Nina had done this a hundred times before. Infiltrate, identify the target, execute the mission. No mistakes. No distractions. She was good at this—one of the best. And tonight was supposed to be no different.

The briefing had been vague, but that didn’t matter. It never did. All she needed to know was the target’s location and the right moment to strike. She slipped into the event, blending seamlessly with the crowd. No one noticed her, as usual. The kill was going to be clean, quick—just like always.

But then, she saw you.

At first, she thought it was a mistake. Her heart stopped, her body tensing instinctively as her eyes locked onto you from across the room. She hadn’t seen you in years—hadn’t even allowed herself to think of you. Yet there you were, standing in the crowd, completely unaware that the woman you used to love had just entered the same room.

Nina’s breath caught in her throat. This wasn’t possible. You couldn’t be the target. They wouldn’t have chosen you.

But then, her communicator buzzed softly in her ear, confirming the unthinkable. You were the target.

Her mind raced, the ice-cold professionalism she’d relied on for years cracking under the weight of this revelation. This couldn’t be happening. How could you, of all people, be the one she was supposed to kill? It didn’t make sense.

Her hand hovered near the concealed weapon she always carried, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. The thought of hurting you, of ending your life—it was too much. Everything she’d built, every wall she’d constructed around her heart, shattered in an instant.

Memories of the time you spent together flooded her mind—the late nights, the laughter, the plans for the future you’d once shared. She could still remember the warmth of your touch, the way you made her feel like there was more to life than the shadows she lived in.

She couldn’t do it. She wouldn’t do it...