Chapter 26
C oming so close to Angus after all this time has my heart pounding in a way that can’t be good for the baby, and watching Jonathan disappear into the car with him does nothing to resolve that issue.
All I can do is hope Angus didn’t recognise me, because if he did, I know there is no way in hell I’m getting out of this carpark unharmed.
Making a mad dash for the car, I dial Donna at the same time.
“Code red,” I gasp as soon as she picks up.
Flinging myself into the car, I slam the door and yank the seatbelt on before pressing as hard on the accelerator as I can.
Peeling out of there and leaving half of my heart behind feels wrong, but guarding this half is more important.
Jonathan can defend himself, my baby girl cannot. She needs me to do it for her.
“Shit. Okay, deep breaths. We’ve got you. Just keep driving. Don’t stop for anyone or anything who isn’t Seamus or Jonathan, okay? That’s the only two people you trust, you hear me?”
“Yes, I hear you. Just please, I need to save her,” I sob, and, in that moment, something passes between us.
Over the past few months, Donna has been the rock I never knew I needed.
From holding my hair back as bouts of morning sickness had me rushing to the bathroom, to confiding in me about her own pregnancy, I don’t know how I would have kept my sanity without her.
“Helen, I promise you, nothing is going to get anywhere near your baby. We will not let that happen.” The fierce determination in her words should soothe me, but nothing can, not until Angus is gone and Jonathan is back in my arms. Disconnecting the call, I focus on the road in front of me.
I’ve no idea how long passes; all I know is, I’m beyond turned around.
I have no clue where I am, never mind anyone who may or may not be tailing me.
Hitting the brakes, I check my phone to see if I somehow missed any calls while I was playing fast and furious.
Seeing nothing, I curse before looking up, only to swallow a scream.
Because all of a sudden, a car has appeared, and the driver is fast approaching me.
With a curse, I try to turn the engine on, but the damn car refuses to start.
Slamming all the locks down and praying the tinted glass will be enough to deter him, I keep quiet.
I sincerely hope this guy is as dumb as he looks; otherwise, I’m fucked.
He leans in close, bracing his hands on the window to get a better view.
As he reaches behind him, I see my life flash before my eyes.
Freya. Jonathan. My unborn baby. All the lies and what ifs wasted.
This is the moment I have been running from, and now, it’s too little, too late.
I’ll never get to hold my baby, never get to tell Jonathan I love him one more time.
Wetness trails down the side of my face.
But as he goes to withdraw his weapon, someone twists his arm behind his back, forcing a pained grunt and muffled shout. And there behind him, covered in blood, is Jonathan, pain etched into every crevice of his face. In that moment, a bitter, heartbreaking understanding passes between us.
The immediate threat may be gone, but the damage is irreparable. In just minutes, Angus tore through everything we had, shattering the fragile peace we’d built and ripping our happiness out from under us .
There’s no undoing the devastation he left behind—no taking back the fear, the anguish, the suffocating grief.
It’s too little, too late. No amount of time, no amount of pretending, can salvage what’s been lost. Our hearts have already drowned in the wreckage.