Chapter 145 Sacrifice

Mia held her breath and maintained a brave face as she stared down the barrel of the gun pointed at her head. Henry's finger began to press on the trigger. She closed her eyes, saying a silent prayer as memories flooded her mind-moments spent with her family, her children, and... her husband. In that instant, her only regret was not telling them one last time how much she loved them. But before Henry could pull the trigger, a deafening crash echoed through the room, followed by a barrage of gunfire. The thunderous sound seemed to come from the front door being violently broken down, and the ensuing chaos-screams, shouts, and the heavy thud of many footsteps-suggested that a large group had stormed in. Henry was startled and he forgot to pull the trigger as he whipped his head around toward the men behind him. "What's happening?" he asked, his voice laced with anxiety. "It seems we've been attacked!" one of the men replied in a panic. "Fuck!" Henry cursed as fear and anxiety etched across his face. "Take this bitch and provide me cover me while I escape," he ordered, his voice laced with desperation. One of the goons roughly untied Mia, who hissed in pain as he yanked her up violently. Her broken arm dangled helplessly, the fractured bone piercing through her skin, making her cry out in agony. Clutching her injured arm with her other hand, Mia was dragged mercilessly by the goons. She fought to stay conscious, battling the waves of pain threatening to overwhelm her. Her legs wobbled, on the verge of giving out, but she forced herself to keep moving as the monsters shouted at her, dragging her along by her uninjured arm. She gritted her teeth, trying to prevent the broken bone from cutting deeper into her flesh. They headed toward what seemed to be a secret back exit. Henry quickly unlocked it, but as he swung the door open, he was forced to step back when an intimidating, tall, and muscular figure entered, followed by a group of men clad in black. Mia's vision was blurred by tears and pain, but she managed to blink. Standing before her was her mafia husband. For a moment, she thought she might be hallucinating-there was no way he could have come to save her. But then she heard his deep, authoritative voice, cold and commanding. "Leave my wife, you scoundrel." It was him! Alessandro. Her mafia husband. He had come to save her. Her eyes widened with realization as she stared at her husband in astonishment. Alessandro's pained eyes mêt hers, filled with a mix of helplessness and anger. Then, Mia felt the gun barrel pressed against her head and heard Henry's filthy voice cutting through the tension. "Clann mir wer and lat ma lama if you want to see varifa aliva" Alessandro glared at Henry but, reluctantly, signaled his men to step aside. They moved into position, creating a path for Henry and his goons. Henry smirked triumphantly as he advanced toward the door and stepped out into the darkness. It was only then that Mia realized it was night. The goons began to drag her along, following their boss, Henry. She glanced over her shoulder, not seeing Alessandro coming after them. Had he given up on her so easily? Her heart sank with disappointment. But the next moment, a deafening gunshot cracked through the air, and the goon pressing the gun to Mia's head crumpled to the floor, blood pooling around him. It was clear that he had been struck by a fatal bullet. In a frenzy, Henry began firing his gun indiscriminately, while the second goon also opened fire, sending erratic shots in all directions. Mia was jolted by the sudden chaos, her heart pounding as the world spun around her. Mia slowly edged to the side, her eyes darting toward where Henry and the goon were firing. Through the chaos, she saw Alessandro and Alexander emerging together amidst the hail of bullets. Henry clenched his jaw as he saw the two men joining forces to save Adeline. Realizing he couldn't defeat them, he was determined not to let them win either. "You bitch," he snarled, his voice dripping with hatred. "It's all happening because you're alive. You should die!" he shouted with venom as he aimed his gun at Mia. Mia's eyes widened with horror as she saw Henry's gun pointed directly at her. "You should die!" he yelled again as he pulled the trigger. Mia closed her eyes in fear, but the bullet never reached her. When she dared to open them, she was stunned to see Alessandro's towering and imposing body standing between her and the gunfire. He pulled her in his arms, and turning backward, he fired the gun in his hand. Then, amidst the deafening roar of gunfire, Mia heard Henry's pained whimpers as bullets tore through him. In the blink of an eye, his bleeding body collapsed to the ground. She didn't know when he took his last breath. She didn't have time to process what was happening before a scream escaped her lips. She watched in horror as Alessandro's arms went limp and his grip on her faltered, leaving her free. His once-handsome face contorted with pain as he collapsed in front of her, his eyes slowly closing. Blood poured relentlessly from a grievous wound in his stomach, staining the ground beneath him.