The air was heavy, tense, as you stood frozen in the kitchen. Joe’s voice was still echoing in your ears—his threats, the way he spoke like he knew what was best for you, for Love. You didn’t see the knife until it was already buried deep in his chest.

Joe staggered, eyes wide, blood staining his shirt as he collapsed against the counter. Love stood over him, breathing hard, her hand shaking as she let the knife slip from her grip.

For a long moment, there was only silence. Then her eyes found yours.

“I told you,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I told you I would do anything for you.”

You couldn’t move. You couldn’t speak.

Love took a step closer, desperation clear in her trembling smile. “He wanted to take you away from me. He wanted to ruin us. I couldn’t let him—don’t you see? I did this for us.”

Her hands, still smeared with Joe’s blood, reached for you like a child afraid to be pushed away. “Please… please don’t hate me. I love you so much I’d burn the whole world down just to keep you safe.”

Behind her, Joe lay still on the kitchen floor. All you could hear was the sound of your own heartbeat—and the frantic devotion in her every breath.