I quickly turn my body around and crawl away from him. I don’t get far before he grabs hold of my foot, yanking me back to where he wants me.
He crawls over my back and wraps his disgusting fingers around my neck. He starts to slam my face against the carpet and I try to turn my head so it won’t hurt as much.
“You,” he growls. “Because of you, I lost it all!”
His fingers tighten around my throat until his nails dig into my skin. I start to gag for air, and when I don’t manage to take a breath, I go insane with fear.
“I’m going to kill you so he knows what it feels like to lose everything,” Stew hisses.
This can’t be my end.
I want to see my daughter grow up. I want to see Carter walk her down the aisle. I want to hold her babies in my arms. I want to grow old with Carter.
My vision starts to blur and my body spasms. I hear a crashing sound and then voices are yelling.
Stew’s weight is lifted off me, and then more hands grab at me.
I yank and hit, but it feels like I’m moving in slow motion. All I hear is the ragged sound of my lungs gasping for air.
I keep hitting, kicking and growling like a possessed person while I crawl away from Stew. Dread has taken over every part of me. In this terror induced state, there’s only one thought - I have to survive for Daniele. I have to survive this somehow.
Nausea overwhelms me and I start to vomit. I try to keep moving, but my strength is fading fast.
Oh, God! I need to survive for my daughter.
Someone grabs me from behind and I try to swing my elbow into them. The movement throws me off balance and I fall to the side, as my body starts to convulse and another wave of nausea overwhelms me. The person pulls my body against theirs and pulls my hair away from my face.
My throat is on fire when I finally stop vomiting. “Stop. Just stop,” I cry.
“Della,” someone cries through the haziness of hysteria that’s enveloping me.
When the person doesn’t let go of me I start to scream until my throat feels like it’s raw and bleeding.
“Get him out of here,” the person holding me shouts. “Get him the fuck out of here before I kill him.”
Through blurring tears I see people move around me. Someone kneels in front of me and for a moment I don’t recognize him.
“Della, you’re going to be okay. The paramedics are on the way,” he says.
I try to suck in some air but the pain is too much. A wail tears through my ravaged throat and I slump forward.
The man frames my face with his hands, and his touch is cool on my overheated skin. He lifts my face to his and it’s only then that I recognize him.
“Logan?” I rasp.
“Yeah, Sweetheart. Try to stay still for us. Rhett’s holding you. You’re safe.”
“Rhett?”
“I’ve got you, babe,” I hear him say from behind me. His voice is thick with tears. Every bit of strength I have vanishes and my body sinks against his.
***
CARTER
My phone rings but I ignore it. I need to finish signing these documents so Charlotte can have them back before I leave for my two pm meeting.
Finally, the thing stops ringing.