MARRY YOUR KILLER
Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Bullet
---
The reception was in full swing.
The courtyard was lit with lanterns, gold and amber, casting soft light across the marble floors. The tables were covered in silk. The flowers were everywhere, marigolds and roses and jasmine, their scent thick in the warm night air. The music was loud, drums and shehnai, the sound of celebration, the sound of joy, the sound of a family that had finally found peace.
Percy was on the dance floor, his arms in the air, his voice loud, his feet moving in ways that could not be called dancing. Honey was beside him, her face calm, her eyes bright, her hand in his. Aries and Ella swayed together, slow and steady, their foreheads touching. Lyra and Alex sat at the edge, her head on his shoulder, his arm around her, her face blank, her eyes soft. Her white saree was still pristine, gold thread catching the light, her mehendi dark on her hands. She was a bride. She was happy. She was finally, finally happy.
Care and Cole were with them, her hand in his, his thumb on her skin. Rakki and Ci N were in the center, her arms around his neck, his hands on her waist, her laugh loud, his smile wide. Mica and Calix sat at a table, her laptop open, his hand on her arm, her face focused, his face fond.
Freya and Erdix stood by the fountain, silent, steady, their shoulders touching. Grace and Denzel were at the food table, her arms crossed, his hand reaching for another sweet. Kuya Angelo and Ion sat with Tita Gemma and Tita Rachel, her tears finally stopped, her smile finally wide. Keiran was running through the crowd, his voice loud, his laughter bright. Keigan was watching, his arms crossed, his face cold, his eyes soft.
Jay sat at the edge of the courtyard. Her saree was pale gold, soft and warm, like the sun on winter mornings. Her hands were in her lap. Her stomach was flat. The twins were moving. Keifer was beside her, his hand in hers, his face soft.
"You're thinking," Keifer said.
She looked at him. "I'm thinking about how far we've come."
He pulled her close. "We've come far."
She leaned against him. "We've come home."
---
The music stopped.
The drums fell silent. The shehnai faded. The laughter died. The courtyard was still. The family turned toward the entrance. A figure stood at the gates. Tall. Lean. Red hair bright against the night. His face was pale. His eyes were dark. His hands were empty.
Yuri.
Percy stopped mid-step. His arms fell. His face went white. His mouth opened. No sound came out. Honey was beside him, her hand on his arm, her face sharp, her eyes on Yuri.
Aries stepped forward. Their face was pale. Their hands were shaking. Ella was beside them, her hand in theirs, her face calm, her eyes wide.
Lyra stood. Her face was blank. Her hands were steady. Her eyes were on Yuri. Alex stood beside her, his hand on her arm, his face pale, his eyes steady.
Care stood. Her face was white. Her hands were shaking. Her eyes were on Yuri. On the man she had shot. On the man she had killed. On the man who was standing in front of her.
"You're dead," Care whispered.
Yuri's face was pale. His eyes were dark. His voice was low. "I was."
He stepped forward. His hands were empty. His steps were slow. His eyes were on Jay.
"I was in a coma for three years," Yuri said. His voice was steady. His eyes were fixed on Jay. "I woke up three months ago. I spent three months in a rehabilitation facility in Singapore. I spent three months learning to walk again. To talk again. To think again. To remember again."
He walked toward the center of the courtyard. The family parted around him. No one touched him. No one stopped him. They just watched.
"I remembered everything," Yuri said. "The money. The letters. The warehouse. The bullet. The blood. The way she looked at me when I died. The way she looked at me when she pulled the trigger."
His eyes moved to Rakki. She didn't flinch. Her face was hard. Her hands were fists.
"I remembered her," Yuri said. "I remembered Jay. The way she looked at Keifer. The way she never looked at me. The way she chose him. The way she always chose him."
He stopped in the center of the courtyard. His hands were at his sides. His eyes were on Jay.
"I loved you," Yuri said. "I loved you from the first day. From the moment you walked into that house. From the moment you looked at him. From the moment you chose him."
Jay stood. Keifer was beside her. His hand was in hers. Her face was calm. Her eyes were steady.
"I know," Jay said.
Yuri's face twisted. "You know? You know? You never knew. You never saw me. You never looked at me. You never once looked at me."
His hand moved to his waist. He pulled out a gun. Black. Small. Deadly. He pointed it at Jay's stomach. At the twins. At the lives growing inside her.
The courtyard went silent. The air went cold. The world went still.
"No," Keifer said. His voice was low. His body was in front of Jay's. His arms were around her. His face was white.
Yuri's hand was steady. His eyes were on Keifer. "Move."
Keifer didn't move. "No."
Yuri's finger was on the trigger. "I said move."
Keifer's voice was steady. "No."
Yuri's face was white. His hands were shaking. His voice was breaking. "I loved her. I loved her and she chose you. She chose you and I died. I died for her. I died for all of you. And no one cared. No one came. No one looked for me. No one even knew I was gone."
Keifer's arms were tight around Jay. "We thought you were dead."
Yuri laughed. It was a broken sound. "Dead. Yes. I was dead. For three years. And when I woke up, no one was there. No one came. No one cared. No one—"
"Yuri." Lyra's voice was low. She stepped forward. Her white saree was bright in the lantern light. Her mehendi was dark on her hands. Her face was blank. Her eyes were steady.
Yuri looked at her. "Lyra."
Lyra walked toward him. Her steps were slow. Her hands were empty. Her eyes were on the gun. "You don't want to do this."
Yuri's hand was shaking. "You don't know what I want."
Lyra stopped in front of him. Her face was inches from the gun. Her voice was low. "I know what it's like to love someone who doesn't love you back. I know what it's like to watch them choose someone else. I know what it's like to want to destroy everything because you're broken inside."
Yuri's face was wet. "Then you know why I have to do this."
Lyra shook her head. "I know why you think you have to do this. But you don't. You don't have to destroy her. You don't have to destroy them. You don't have to destroy yourself."
Yuri's hand was shaking. "It's too late. It's always been too late."
Lyra's hand reached out. Her fingers touched the gun. Her touch was light. Her voice was soft. "It's not too late. It's never too late. I came back from the dead. You can too."
Yuri's face was wet. His hand was shaking. His eyes were on Lyra. On her white saree. On her mehendi. On the bride who was standing in front of him.
"You're getting married," Yuri said.
Lyra smiled. It was small. Tired. Real. "I got married. Today. This morning. He's waiting for me. He's always waiting for me."
Yuri's hand dropped. The gun fell. It hit the marble floor. The sound echoed through the courtyard. He fell to his knees. His face was wet. His hands were empty. His body was shaking.
"I loved her," Yuri said. "I loved her and I lost her. I lost everything."
Lyra knelt in front of him. Her white saree pooled on the floor. Her hands were on his face. Her voice was soft.
"You lost yourself," Lyra said. "But you can find yourself again. You can come back. You can heal. You can be someone new. Someone better. Someone you can be proud of."
Yuri looked at her. His face was wet. "How? How do I come back from this?"
Lyra smiled. "One day at a time. One step at a time. One breath at a time. The same way I did. The same way we all did."
---
The police were coming. The sirens were faint in the distance. The family was watching. The courtyard was still.
Yuri looked at Lyra. His face was wet. His hands were shaking. "You saved me."
Lyra shook her head. "You saved yourself."
Yuri looked at the gates. At the sirens getting closer. At the lights flashing in the dark. "What happens now?"
Lyra stood. She pulled him up. Her hands were steady. Her voice was steady. "Now you face what you did. Now you pay for what you did. Now you start again."
Yuri's face was wet. "Will you be there?"
Lyra looked at him. Her face was blank. Her eyes were soft. "I'll be there."
She turned to walk back to Alex. To her husband. To her family. To her life.
---
The second shot came from the gates.
Jay heard it before she saw it. The crack of glass. The whistle of air. The sound of something moving too fast, too close. She turned. Yuri was at the gates. A second gun was in his hand. His face was white. His eyes were on her. On her stomach. On her twins. On the lives growing inside her.
The first gun was a decoy. This was the real one.
"YURI!" Percy screamed.
Yuri's finger was on the trigger. His eyes were on Jay. His face was wet. "If I can't have you, no one can."
He fired.
Time stopped. The world stopped. The bullet was coming. It was coming for her. For her stomach. For her twins. For her children. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think.
Lyra moved.
She was there before Jay could blink. Her body was between Jay and the bullet. Her arms were open. Her white saree was bright. Her face was blank. Her eyes were on Jay.
The bullet hit her in the chest.
She fell. Her body was light. Her face was pale. Her white saree was red. The blood was spreading. Blooming. Like a flower. Like a rose. Like the end of everything.
"LYRA!" Alex screamed.
He caught her. His arms were around her. His face was white. His hands were on her chest. The blood was warm. It was everywhere. Her white saree was red. Her mehendi was dark. Her eyes were open.
"Lyra," Alex said. "Lyra. Look at me. Look at me."
She looked at him. Her face was pale. Her lips were moving. "Alex."
He held her. His hands were shaking. "No. No. No. Stay with me. Stay with me."
She touched his face. Her fingers were cold. "I love you."
His face was wet. "I love you too. I love you too. Don't leave me. Please don't leave me."
She smiled. It was small. Tired. Real. "I'm not going anywhere."
Her eyes closed. Her hand fell. Her chest was still.
"LYRA!" Alex screamed. "LYRA!"
---
Care was there. She pushed Alex aside. Her hands were on Lyra's chest. Her face was calm. Her voice was steady. "She's breathing. Her heart is beating. But she's losing blood. I need pressure. I need light. I need—"
She looked at the wound. At the blood. At the face of her friend. Her sister. The woman who had saved them all.
"Lyra," Care said. "Lyra, come back. Please come back."
Lyra didn't move.
Care's hands were shaking. Her face was wet. "No. No. No. You can't leave. You can't leave us. You can't leave him. You can't—"
Cole was beside her. His arms were around her. His face was white. "Care. Care, she's breathing. She's alive. She's—"
Care pushed him away. Her hands were on Lyra's chest. Her voice was rising. "She's not waking up. She's not—"
Cole held her. His arms were tight. His face was in her hair. "She's alive. She's alive. She's going to be okay."
Care screamed. It was a sound that came from somewhere deep. Somewhere dark. Somewhere that had been holding too much for too long. She screamed until her voice was gone. She screamed until there was nothing left. She screamed until she was empty.
---
The ambulance came. The sirens were loud. The lights were red. Lyra was on a stretcher. Her face was pale. Her white saree was red. Her mehendi was dark on her hands. Alex was beside her. His hand was in hers. His face was white. His eyes were on her.
"Lyra," Alex said. "Lyra, I'm here. I'm here. You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay."
They put her in the ambulance. Care was beside her. Cole was driving. The doors closed. The sirens started.
Alex climbed in beside her. His hand was in hers. His face was wet. "I love you. I love you, Lyra Kulkarni. You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay."
The ambulance drove away. The lights were red. The sirens were loud. The night was dark. The family watched. The brides were in white. The grooms were in gold. The joy was gone. The nightmare had begun.
---
The hospital was white.
The lights were bright. The walls were clean. The air smelled like antiseptic and fear. Jay sat in the waiting room. Her saree was pale gold. Her hands were in her lap. Her face was blank. The twins were still.
Keifer was beside her. His hand was in hers. His face was pale.
"She's going to be okay," Keifer said. "She's going to be okay."
She didn't answer.
Percy was in the corner, his face white, his hands shaking. Honey was beside him, her hand in his, her face calm, her eyes sharp. Aries was with Ella, their face pale, their hands intertwined. Care was in the hallway, her hands still red, her face pale. Cole was beside her. Rakki was with Ci N, her face hard, her eyes wet. Mica was at her laptop, her fingers moving, her face focused. Calix was beside her. Freya was with Erdix, her arms crossed, her face sharp. Grace was with Denzel, her face hard, her eyes wet. Kuya Angelo was with Ion, his face calm, his hands steady. Tita Gemma was crying. Tita Rachel was holding her hand.
Keiran was sitting on the floor, his knees against his chest, his face buried in his arms. Keigan was beside him, his hand on his brother's back, his face cold, his eyes red.
Alex stood at the doors. His hands were empty. His face was pale. His eyes were on the hallway where she had disappeared. He hadn't moved. He hadn't spoken. He hadn't breathed.
---
The doctor came out at dawn.
She was young. Her face was tired. Her scrubs were wrinkled. She looked at the waiting room, at the people scattered across the chairs, the floor, the walls.
"Family of Lyra Kulkarni?" she asked.
Alex walked to her. His steps were slow. His hands were empty. His face was pale.
"I'm her husband," Alex said. His voice was low. His voice was breaking.
The doctor looked at him. At his hands. At his face. At the blood on his white kurta. Her white saree. Her blood. Her life.
"She's out of surgery," the doctor said. "The bullet missed her heart by an inch. She's lost a lot of blood. She's in a coma."
Alex's face went white. "A coma?"
The doctor nodded. "Her body needs time to heal. She's strong. She's fighting. We're hopeful. But we don't know when she'll wake up."
Alex's knees buckled. Cole caught him. Held him up.
"She's going to be okay," Cole said. "She's going to be okay."
Alex looked at the door. At the hallway where she was waiting. "Can I see her?"
The doctor nodded. "She's in room 304. You can sit with her. Talk to her. She might be able to hear you."
Alex walked to the door. His steps were slow. His hands were empty. He didn't look back.
---
Jay stood at the window of Lyra's room.
The room was white. The machines were beeping. Lyra was on the bed, her face pale, her eyes closed, her hand in Alex's. Her white saree was gone. Her mehendi was dark on her hands. The bandages were white on her chest. The blood was gone. The life was fading.
Alex was sitting beside her, his head on the bed, his voice low.
"You're going to be okay," Alex was saying. "You're going to wake up. You're going to yell at me. You're going to stand in your corner. You're going to—"
His voice cracked. He stopped. He held her hand. He didn't let go.
Jay watched them. Her hands were still. Her face was blank. Keifer was behind her. His hand was on her shoulder.
"She saved me," Jay said. "She took a bullet for me. She saved my children."
Keifer pulled her close. His arms were around her. His face was in her hair. "She saved you. She saved all of us. She's strong. She's going to wake up."
Jay leaned against him. Her hands were shaking. "She has to wake up."
He held her. "She will."
---
The days passed.
Alex didn't leave. He sat beside her bed. He held her hand. He talked to her. He told her about the palace. About the garden. About the corner that was waiting for her. He told her about the ring on her finger, the gold, the diamond, the promise he had made. He told her about their wedding. About the fire. About the rounds. About the vows.
He told her he loved her. He told her he would wait. He told her she was not alone.
Jay came every day. She sat on the other side of the bed. She held Lyra's other hand. She told her about the twins. About their kicks. About their flutters. About the lives growing inside her. She told her about Yuri. About the police. About the prison. About the justice that was coming.
She told her she was sorry. She told her she loved her. She told her she needed her to wake up.
Care came every day. She checked the machines. She checked the bandages. She checked Lyra's pulse. Her face was calm. Her hands were steady. "She's healing," Care said. "She's strong. She's fighting."
Percy came every day. He brought flowers. He brought food. He brought noise. He talked to Lyra like she was awake. He told her about the elephants. About the weddings. About the chaos. He told her to come back.
Aries came with him. Their face was calm. Their eyes were soft. Ella came with them. Her hands were folded. Her face was steady.
Rakki came with Ci N. Mica came with Calix. Freya came with Erdix. Grace came with Denzel. Kuya Angelo came with Ion. Tita Gemma came with Tita Rachel. Keiran came with Keigan. They all came. They all waited.
---
The days turned into weeks.
Lyra didn't wake up. Her face was pale. Her eyes were closed. Her hand was in Alex's. The machines beeped. The tubes were in her arms. The bandages were white on her chest. Her mehendi was fading on her hands. The dark patterns were lightening. The stories were fading. The hope was fading.
Alex sat beside her. His face was thin. His eyes were hollow. His hand was in hers. He hadn't left. He wouldn't leave.
Jay stood at the window. Keifer was behind her. His hand was on her shoulder.
"She's not waking up," Jay said.
Keifer pulled her close. "She will. She's strong. She's fighting."
Jay looked at Lyra's face. At her pale skin. At her closed eyes. At the woman who had saved her. The woman who had saved her children. The woman who was lost in the dark.
"She saved me," Jay said. "She saved my children. And now she's gone."
Keifer held her. "She's not gone. She's still here. She's still fighting. She's still—"
Jay turned to face him. Her face was wet. "What if she doesn't wake up? What if she stays like this forever? What if—"
He kissed her forehead. "She will wake up. She has to. She has Alex. She has us. She has a family. She has a life. She has a corner waiting for her. She's going to wake up."
Jay held him. Her hands were shaking. "She has to."
---
The night was quiet. The hospital was still. The machines beeped. Lyra's hand was in Alex's. His head was on the bed. His eyes were closed. His breathing was slow.
He dreamed of her. Of her corner. Of her blank face. Of her small smile. Of her hand in his. Of her voice in his ear.
"I love you," Lyra had said. "I love you."
He opened his eyes. The room was dark. The machines were beeping. Her hand was in his. Her face was pale. Her eyes were closed.
He kissed her hand. "I love you. I love you, Lyra Kulkarni. I love your corner. I love the way you watch the street. I love the way you protect the people you love. I love the way you held a knife to my throat and didn't cut."
He laughed. It was a small sound. Tired. Sad.
"You're going to wake up. You're going to yell at me. You're going to stand in your corner. And I'm going to be there. I'm always going to be there."
He put his head on the bed. He closed his eyes. He held her hand.
Her fingers didn't move. Her eyes didn't open. Her voice didn't come.
The machines beeped. The night was still. Lyra slept. And Alex waited.
---
END OF CHAPTER NINETY-EIGHT