?Chapter 200:


    Whatever emotion had lingered on Cole’s face vanishedpletely. His finger tightened around the trigger, as though the decision had already been made.


    Elliana tilted her chin slightly upward, locking eyes with him and studying his face with precision. In that same moment, the coin in her hand remained poised, ready to fly. She clung to life with everything she had. From the moment she was a child, even during her darkest days, she had never once thought of surrendering.


    Making it this far had been a battle in itself. Her mother was still out there, waiting to be found. Donovan still hadn’t answered why he was so determined to make her his protégé. Adah was somewhere in Ublento, waiting for their reunion. With so much left unfinished, she couldn’t afford to die now. If he chose to shoot, then she would strike. Letting him take her life without a fight wasn’t an option. No amount of affection would stop her from fighting back.


    There had always been a quiet question in her heart—between the two of them, who was stronger? The moment to find out had finally arrived. She would make sure to learn which of them was meant to survive and which one wouldn’t make it out.


    In the stillness between them, it felt as though death and survival bnced on a single thread.


    Then, without warning, Cole pulled the trigger.


    At that exact instant, Elliana’s hand shot forward, sending the coin flying…


    Cole did pull the trigger. However, the room stayed silent because the chamber had been empty from the very start.


    Elliana’s arm had swung forward in response, but just before she let go, the coin remained pressed between her fingers. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t bring herself to hurt Cole. She couldn’t deny it anymore—loving someone came with its own kind of weakness. Even after watching him point a gun at her and fire without hesitation, she still couldn’t force herself to retaliate.


    Once she made up her mind, she shut her eyes tight, fully expecting to feel a bullet strike her between the eyes.


    But the sound never came. She was still standing,pletely unharmed. She knew what she had seen. He had pulled the trigger. So why hadn’t there been a single sound?


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    Elliana froze for a moment. Then, she opened her eyes and gazed at Cole. That infuriating man smiled from ear to ear. In that instant, everything clicked. His gun had been empty. He never intended to shoot her. He had only wanted to scare her. No, it wasn’t just to frighten her. He had been watching—testing her. He wanted to know whether she would actually try to hurt him. And she, like a fool, had walked right into it. Now that he knew the truth, he looked incredibly pleased.


    Cole looked like he could burst with joy. He blew gently over the gun’s barrel and said with a teasing grin, “Honey, didn’t think you loved me this much.”


    Elliana turned red with a mix of anger and embarrassment. Her cheeks puffed up as she red at him. “Love you? Don’t delude yourself! My hand cramped, that’s all. I couldn’t throw the coin just now. But it’s fine now!”


    Right after saying that, she hurled the coin at him.


    Cole made no move to duck. He simply stood still, that same smile never leaving his face.


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