The Empty Chamber

"Do it," Luca said.

He didn't close his eyes. He looked at her. He saw the hatred, but beneath it, he saw the grief. He saw the sister who missed her brother.

"I deserve it," Luca said. "If it gives you peace, Cami. Do it."

Camilla’s lip trembled. She squeezed the trigger.

* CLICK.*

The sound echoed loudly in the silence.

No explosion. No recoil.

Camilla stared at the gun in shock. She pulled the trigger again. *Click. Click.*

"Empty," Dante’s voice laughed over the speakers. A cruel, hysterical sound. "Oh, the look on your face, Luca! You truly loved her, didn't you? And Camilla... look at you. You’re a killer now, just like him."

Camilla dropped the gun. She fell to her knees, sobbing. Not out of relief, but out of frustration.

"Why?" she screamed at the ceiling. "You said one bullet!"

"I lied," Dante said. "I wanted Luca to know. I wanted him to die knowing his muse was the one holding the knife. And now he knows."

The lights in the room shifted from white to red. A low, mechanical thrumming began.

"The game has changed," Dante announced. "The ventilation system has been reversed. The oxygen in the room will be depleted in approximately twenty minutes. No one shoots their way out. You just... fade away."

The fans whirred to a halt. The air in the room instantly felt heavy, stale.

Luca looked at Camilla. She was curled on the floor, defeated.

He felt the crushing weight of karma. He had imprisoned so many men in this room, watched them bargain with God. Now, it was his turn.

But as he looked at his wife, even knowing she hated him, even knowing she had betrayed him, he couldn't let her die. It was the one human thing left in him.

"Marco," Luca said into the silence.

Camilla didn't look up. "Shut up."

"I killed him," Luca admitted. "But do you know why?"

"Because he was a rival. Because you're a psychopath."

"No," Luca rasped. The air was already getting thin. "Marco was in debt to the Albanians. Deep debt. He couldn't pay."

He dragged himself as close to her as the chains allowed.

"He offered them a trade, Cami. To clear the ledger." Luca’s voice broke. "He offered them you."

Camilla went still. She lifted her head. "Liar."

"He had the papers drawn up. He was going to traffic you to settle a gambling debt. I found out. I went to him. I told him if he touched you, I would end him. He laughed. He tried to pull a knife."

Luca looked at his hands. "I didn't kill him for business. I killed him because he was going to sell you like cattle. I never told you because... because you loved him. And I didn't want to take that memory from you."

Camilla stared at him. Tears streamed down her face, mixing with the grime. "You're lying."

"I'm a lot of things, Cami. But I never lied to you about how much I loved you."