

"And most of all..." now reaching what seemed to be the last box as it was very small and white in color.

"The one who loves you the most."

Rania’s heart exploded in happiness. She clenched her thumping chest and looked passionately at Zeid. He then handed over another box to her, but this time, instead of making her open it, he did it for her. From inside popped out a beautiful, pink and lustrous diamond ring.

Rania gasped as she glanced at Zeid and the ring a couple of times, wanting to say something only for her lips to betray her. Instead, she cried again and stared passionately at him.

"Babe, this is my real gift for you, actually," he said nervously. "Sorry for making you go through all those boxes but let me explain to you what they mean."

Breathing deeply, he started his heartfelt speech.

"Actually, that box represents me. On the outside, I just look like someone who likes playing games, interested in food and drinking, loves cars, branded clothes and shoes, the gym, movies, and whatnot. But on the inside, I’m just a black box—empty, full of hatred, hot-tempered, easily jealous, childish at times, lazy at times, pessimistic, and all the other negative things I wasn’t able to include. But after meeting you, that black turned to white. Why? Because I learned to love. And that love has always been the greatest gift I’ve ever received in my whole life. It helped me change, improve, mature, and learn things I never knew before coz’ I never cared for them before. It helped me become a better person. And most of all, it filled up my empty heart."

Rania felt her heart squeeze as she listened to him. She was reminded of how they first met during their high school days. Indeed, he was a lot of work back then.

"Before, I kept on trying to fill that empty gap I felt inside, not knowing what I needed was just around the corner," Zeid continued. "I tried everything, all hobbies you could think of! Though all of them ended up in vain. But after meeting you, everything changed! And I can never be more thankful to God for letting me meet you. Thank you is not even enough to express how grateful I am, really! You’re the one I hold very dearly in my heart. Cheesy as it may sound, but yeah, that’s the truth. And right now, I—I just want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Gulping and gathering all of his courage, at last, he said...

"Rania, will you? Please, marry me."

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!" The crowd cheered loudly while they awaited Rania’s reply. It was, in fact too loud that it almost caused her eardrums to explode.

Ahhh... what a blissful moment, she thought. For indeed, the whole atmosphere was so heartwarming that it looked like a cut from a movie. Anyone could clearly see a picture of a man and a woman so deeply in love with each other. Both their dear and gentle smiles could not be hidden on their faces. And that look, yes, that look of love—such a magnificent scene, a heart-pounding scene.

Finally able to stop crying, Rania opened her mouth to answer Zeid.

"You don’t even need to ask," she replied, smiling dearly at him. "My answer is—"

BOOM!

Out of nowhere, the sound of something enormous dropping from above could be heard. Bewildered and alarmed, everyone in the room looked upward towards the ceiling, trying to observe or perceive what just happened or if what they heard was real at all.

DUGSH!

Yet another dropping sound echoed across the room. Their heartbeats started to rise, and their bodies began to tense up. Whatever it was, for sure, it wasn’t something good. For a luxurious hotel to suddenly have some dropping sound coming from their ceiling, it was simply absurd. Scared of what it could be, Zeid told everyone to evacuate.

DAGSHR!

Alas! A huge portion of the ceiling collapsed to reveal the skies above. Rubbles fell all over the place. Some even came flying so fast in random directions—hitting the walls, the floor, and with a stroke of misfortune, hitting some people inside the room, leaving them with injuries throughout their bodies. Such a big blast coming from the outside—and from the rooftops at that!

"AAAAAHHHHH!!!" Everyone began screaming for their lives. Was it a terrorist? A bomb? They could only imagine. What mattered most was that they needed to get to safety. But as they reached the exits...

BANG!!!

All the doors suddenly shut, much to their horror. For how in the world could doors close just like that—as if they were blown by the harsh wind? Shrugging at the thought, they knocked hard and banged the doors, trying to open them but it wouldn’t budge one bit. With nowhere to escape, they were only left to look back to the rubble and smoke of dust.

Inside the smoke, a silhouette of a person could be seen.

***

Chapter 3 NOW AND FOREVER

One. Two. Three. They started appearing one by one until there were a total of six people. One of them raised its arms and flicked its fingers. With that one flick, the wind suddenly blew hard inside the room and blasted away all the smoke and dust in the air, leaving the bewildered people a clear view of what they were looking at.