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Sofia

Oh my god, Nick shot him.

He shot Ethan.

This can't be happening. My heart raced as I tried to make sense of the chaos unraveling before me.

Did I just hear him say it? Did he really confess that I'm the girl he loves the most... and in front of Ethan?

The words echoed in my mind, drowning out the noise of panicked breaths and muffled cries around us.

My head snapped towards Aurora, hoping for an anchor, but instead, I found her frozen in shock, her hands covering her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Ethan was dead. Blood seeped through his fingers, but it didn't matter anymore. The crimson had spread like wildfire across his shirt, and for a moment, the world seemed to tilt.

Nick had called his team to clean up the body and the mess, but all of this-God, all of this-happened because of my stupidity.

"Sof," Aurora finally spoke, breaking free from her trance.

"He's dead." My voice was barely audible, even to myself.

Nick stood there, the gun still in his hand, his face a mix of fury and regret. "He deserved it," he muttered, his voice eerily calm. His gaze shifted to me, and his eyes softened. "I had to do this."

"Thank you," I managed to choke out, my voice cracking as I stepped forward. My legs felt like jelly, my body trembling with the weight of everything happening.

Nick shook his head, his jaw tightening. "You don't say thank you for what I should have done a long time ago."

"Nick, put the gun down!" Aurora shouted, her voice laced with panic as she inched closer to me. Her gaze was wild, shifting between Nick and me. "I swear, don't you dare hurt Sof ever again!"

Nick turned to her, his expression darkening. "I would never hurt her," he said, his voice sharp. "Everything I did back then was my stupidity."

And then, to my utter disbelief, Aurora laughed-a soft, almost disbelieving chuckle at first, and then it grew.

Nick and I both froze, staring at her like she'd lost her mind.

"Did you really just confess?" Aurora said, her voice trembling with amusement as she wiped her eyes. "God, finally. I've been waiting forever for you two to stop dancing around this."

"Aurora!" I hissed, god she really was aunty jules.

I was happy, yes, but this was too much to process.

She shrugged, a sly grin tugging at her lips. "I mean, sure, the timing's terrible, and there was a dead body here, but come on, Sof. Did you not hear what he said? 'You're the girl I love the most'?"

"Aurora, stop," I whispered, my cheeks flushing despite myself.

Nick's face reddened too, and for a moment, he looked almost boyish-completely at odds with the man who had just pulled the trigger.

"Aurora, this isn't funny," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, his usual confidence shaken.

She ignored him, waving her hand dismissively. "Not funny? Are you kidding? You've been brooding over her for years, and now, here we are. Just kiss her already, you dumb idiot."

My breath caught. The room seemed to grow impossibly still, the weight of her words pressing down on me.

Nick's eyes met mine, searching, hesitant. "Sof..." he started, his voice softer now, almost unsure.