Chapter 417
Chispter 294 Dhop The Gun
The gun was fewer than 1 expected, tiot just in weight, but in meaning–like the moment I wrapped my hands around it, something inversible settled into my bones,
My fingers trembled around the barrel as I lifted it, both palms slick with sweat, my arms shaking from more than fear.
I had never held a gun before. Never imagined 1 would, And yet there I was, standing in the middle of a room soaked in blood and grief, pointing death at a man who had already lost everything
My eyes refused to leave Mom,
She stood a few feet away, frozen, her face streaked with tears, her chest rising and falling like she was barely holding herself together. Julius knelt on the floor beside Chloe’s body, his head bowed, his shoulders shaking violently as he clutched her to him.
Chloe–my sister–lay motionless, her blood dark against the marble, her limbs straightened in a way that made my stomach churn every time I looked at her.
I wasn’t stupid enough to believe grief would stop Julius. Men like him didn’t break quietly. They shattered–and they took everyone around them with them.
“Savannah…” Mom whispered, her voice trembling as she took a cautious step toward me. “Sweetheart, please.” She reached for the gun slowly, like it might explode if she startled me. Her fingers wrapped around my hands, warm and familiar, grounding me in a way nothing
else could.
I felt her shaking through the contact, felt her fear and desperation bleeding into mine.
“Put it down, ” she begged. “Please p>
I swallowed hard, my throat burning as tears pressed behind my eyes. I slowly lowered the gun, my gaze still locked on Julius, watching every slight movement, every tense shift of his body.
When I finally let go, the gun fell onto the sofa beside me with a dull thud that echoed far too loudly in the suffocating silence.
“I wasn’t going to shoot,” I whispered hoarsely. “I don’t even know how to use a gun, Mom p>
That was the truth. I could barely process the fact that I had just held one, that my hands still felt numb from the weight of it. I had never been this close to violence before. Never this close to death.
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Chapter 417
Mom broke then.
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Her knees gave out as she collapsed against me, her sobs tearing out of her chest, raw and unrestrained. I wrapped my arms around her instinctively, holding her upright as her tears soaked into my blouse.
“Your sister is dead,” she cried. “My baby is gone. She’s never coming back p>
1 froze.
I let her cry because I didn’t know what else to do. Because the world felt like it had already ended, and I was afraid that if I moved, if
spoke, I would fall apart completely.
The air in the room felt colder. Heavier. Too still. That was when I heard voices upstairs.
Alyssa. Jace. Emily.
Emily cried so loudly everyone in the house heard her. Their voices were muffled, distant, unaware–or maybe desperately trying to be unaware–of the carnage below. Life was still happening above us while death sat at our feet down here.
And that was when something clicked.
My heart lurched violently as I pulled away from Mom and scanned the room, dread crawling up my spine.
“No,” I breathed.
I rushed toward the front door, my eyes locking onto the empty space beside the grandfather clock.
“He was right there,” I said sharply, pointing. “The guard. Where did he go p>
Mom sniffed, turning toward me, confusion etched into her grief–stricken face. “What p>
“The other guard,” I insisted, my voice rising. “He was standing right there p>
Her brows knit together slowly, realization dawning. “I saw him too p>
A chill settled deep in my bones.
How did a trained man disappear from a house like this without anyone noticing?
“How could he-” Mom turned suddenly. “Julius, do you know-” Her words cut off in a strangled scream.
I spun around.
Julius was standing, holding two guns–one in each hand. The one I had dropped. And the one Jace had left behind.
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His eyes were hollow. Not wild. Not angry. Just empty. And that terrified me more than anything else.
“Julius!” Mom cried, “What are you doing? Haven’t you done enough? Our daughter is dead! Haven’t you learnt anything p>
He didn’t respond. Didn’t even seem to hear her. He just raised the gun and pointed it at her.
Time stopped.
“What are you doing?” I stammered, my body moving back on instinct alone.
“You know,” he said calmly, almost conversationally, “when I realized you were still seeing my brother after I married you and tried to
make you happy, I bought a gun p>
Comments
R Visitor
6 Comments >
well i dont consider the mother the victim. She could atleast protected svannah from everything by giving her to jace to raise.
4 days ago
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31 L Sara Lili Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.