Chapter 259
CMWMBB 60
GABBY
We didn’t stop running until the road sounds faded into nothing.
Branches scraped my arms. Dry leaves cracked under my shoes. The air smelled like damp earth and something wild, something untouched by the world we’d just escaped. Iris’s breathing came in shaky bursts against my shoulder, her fingers tangled tightly in my jacket like she was afraid I might disappear if she loosened her grip.
After a few more minutes, my lungs burned hard enough to force me to slow.
I lowered her gently to the ground.
“We’re going to stay here for a minute,” I whispered, scanning the trees behind us.
She blinked up at me, eyes wide and glossy with tears. “Why did we stop p>
“No one’s following us,” I said, keeping my voice soft even though my pulse still hammered violently. “We just need to make sure it stays that way. Then we’ll head back toward the road when it’s safe p>
Her small shoulders lifted and fell with uneven breaths.
“I’m scared,” she admitted.
“I know,” I said quietly, crouching down so we were eye level. “I know you are. But you’re doing so well. Just a little longer, okay? Then you’ll see your mommy p>
Her lower lip trembled. She nodded anyway.
We found a fallen log tucked between two trees and sat there, the forest humming quietly around us. Crickets chirped somewhere far off. A faint breeze stirred the leaves overhead, whispering through branches like secrets I wasn’t meant to hear.
I kept the gun close, resting it against my thigh.
My hands finally started to shake now that we weren’t running.
I shot someone.
Iris leaned into my side, exhaustion pulling at her eyelids even through the fear.
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“You’re really brave,” I murmured.
She sniffed. “Daddy says brave people are still allowed to cry p>
I huffed a quiet laugh despite everything. “Your daddy sounds smart p>
She nodded solemnly.
Silence settled between us.
And for the first time since I pulled that trigger, I let myself think.
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About Andrea.
About the choices I’d made to survive in her shadow.
About every moment I told myself I had no choice.
Maybe I would pay for this later.
Maybe I would lose everything.
But right now?
Right now I had taken one step toward undoing something terrible.
I had chosen the right side.
I had chosen her.
My chest tightened unexpectedly.
Even if consequences waited for me at the end of this road… I had just reunited a child with her family.
That had to mean something.
I was so lost in that thought that I didn’t hear the footsteps at first.
Just a faint crunch.
Then another.
My body went cold.
I straightened instantly.
“Iris,” I whispered, voice suddenly sharp. “Go hide behind that tree. Quickly. Don’t come out unless I say your name p>
Her eyes widened but she didn’t argue.
She slipped behind the thick trunk, small hands gripping the bark as she disappeared from view.
I stood slowly, gun already in my hand.
The footsteps grew louder.
Closer.
My breath slowed, every muscle tightening.
And then a man stepped into the clearing.
Tall. Broad. Dark clothes.
Not one of Andrea’s men I recognized-but that didn’t mean anything.
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I raised the gun, aiming directly at his chest.
“Stop,” I said.
He froze immediately, hands lifting into the air.
“Hey, hey, hey,” he said, voice calm but cautious. “Easy there p>
My grip tightened.
“Who are you?” I demanded. “Backup p>
His eyes flicked briefly toward the trees behind me, then back to my face.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” he said slowly. “Are you… Gabby p>
The way he said my name sent a spike of alarm through me.
“How do you know that?” I snapped.
He took a careful step forward.
“Don’t,” I warned. “Another step and you’ll meet the same fate as the man back there p>
His jaw tightened slightly.
“I saw him,” he said quietly. “The one you shot. He’s alive. Shoulder wound p>
Relief flickered through me despite myself.
“I’m looking for Iris,” he added gently.
My heart slammed.
“If you move,” I said, voice hard, “I will shoot you p>
He stopped again, hands still raised.
Then, instead of arguing, he tilted his head slightly and called out softly toward the trees.
“Iris? Uncle Colton’s here. Where are you, sweetheart p>
The name hit me like a spark.
Uncle Colton.
Iris had said that name before.
During stories about home.
I hesitated.
Just for a fraction of a second.
And that was enough.
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Leaves rustled behind me.
“Iris, no-“I started, turning just as she stepped out from behind the tree.
Her eyes landed on the man.
She froze.
“Uncle… Colton?” she said softly.
Both our heads snapped toward her.
“Iris, go back,” I said quickly. “He’s not p>
But the words died in my throat.
Because the look on her face changed.
Recognition.
Relief.
Something deep and certain.
“He’s my uncle, Gabby,” she said, voice trembling with hope.
And before I could stop her, she ran.
The man’s expression shattered into something raw and real the moment she moved.
He dropped to his knees, arms opening wide.
“Iris,” he breathed.
She crashed into him, small arms wrapping around his neck with desperate strength.
He pulled her close, his hands cradling the back of her head like she was something fragile and priceless.
“I missed you,” he whispered hoarsely. “God, I missed you so much p>
She buried her face in his shoulder and started crying.
Not quiet tears.
Not the silent sobs she had held in before.
These were loud, messy, relieved cries that broke something open in my chest.
“I thought you forgot me,” she whispered.
He shook his head immediately. “Never. Not even for a second p>
His voice cracked on the last word.
He held her tighter, rocking her gently, one hand rubbing slow circles across her back the way someone does
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when they’ve memorized how to comfort you.
I lowered the gun slowly, my arms suddenly feeling too heavy to hold it.
Emotion surged up unexpectedly, catching me off guard.
Watching them felt… sacred.
Like I was witnessing something I wasn’t meant to interrupt.
Colton pressed his forehead briefly against Iris’s hair, breathing her in like he needed proof she was real.
“You’re safe now,” he murmured. “You’re okay. I’ve got you p>
She sniffled against him. “Where’s Mommy p>
“She’s waiting for you,” he said softly. “I’m taking you back to her p>
Her small fingers clutched his jacket tighter.
He finally looked up at me then.
Really looked.
His eyes were sharp but not hostile.
Grateful.
“You must be Gabby,” he said quietly.
I swallowed.
“Yes p>
He nodded once.
“Thank you,” he said simply.
I shook my head. “I should’ve done this sooner p>
He didn’t argue.
He just stood slowly, lifting Iris into his arms like she weighed nothing, one hand still supporting her back.
She didn’t let go.
And he didn’t try to make her.
For a long moment we stood there in the quiet forest, the tension of the chase melting into something softer.
Something hopeful.
I wiped quickly at my eyes before anyone could notice.
“I thought you might be one of hers,” I admitted.
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Colton gave a faint, tired smile. “That’s fair p>
Iris pulled back just enough to look at him. “Did Daddy come too p>
“He’s on his way,” Colton said gently. “He never stopped looking for you p>
Her face lit up in a way that made my chest ache.
I looked away for a second, giving them space.
Giving myself a moment to breathe.
Because right now, I wasn’t the villain in someone else’s story.
I was just a witness to a reunion.
And as Colton held her close, whispering promises that sounded like home, I felt something loosen inside me.
Maybe redemption didn’t come in grand gestures.
Maybe it came in moments like this.
In choosing the right thing.
Even when it was too late to erase everything that came before.
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Ruby Walker
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.