Chapter 85

• The weapon gleamed ominously, a physical embodiment of the vendetta that had consumed Leon's every thought. But even as his grip tightened, doubt began to creep in. Hesitation tainted his determination, and questions gnawed at his resolve.
• "Am I really willing to pull this trigger?" Leon's inner turmoil was a tempest raging within, a battle between vengeance and his own humanity. He had yearned for this moment, to hold Edward's life in his hands, a twisted manifestation of control. But now, as reality stared back at him, the starkness of the act he was about to commit unsettled his very core.
• In the midst of this tense confrontation, Ava's arrival shattered the stillness that hung over the house. The sight that greeted her was devastating — Rierie, their loyal canine companion, lay lifeless at the threshold. Shock and confusion coursed through her veins, her instincts telling her that something was dreadfully wrong.