He Stole My Sixty Years Of Hard Won Lifespan Chapter 04

He Stole My Sixty Years Of Hard Won Lifespan Chapter 04

At my words, Evan turned toward me.

His eyes landed on my bloodless lips, and his brow tightened ever so slightly.

He was just about to speak—

When the front door opened.

Lena clung to the doorframe, her face ghostly pale.

Her knees buckled beneath her.

“Evan…”

“I don’t feel good.”

“Is… is my body rejecting the lifespan? I can’t breathe…”

The color drained from Evan’s face.

He rushed over and caught her before she hit the floor, his hands trembling.

“Hey, it’s okay.”

“I’m here.”

He frantically rubbed her back, trying to steady her breathing while whispering reassurance after reassurance.

He used to say those same words to me.

After I’d fallen off that cliff and opened my eyes to find him beside my bed.

After a bomb blast had hurled me through the air, breaking two of my ribs and leaving me unable to speak from the pain.

Now…

Those words belonged to someone else.

Evan carried Lena to the couch.

Then something caught his eye.

The black stone hanging from the red cord around my neck.

It was a Null-Stone.

I’d nearly died earning it during an S-Class Time Task.

There were only three of them in the entire world.

When someone’s body reached the brink of collapse, it could slow the loss of their life force.

“Mira.”

His voice softened unexpectedly.

It was the exact tone he’d once used whenever he coaxed me into taking my medicine.

“Be good.”

“Let Lena borrow it for a couple of days.”

“Once she’s stable, I’ll find you something even better—ten of them if I have to.”

“Ten of them if I have to.”

Instinctively, I covered the stone with my hand and stepped back.

He didn’t give me the chance.

He reached out and yanked it from my neck.

I was already too weak to stay on my feet.

The force sent me crashing into the wall.

The back of my head slammed against it.

Pain exploded through my skull, and my vision went black.

Evan froze.

The Null-Stone was clenched in his hand.

His gaze lingered on the angry red mark across my neck.

His lips parted, like he wanted to say something.

But in the end…

He simply turned away.

He placed the stone into Lena’s hand.

“There you go.”

“You’ll feel better with this on.”

Then he helped her back to the guest room.

*****

I stayed against the wall for a long time.

Long enough for my legs to go numb.

Then I picked up my suitcase.

And walked toward the front door.

“Still throwing a tantrum?”

Evan’s voice came from behind me.

He even laughed.

“Don’t come crying back later.”

I never looked back.

I opened the door.

And walked away.

*****

The hallway was eerily silent.

Suddenly, the lifespan display on my wrist erupted into a shrill alarm.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Bright red numbers flashed across the screen.

Remaining Lifespan: 3 Days

*****

The Time Authority headquarters was as crowded as ever.

People argued.

Negotiated.

Traded.

All for one more minute.

One more second.

Dragging my suitcase behind me, I walked straight to the Special Services counter.

“Hello.”

“I’d like to apply for a Forced Unlinking of my Time Account Sharing Permissions.”

The clerk looked up at me.

Then glanced behind me.

“Ma’am, a Forced Unlinking requires both account holders to be present.”

“Or written authorization from the other party.”

He paused.

“If you file a unilateral request…”

“You’ll have to endure the pain of Forced Bone Extraction as your punishment.”

“And your Time Credit Rating will be permanently reduced.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Without the slightest hesitation, I took the agreement covered in warning clauses.

On the last page…

I signed my name.

The moment the pen left the paper, every ounce of strength drained from my body.

While I waited for the paperwork to be processed, my communication wristband vibrated.

A message from Lena.

Just one photo.

Evan was asleep.

The camera was close enough to capture every one of his long lashes.

The blankets were a tangled mess.

The implication couldn’t have been more obvious.

Expressionless, I deleted the message.

“Ms. Mira Shaw.”

The clerk looked up.

“Your application has been processed.”