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I saw the flicker of fear on her face, that small show that she wasn’t as confident as she wanted to be.

As soon as I said, “Dad,” he jumped on her, and they both fell to the ground. I screamed, my hand rushing to cover my mouth as my mom tumbled to the floor, hitting her head on the table. Blood instantly seeped out from the wound, but she didn’t give up. She withered underneath him as he laid on top of her, reaching for the gun.

My father was much bigger than her; he would win in the end.

Adrenaline flew through me, possessing me with the strength to run over to intervene, but my front door flung open, and Eric came rushing inside. His hair was messy, his face etched with worry. His shirt was bloody, and although his eye was bruised, he still appeared strong and ready.

“Who the fuck are you?” My father stood up as he snatched the gun away from my mom at the last second. No! She whimpered, holding her head while in the fetal position on the floor behind him. I think she was in and out of consciousness, too weak to stay fully present but too strong to fully let go. The gun was directed at Eric, and I stood in between the two of them as a barrier. His arms flew up as he shifted his gaze from me to my father.

“Put the gun down,” Eric said calmly.

My father’s eyes were wild with his rising temper. “I asked who the fuck you are. Are you the one that raped my daughter? And fucked my wife, too?”

Eric still stood with his hands up while taking baby steps toward me. “I said put the gun down, sir. I didn’t rape your daughter.”

My heart was stuck in my throat. I stared at my father, focusing on how red his face was getting. “Daddy, stop.”

He swung toward me, pointing the gun in my direction with his finger on the trigger. I yelped.

“Did he fucking rape you?”

“No!” I shouted, hearing car doors outside.

“This is all your mother’s fault!” he yelled with more anger. The longer we stood in the room together, the angrier he got. Maybe he was embarrassed I was seeing him like this. Or maybe he was just so blinded by his own personal rage that he couldn’t make sense of what he was doing.

&nb

sp; The gun left me and was pointed at my mother. The way the nozzle pointed directly at her head was premeditated, and my father’s eyes lit up like he was the happiest, with every ounce of control. “You deserve to die,” he whispered as the door popped open. I didn’t get a chance to see who it was because, instead, I ran and dove in front of my mom, and then the gun went off.

Turned out I was selfless, after all.

Chapter Forty-Eight

Eric

“Madeline!” I yelled so loud my voice was hoarse. My heart flew out of my chest, and the pain was so severe that I looked down to see if I was the one who had gotten shot.

“Eric!” My father came into view as I began running forward.

Red. All I could see was red. Red blood coming from Madeline and her mother. Everything moved in slow motion. My father’s face waving back and forth in front of mine, him pushing me backwards with all his might, sweat falling over his forehead. My mom slid into view, already on her knees in front of Madeline, putting her hands on her stomach to stop the bleeding.

Another gunshot sounded, and suddenly, the chaos was back. My mother screamed, dipping her head as she kept her hands steady on Madeline.

Madeline’s father slowly fell to the ground, tumbling over like the twin towers, crumbling to his knees then hitting face first.

“Madeline!” I screamed, gaining the ability to push past my father. I landed on my knees in a pool of blood.

“Push down on her stomach, now. Keep the pressure.” My mom was trying to stay calm, but she was panicked. She checked Madeline’s mom’s breathing because, at some point, she had checked out.

“Keep your eyes open, Madeline. Okay?” My mom was hovering over her face, smiling. “It’s going to be okay.”

Madeline was shaking underneath me; her blouse was soaked with blood. My hand was wet and sticky.

“Mom,” I managed to choke out, feeling my soul rip in two.

“We gotta go to the hospital. We can’t wait for an ambulance. Pick her up, and you run to the car as fast as you can. Put your hand back on her belly the second you get inside. I’m right behind you.”

I did exactly as she said, flying through the house past my father who was on the phone with 911.


Tags: S.J. Sylvis English Prep Romance