Tower of Paradise

Nothing happened suddenly. Those who lost their family, those who divorced, those who went to jail, and those who were left alone and without affection could not say, "This happened to me suddenly."

Everyone had different pain thresholds. Some people, with a simple stomach infection, realized they needed to change their eating habits, exercise, and lead a healthier life; a small stimulus was enough for them to reflect and change...

Others, on the other hand, paid no attention to soft warnings and required being on the brink of death with acute cirrhosis or angina to say, "Damn, now I really need to take care of myself..." It was a matter of how one was... of how one reacted... We always had gradual warnings until reaching the pain threshold.

There were people who reacted to the simple voice of their conscience or to reading a book, and there were others who turned a deaf ear to everything, and only when they were sunk did they realize it was time to do something.

I was one of those who did not move with a small stimulus; one of those who waited for greater warnings. The days passed, and the pain did not diminish.

Upon waking the next morning, the bedroom was flooded with light. I got up from the bed like a machine about to explode. Today was the day. Today was when that man would be judged and sentenced to prison.

I looked at the time: it's 11:50.

That man will be in front of the court at 13:00. I had no time to waste. Today was the day when everything would end. I grabbed my gun and tucked it behind my pants. The house door was still open.

I looked one last time at the house that Alessia and I built together. This house that once harbored so much joy, so much hope, so many dreams... Now it was just a constant reminder of what I had lost.

—This is for you, Alessia —I muttered, arming myself with courage.

The daylight burned cruelly in my eyes when I went out. I got into the car and started it. A few minutes later, I parked the old truck a few steps from the court building.

Before getting out of the car, I observed the bustle near the courthouse for a moment. I saw passersby and curious onlookers mixed with some journalists. A mother was casually walking with a pink stroller, and through the car's open window, I heard the joyful laughter of a small baby. The sound pierced me like a knife.

I got out of the car, the gun firmly hidden behind my pants. The hot air was full of smells of gas, dust, and asphalt. I advanced with difficulty towards the building, limping slightly. I stayed at a good distance so as not to draw attention and waited patiently for the time when everything could finally end.

It was 12:54, just a few more minutes.

I wiped the sweat dripping from my forehead, feeling a sticky humidity under my armpits. I noticed a young journalist looking at me curiously, and for a moment, I feared being discovered. Suddenly, I heard the murmurs of the small crowd gathered in front of the building grow. I saw protesters waving signs and shouting slogans in unison.

In the distance, I saw him. That bastard who took everything from me, coming out of the palace of justice accompanied by two police officers. I could see the shine of the gun handles hanging from the two officers' belts. It was too late to back out; it was too late the night that bastard came to tear away my reason for living, leaving only a breath laden with alcohol in his abominable wake.

It was the moment; I advanced towards the center of the stairs. No one paid me any attention; all the surveillance of the small group now was centered on the accused descending the stairs with a somber face. I carefully observed his fat and tired face. The man laid his eyes on me and looked at me with curiosity. When he came within a few meters of me, I could see fear invade his gaze at the moment he recognized me.

I put my sweaty hand under my shirt and grabbed the hot handle of the pistol. With a quick movement, I pulled out the revolver and pointed it at Alessia's killer.

I saw his surprised and frightened face when he saw the brilliant barrel of the weapon. I fired a clumsy shot that managed to hit him in the knee. The police had already put their hands on their pistols and were preparing to shoot.

Screams of fear traversed the crowd like a wave crashing noisily against a concrete shoreline. With no more time to waste, my second bullet hit the bastard in the head. A stream of blood spurted behind his skull, and he immediately collapsed to the ground like a lump of lead. Just at that moment, I felt a burning impact in my chest. A bullet had gone through me, and I fell backward onto the hard concrete.

Blood flowed abundantly from my chest. The screams and tumult of the crowd gradually faded into a soft silence. Darkness enveloped me softly, like a mother's embrace.

A stream of blood came out of my trembling mouth as I exhaled my last breath.

—Forgive me... Alessia —I thought as life escaped me.

Like a sequence of hallucinations, I heard Alessia's soft and melodious laugh. I saw her very clearly, throwing water in my face while she laughed in the bathtub. The echo of her laughter resonated far away and stirred my insides, like the last note of a melancholic symphony.

Time stopped, and the film of my life became the moving image of immobile eternity. I saw Alessia in front of me, smiling, in a beautiful ivory dress. I slid a ring on her finger in front of a full room, bathed in light.

Then, I saw her aureolated by a light glow, walking in a small forest, giving me tender looks. In an instant, she was in front of me with her beautiful face bathed in tears, holding a positive pregnancy test in her trembling hands.

Now, Alessia was lying down, singing a lullaby to our unborn baby while I caressed her belly. As if my entire life was recorded in a fictional film, I witnessed, stunned, its final and grandiose reproduction.

I relived my moments of joy, my sorrows, my mistakes, and the intense and magnificent moments of happiness, but also the small sweet things that filled our daily life.

Suddenly, I felt my body softly elevating, like steam escaping from boiling water. I saw my body collapsed on the ground, surrounded by a large pool of blood.

I heard a small buzz and saw circular waves forming in the air. The waves gradually gathered at a single point before instantly transforming into a blue fragment.

The fragment fell softly on my forehead like a lover's kiss. Soon, the fragment slowly sank, as if submerging under water. Then, I found myself in front of an immense tunnel whose walls undulated as if under the effect of a breeze.

I was dragged by an irresistible current, like a leaf floating in a fevered river; an intense and white light, whiter than a thousand suns, approached me with benevolence.

***

Volume 2 - New Heights - End

Hey, this is the author :)

Thanks for your time and esteem!

If you've made it this far, let me take this opportunity to congratulate you. You have no idea how grateful I am for you. It's not easy to get hooked on a story, especially one like this, which is at best passable, written by a totally unknown rookie author.

I'm happy—truly happy. Writing this story has been quite a feat. It went through many revisions and rewrites. As you can see, it has many errors because English is not my native language, so I understand your frustration and dissatisfaction. Let me apologize if it's not what you expected. However, I beg you not to judge me too harshly. Forgive me the live!

The reason for this message is to let you know that this story will be on pause for a month or two. I'm ashamed to say this, but I'm going through a tough financial situation right now... I've created a Patreon in hopes that those who truly appreciate my work can support me if they like this story and if it's in their hearts. Frankly, I didn't write this novel to make money, but now its existence depends on you.

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But I'm not here to elicit pity, so if you have the opportunity, I'd love for you to leave a review for this story. It doesn't matter if it's positive or negative; you have the right to give your opinion objectively, and I'm not one to judge you. However, I would like you to advise me, tell me what I can improve, how you felt when you were reading it, and what your recommendations are. This story is as much yours as it is mine, so I'd love to know what you think. Thanks in advance. Have a nice day.