Holding her firmly, Viktor gently lifted Alia up from the deep water. Floating amidst the white, foamy waves, he guided her toward the edge of a safe, flat boulder. Icy droplets of water trickled down from Viktor's soaked hair, gathering on his forehead.
Gasping for breath, Alia stared up at Viktor's face, her chest heaving rapidly. Right at that moment, Viktor leaned forward and pressed a deep, lingering kiss onto Alia's wet forehead.
When Viktor pulled back, his blue eyes held no fear or regret only a calm, mysterious smile. Looking straight at Alia, he spoke in a voice that was quiet, steady, yet heavy with profound meaning:
"I know... I know very well how I will die, and by whose hands I will meet my end. I know everything, Alia. If my final moment is written to come at the hands of the very person who has stayed by my side through every joy and sorrow like a shadow... then I will embrace that destiny with a smile."
Hearing Viktor's unexpected and chillingly calm confession, Alia froze. A sudden jolt of electricity seemed to rush through her entire body she forgot to blink, staring at him in utter shock. Did Viktor actually know all this time the very dark truth she had buried deep within her soul?!
Hearing Viktor's chilling yet profound words, the ground beneath Alia's feet seemed to vanish. The roar of the ocean around her instantly faded into a deafening silence.
"No... no! This can't be!" breaking down in terror, panic, and a heart-wrenching cry, Alia screamed out. She could no longer hold herself together; shivering in the freezing water, she grabbed a tight handful of Viktor's shirt collar and clutched it fiercely in her fists.
The salty tears streaming from her eyes blended completely with the dripping water on her face. Sobbing uncontrollably, she tugged desperately at Viktor's shirt and choked out through her gasping breath:
"Why are you saying things like that, Viktor?! Stop talking like this! I don't want to hear it... I don't want to hear any of it! If anything happens to you, what will I even do with my life? No, I won't let you die... never!"
Alia's entire body trembled violently as she clung desperately to Viktor's wet shirt, her desperate cry echoing across the open sea and dissolving into the wind.
Sitting side by side on the damp rocks near the churning sea, the cold wind blowing around their soaked clothes, a sudden wave of sweet nostalgia washed over Alia. Resting her head gently against Viktor's shoulder and gazing out toward the distant horizon, she began sharing a story from her family's past in a soft, mesmerizing voice:
"You know, Viktor... my grandmother was so breathtakingly beautiful that she could easily captivate anyone's gaze. Back in the British era, our family held zamindari status, and my grandmother was an exceptionally educated and modern-minded woman. While away for her education, she met a British citizen, and they fell deeply in love. He was strikingly handsome, with blue eyes just like yours, and he always kept Persian cats. Back then, our household was filled with so much happiness. Whenever my grandfather used to pick me up in his arms, he would often say, 'You look absolute spitting image of your grandmother!'
The love story of my grandparents felt straight out of a movie. My grandmother had attended an elite social party during the British Raj. That was where their eyes first met, and the young British gentleman was so entranced that he walked over and began dancing with her. They talked for hours about all sorts of things. Right as they were stepping outside when the party ended, the young man leaned in to kiss her. With a playful yet gentle touch, my grandmother raised a single finger to his lips and whispered 'Shhh...'
Their life back then, Viktor, was wonderfully romantic and felt just like a fairy tale."
Listening to the romantic tale of her grandmother and the British gentleman had brought a soft smile to Viktor's lips. But the moment Alia drifted back into her own memories and recalled how her grandfather used to affectionately tease her, "You are just like your grandfather's Persian cat!" a sudden pang struck her heart.
The warmth of the past vanished instantly, and tears welled up in Alia's eyes. Unable to hold it in any longer, she broke down and buried her face against Viktor's shoulder, crying softly.
Without wasting a single second, Viktor pulled Alia even closer in a deeply affectionate and reassuring embrace. Gently stroking her wet hair, he playfully mimicked her grandfather's stern yet fond tone, speaking with a gentle, reassuring smile:
"What is this? Why are you starting to cry again, my little kitten? If your grandfather ever teased you like that, I would march right over and give him a good scolding myself! My Alia is not any Persian cat you are the most precious treasure of my life, the queen of my heart. And if I ever see tears in these beautiful eyes again, I'll scold you even more than your grandfather ever did!"
Hearing Viktor's comforting and sweet words slowed Alia's crying a little, but a heavy sense of profound emptiness washed over her. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she snuggled even closer to Viktor. Amidst the chilling wind, her soaked body shivered slightly.
Pressed against Viktor's chest, she spoke in a mournful, broken whisper:
"You know, Viktor... neither my grandfather nor my grandmother are in this world anymore. They left us a long time ago... gone far away. Now, only their old memories and these stories remain."
As she finished those words, Alia's voice trembled again, and another tear slipped from her blue eyes, rolling down her cheek.
Gently stroking Alia's head as she rested against his chest, Viktor offered a soft, reassuring smile. Then, in a calm and profound voice, he said, "What does it matter that they are gone? People don't just live through their physical bodies, Alia; they live on in their memories, in the stories of love they left behind, and in our feelings. Did your grandparents' British-era romance, the glow of that elite party, or that whispered 'Shh...' with a gentle touch of a finger truly vanish? No! They are still alive today right here in your words, in your blood, and in your very existence. So they never truly died; they still linger around you like an unseen melody."
Hearing Viktor's words felt like a gentle ray of warm sunlight touching Alia's damp, sorrowful heart. She slowly lifted her head and looked up into Viktor's eyes. Right there by the freezing, ruthless sea, Viktor's warm presence and loving touch instantly washed away all her fears and pain. She realized that no matter how much sorrow of loss life brings, when you have someone standing by your side like a shadow, there is nothing left to fear.
For a long time, the two of them sat in silence, just staring out at the ocean. The roar of the waves no longer felt like a terrifying sound; instead, it felt like the rhythm of their own unspoken emotions. Viktor reached out and slipped Alia's cold hand into his own, interlocking his fingers firmly with hers. A strange, comforting warmth spread through her entire body at that touch.
In the distance, the sun had begun to sink below the horizon. The dying light of dusk cast a breathtaking golden and reddish hue across the churning water. Sitting on the damp rocks in their wet clothes, that fleeting moment felt immortal and eternal to both of them. Alia thought to herself that life is truly like this sometimes tears, sometimes flashes of joy, but at the end of the day, the power of love is stronger than any darkness. Resting a gentle kiss once more on Alia's forehead, Viktor whispered softly, "Come on, there's no need to sit here and catch a cold. We need to head home, my queen."
Leaving the chilling seashore behind, the two of them made their way back as dusk began to fall. Stepping into Viktor's house in their damp clothes, they found Viktor's two sisters sitting on the living room sofa, their sharp and curious gazes instantly fixing upon them. Their eyes were filled with countless unspoken questions and a clear hint of hidden disapproval.
Alia could easily sense that Viktor was boiling with suppressed anger inside, the muscles along his jawline tightening rigidly. She gently placed a hand on his arm, silently trying to calm him down. Right at that exact moment, from the other end of the drawing room, Viktor's father gave a stern and mysterious gesture, signaling Alia to come over to him.
Alia's heart pounded with an unknown dread. Casting a dazed, anxious glance back at Viktor, she slowly stepped forward and approached Viktor's father. With a trembling, respectful voice, she whispered, "Father...?"
Viktor's father stood straight, casting a cold, stone-hard gaze down at Alia. A chilling silence fell over the room. Before anyone else could utter a single word, he leaned in and murmured a terrifying, ruthless truth that completely shattered the ground beneath Alia's feet:
"We don't have much time left, Alia... everything is fully prepared to finish him off, to destroy him for good. Now, it's just time to see the final end!"
A cry was ripped straight from the depths of Alia's soul. She could no longer hold back her tears. Surpassing all her fear and shock, the overwhelming grief and agony inside her boiled over. With a trembling voice, she lashed out at Viktor's father in fierce, agonizing defiance:
"Are you a monster?! Doesn't your heart break even a little to destroy your own flesh and blood? Doesn't it hurt you at all to take your own son's life?"
At Alia's direct and rebellious words, the cold smile on Viktor's father's face only deepened. He took a step forward, and in the blink of an eye, he grabbed a fierce handful of Alia's hair, pulling her face upward in pain as he leaned in and whispered with a sinister glint in his eyes:
"Then what did you think, Alia? Did you really think there is room for love in our empire? And if you care so much, then starting today, the responsibility of finishing this game is in your own hands! Go on, destroy him with your own hands! Let's see how much your love is truly worth for... ahhh..."
As the heavy air in the drawing room grew suffocating with Alia's choked cry, she suddenly noticed Viktor walking slowly down the corridor toward them. Panic and dread gripped her heart. Wiping away her tears with trembling hands, she whispered in a frantic, shaking voice:
"Father, let go of me! Look over there... Viktor is coming, he's going to see everything!"
For a split second, Viktor's father tightened his grip on her hair even further, glancing toward the shadows of the hallway where Viktor's approaching footsteps could clearly be heard. Then, locking his cold, cunning eyes onto Alia, he let out a cruel, sinister smile and whispered back:
"If he sees, all the better, Alia! Stand right here today and watch with your own eyes... how I tear that precious man of yours apart, piece by piece!"
Darkness seemed to close in around Alia's eyes. On one side hung Viktor's father's sinister threat, and on the other, the approaching footsteps of Viktor drawing closer by the second her mind was spinning out of control. But a desperate, fierce resolve sparked deep within her to save Viktor at any cost. She knew instantly there was only one way to stop him right now she had to knock him out.
Without wasting another split second, Alia threw all her remaining strength into a violent yank, tearing her hair free from his grip. Caught off guard by the sudden shove, the older man stumbled backward just enough for Alia to slam her elbow straight into his ribs with brutal force.
As he let out a furious gasp, Alia lunged forward with the entire weight of her body. She grabbed his collar, shoving him hard back against the heavy wooden sofa, then pinned him against the wall with a desperate fury. Pressing her hands with exact, lethal precision against the vital pressure points along his neck, she cut off his air supply. Deprived of oxygen, his eyes rolled back, and unable to hold his weight any longer, he collapsed heavily onto the floor, completely unconscious.
Alia dropped to her knees, breathing heavily, her entire body shaking uncontrollably. At that exact second, Viktor turned the corner of the hallway and stepped right into the room.