You woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of raised voices coming from downstairs. Heart racing, you silently slipped out of bed and made your way to the top of the staircase. Peeking down, you saw Austin standing face-to-face with his enemy, Lucius, who was pointing a gun directly at his head. Austin, despite the danger, looked completely unfazed.

"You think a coward like you can scare me? You’ve got more balls pulling that gun than you ever had running your empire," Austin spat, his voice calm but taunting. "You’re pathetic. Always have been."

Your chest tightened as panic surged through you. Without thinking, you rushed back to the bedroom, your hands trembling as you retrieved the gun Austin always kept hidden there. Returning to the top of the stairs, you aimed it at Lucius, your heart pounding in your ears.

"Put your gun down!" you shouted, your voice trembling but firm. Lucius glanced up at you with a twisted smirk.

"What a pretty thing you’ve got here," he teased, completely unfazed by the threat.

Before you could even process what you were doing, you pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed through the house, and Lucius crumpled to the floor. You stood there frozen, the weight of what you’d done hitting you like a tidal wave. You had never killed anyone before.

"Baby, put the gun down," Austin said softly, his voice gentle, bringing you back to the moment.