The Queen Who Fights Back (by Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 184

**A Symphony of Shadows by Evelyn Hart**

**Chapter 184**

From the very beginning, fate had dealt her a cruel hand. Nova had never been graced with the kindness of fortune; instead, she had been a silent witness to an endless parade of tragedies. One by one, her loved ones had slipped away, leaving her powerless to intervene, to alter the course of their destinies.

She was not the chosen one, nor would she ever embody the angelic figure that others had hoped for in their darkest hours.

As she stood there, her gaze was shrouded in a dull, icy mist, her eyes reflecting a profound emptiness, devoid of any warmth or solace.

Her focus remained fixed ahead, where Finn and the others cradled Yoro in their arms, their anguished cries piercing the air like arrows.

With every second that passed, her expression grew more distant, colder than the depths of winter.

In a swift motion, Nova flicked her wrist, emerging from the shadows like a vengeful specter, her very being reeking of iron and blood. In that heartbeat, a dagger, honed to a lethal edge, slipped seamlessly into her palm.

With a sharp intake of breath, she hurled the dagger into the chaos.

The blade sliced through the air, a streak of silvery light against the dark canvas of the night.

Ahead, she spotted the assassin—the one who had plunged the dagger into Yoro’s chest—racing along the deck railing, desperately seeking escape amidst the turmoil.

In an instant, Nova’s dagger found its mark, striking the assassin squarely in the forehead with an accuracy that was both chilling and impressive.

The force of the blow sent him staggering backward, his body teetering on the edge of the railing.

In that fleeting moment, he became a marionette whose strings had been severed, collapsing into the abyss below.

With a resounding splash, he vanished into the depths of the sea, leaving no trace behind, not even the remnants of his bones.

In one decisive throw, Nova had avenged Yoro, her dagger a harbinger of justice—swift and unyielding.

As she approached Yoro, her steps were light and nearly soundless, yet each stride felt like a heavy stone pressing against her heart.

Inside, Nova winced, ‘Every step I take feels like it’s crushing my own heart under its weight.’

Her gaze fell upon the dagger, grotesquely embedded deep within Yoro’s chest, piercing right through where her heart should be beating.

Though Yoro was still alive, the crimson tide flowing from her wound made it painfully evident that she was hanging on by the thinnest of threads.

“Yoro! Yoro!” Finn’s voice rang out, trembling with a mix of terror and disbelief.

“Come on, Yoro, wake up! Please, Yoro!” His desperate pleas cut through the chaos like a knife, reverberating in the ears of everyone present.

Their screams were sharp, echoing through the night air, impossible to ignore, sending icy shivers down the spines of all who heard them.

In no time, the frantic cries drew a crowd—Charles, Fiona, Yoro’s parents, and even the ship’s emergency doctor were shouting, their voices laced with panic and urgency.

But for Nova, the world around her faded into silence.

She could do nothing but watch helplessly as Yoro’s life signs flickered, diminishing with each shallow breath.

With each fading heartbeat, the fragile glimmer of hope that had sparked within Nova began to slip away, extinguished like a candle caught in a storm.

The sun shone brightly above, bathing everything in warmth, yet the sea breeze cut through it all, sharp and frigid as a blade.

Nova’s heart, already numb from despair, could not recall the sensation of warmth, not even for a fleeting moment.

Inside Supeki First Hospital, the sterile corridors felt colder than the depths of winter.

Once a canvas of sunlight, the endless blue sky was now obscured by heavy, brooding clouds.

“Drip, drip, drip…”

Soft rain replaced the blazing sun, drenching the world in shades of gray and sorrow, as if even the heavens wept for their plight.

It felt as though an eternity had passed, as if the entire world had come to a standstill, frozen in a moment of unbearable anguish. Nova wondered to herself, ‘Will time ever resume its course?’

At long last, the results had arrived.

Yoro…

She had survived.

It was sheer luck—the instant the dagger had pierced Yoro’s chest, her heart had contracted, fortuitously avoiding a fatal blow.

The human heart, a relentless organ, never truly ceases its rhythm, always contracting and relaxing, the atria and ventricles working in a delicate dance.

With each heartbeat, the heart’s size fluctuated minutely, expanding and contracting in a continuous cycle.

“Just days ago, she would come home, her face alight with tales of you—’Nova this, Nova that, my little sister Nova…’

“How could you do this to her? How could you?”

Yoro’s mother was unraveling, her grief and rage intertwining, spiraling out of control as she shook Nova, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Charles and Fiona had always suspected that Nova had connections to the darker side of society.

Previously, they had thought Damien was merely a significant underground figure, and that Nova had been swept into his chaos against her will.

But never in their wildest imaginations had they anticipated the situation would escalate to this point—that those involved in the underground would place a hit on Nova.

“I’m so sorry, so, so sorry…” Fiona stammered, her voice trembling under the weight of guilt.

“Please, let me apologize for our Nova.

“We swear we’ll get to the bottom of this—”

Both Yoro’s mother and Fiona were mothers, each grappling with their own heartbreak.

Fiona’s heart ached with conflicting emotions: sorrow for Yoro, but also a bitter pain witnessing her own daughter being manhandled in such a manner.

She attempted to move closer to comfort Yoro’s mother, only to be shoved aside without mercy.

Nova offered no resistance, her gaze cast downward as she allowed Yoro’s mother to shake and pull at her without uttering a word or protest.

“Sorry? What good is an apology now?” Yoro’s mother let out a harsh, mocking laugh.

She glared at Nova, her words laced with ice and venom, each syllable a dagger aimed at Nova’s heart.

“Yoro said you wouldn’t even give her the time of day, yet she still regarded you as her little sister, Nova.

“You truly are heartless!

“Why did you even come back here? Just why?

“People like you—you show up, and now Yoro’s trapped in a coma because of you! What’s next? Planning to take down the rest of your family? You don’t deserve to call this place home!”