AFTER... JESS

The car felt stifling, the air too thick to breathe. I stared out the windshield, watching the ambulance ahead of us, its flashing lights bathing the night in ominous reds and blues. My hands trembled in my lap until Luke grabbed one, his firm grip grounding me just enough to

keep me from spiraling completely.

"She's going to be okay," he said, his voice calm and steady despite the storm swirling around us.

I turned to him, my throat tight, my heart in pieces. "You don't know that."

Luke's jaw clenched, but he didn't respond, his thumb brushing over the back of my hand in quiet reassurance.

Laura had been shot. She had been shot-because of me. Because she tried to save me and the baby. The thought turned my stomach

And Sarah... God, Sarah had been a lunatic. A gun-wielding, delusional lunatic. She'd been in our house, in our lives. How had we missed it? How had I not seen how dangerous she was?

My breath hitched as the tears finally broke free. "When does it end, Luke?" I whispered, my voice cracking. "When do we get our happy ending?"

He didn't answer.

into the hospital, and Luke followed close behind, pulling into a parking space just as the EMTS wheeled Laura through the

area. Josh was at the reception desk, his hands gripping the counter so tightly his knuckles had turned white. He turned as we approached, his face pale and haunted. "They're with her now," he said, his voice hollow.

respond, a doctor in scrubs appeared, his expression grim. "Laura's

stepped forward, his body

performed an ultrasound, and there's

blinked, shaking his head. "What the

take her to the operating room immediately to stop the bleeding. There's no time

the gut. Laura was bleeding inside.

my vision blurring. Laura could die because

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voice cracking under the

clutching at his hair as though trying to physically keep himself together. I stared at him, my own legs

you okay?" His voice was soft, but there was an

head, tears streaming freely down my cheeks. The ache in my

said, his voice

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