Karina:

The moment I saw the gun pointed at me, I knew. 

This was why I had felt uneasy all day. The lingering dread in my chest, the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong—this was it. 

Ethan’s hand trembled slightly as he pointed the weapon at me, his eyes wild with desperation. The room seemed to freeze in time. My breath caught in my throat, my body locked in place. 

“Ethan, put it down,” my father’s voice rang out, firm and controlled, ...