Page 178 of I See You

“You’re… hurting me… San,” she gasped, barely able to breathe.

But he couldn’t hear her. His demons were too loud. All he saw was his father laughing, that cruel smirk mocking him, taunting him.

“It hurts, don’t it? Knowing no one will ever see you. They’ll only see the killer in you,” his father sneered.

That did it.

Hassan squeezed harder, trying to strangle the demon in front of him. But in reality, he was seconds away from killing the one person who had ever truly loved him.

Then he heard her voice. Not Sevyn’s. His mother’s. “You’re hurting me, Hassan…”

His eyes shot open. And there she was—Kristi.

Not the broken image from that night. No bullet wound. No blood. Just her. Glowing, radiant. Beautiful. The woman she was before death ever touched her. Her eyes were teary, but soft, filled with nothing but love.

Hassan’s hands dropped instantly as tears poured from his eyes. “I’m—I'm sorry,” he choked out, breathless with guilt.

“I can’t stay long, baby,” she whispered, her voice wrapping around him like a warm hug. “But listen to me—you do deserve love. You deserve to be seen for who you are. For the gentle, good man you’ve always been underneath it all. You deserve her.”

“I’m sorry,” Hassan said, his voice barely above a whisper. For the first time, a single tear slid down his cheek—silent, heavy, and soaked in guilt he couldn’t hide.

His mother smiled gently. “Make it right.” And then she was gone. The room fell silent.

Hassan’s chest rose and fell rapidly as he slowly blinked like snap back to reality. Sevyn stood pressed against the wall, tears streaking down her face, red handprints blooming on her throat like bruised petals. Her eyes—those soft, beautiful eyes—looked back at him, not just with fear… but heartbreak.

And in that moment, Hassan realized what he had done.

He hadn’t been killing a ghost. He had almost destroyed the one thing that made him feel human.

“Sevyn…” Hassan’s voice cracked, barely more than a whisper, thick with regret.

The sound of her coughing, her gasps as she tried to breathe again, sliced through him like a blade. Her body trembled, and even as she stood upright, her strength was shaken. He stepped toward her, the words tumbling from his lips. “I’m sorry… Sevyn, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“Stop.” Her hand rose, trembling but firm, halting him in place. “I know that wasn’t you, Hassan,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper—shaky, raw, but sure. Her throat burned, but her eyes stayed on his, seeing the torment behind them… and the regret that was already tearing him apart.

Even with her calm tone, he saw it—clearly now. The fear in her eyes. And it shattered him.

“I’m going to give you space,” she added, reaching for her purse on the side table.

Hischesttightened.“Sevyn…”hebreathed,grabbingherhand gently.Hedidn’twanthertogo.God,heneededhertostay.Buthe alsoknew—he didn’t deserve that comfort right now. The look in her eyes made that clear.

“I love you,” he said, his voice trembling beneath the weight of everything he felt—shame, fear, desperation. It cracked at the edges, thick with emotion, like he was begging her to believe it…because if she didn’t, he didn’t know what was left of him.

She looked up at him—eyes still glossy, cheeks still wet. But this time, the fear wasn’t imagined. It wasn’t a hallucination. It was real. And it destroyed him.

Sevyn stepped forward, pressing a soft, tear-soaked kiss to his cheek. It lingered like a whisper of forgiveness… but not enough to silence the storm.

Then she walked out.

She didn’t say the words back—but he knew she still loved him. Even if she couldn’t speak it right now. Even if she was too afraid to stay in that moment. And she was right—they needed space. Because he’d done the one thing he swore he’d never do.

He hurt the woman who always saw the light in his darkness.

Hassan stood still for a long beat, his fists clenched at his sides as the silence swallowed him whole. Then, with one guttural shout, he slammed his fist into the wall beside him—sending drywall flying, his knuckles splitting as a raw, jagged hole took shape.

But it didn’t hurt. Not like losing her did.

???

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