Chapter 19 — The Loss
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ROSE
My scream echoed through the night, sharp and filled with raw terror, as blood splattered across my skin. The metallic tang of it lingered in the air, thick and overwhelming.
I could hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears, a frantic rhythm that matched the chaos around me. My hands were shaking uncontrollably, my chest heaving with panic, as I tried to comprehend what had just happened.
The gunshot had been deafening, and then everything had fallen into a blur. It wasn’t until I felt a pair of warm arms wrap around me that I stopped trembling for a moment.
Chapter 19 – The Loss
My breath hitched, and I blinked through the haze of shock to realize it was Xander holding me, his voice soft and comforting.
“Rose, it’s okay. You‘ re safe now. You‘ re okay.”
I trembled against him, my mind still reeling. My body felt numb, and my limbs were heavy. The faint sound of sirens was getting louder, but it was like I couldn’t move.
“Xander, what happened?” I asked, barely able to form the words, my voice shaky.
I looked down and froze, my eyes going wide as I saw the dark red stain on my clothes–the blood that had splattered on me when Jacob had been shot. His blood.
Xander‘ s gaze softened as he tightened his hold on me, gently guiding me away from the
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scene. “Jacob’s been shot,” he said quietly, his words heavy with the weight of the situation. “But you‘ re safe. You‘ re with me now. That’s all that matters.”
I could barely process what he was saying.
“But… how did you know where I was?” My voice trembled as I spoke, still struggling to piece everything together.
Xander gave me a reassuring squeeze. “I‘ ve been watching you, Rose. I had a hunch Jacob might do something drastic. I’ve seen him slip further and further into desperation. I knew this wasn’t over.”
I blinked, his words sinking in. Jacob- desperate, irrational Jacob–had truly become someone I didn’t recognize. The man I had once known, the man I had loved, was gone,
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Chapter 19 The Loss
replaced by a stranger capable of violence.
When we finally arrived at the hospital, the police were already there, waiting for us. Two officers were stationed outside the emergency room, while others questioned Xander and me, gathering details. I tried to explain as best as I could, but my thoughts were scattered, my focus fractured.
“Take your time,” one of the officers said gently, clearly seeing the state I was in.
“We’ll need your statements, but you‘ ve been through a lot.”
I nodded numbly and glanced toward the hospital room where Jacob had been taken. A lump formed in my throat as I thought of him lying there–possibly dying. Despite everything, I still felt a flicker of sadness, a
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Chapter 19 – The Loss
deep ache for the person he used to be.
A few minutes later, a doctor emerged, his face grim. He approached us slowly, his eyes sympathetic but professional.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice low. “Jacob didn’t make it. He lost too much blood.”
I felt the world tilt beneath me, the air growing thick and heavy in my lungs. I couldn’t even find the words to respond. I’d seen Jacob as nothing more than a dangerous man, someone who‘ d
manipulated and betrayed me, yet here I was, grieving for him:
I leaned into Xander as the reality of Jacob’s death settled in. His grip tightened around me, offering me a quiet solace.
“I know this is hard, Rose,” Xander
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Chapter 19 The Loss
murmured. “But you don‘ t have to carry this alone. I’m here for you.”
I nodded, unable to find the words to speak. Everything felt so overwhelming, and I couldn’t untangle the mess of emotions swirling inside me.
Xander stepped aside to speak with the officers, leaving me alone for a moment. I needed space, a breath of fresh air, something to clear the fog from my mind.
I stumbled toward the hospital‘ s exit, the fluorescent lights overhead too harsh against my skin. My feet took me outside, to a small minimart across the street. I wasn’t sure what I was hoping to find there, but I needed to do something–anything–to break the numbness that had settled in.
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Chapter 19 – The Loss
As I walked into the store, I felt a chill run down my spine. My eyes locked onto a figure standing by the shelves, her expression wild, her eyes filled with something dark and dangerous. Jenna.
She was glaring at me with an intensity that made my skin crawl. “You, bitch!” she screeched, her voice rising with hysteria.
“You killed him! You killed Jacob!”
The words hit me like a slap, and I froze, taken aback by the venom in her tone. For a moment, I couldn’t respond. How could I? Jacob’s death wasn’t something I had caused–yet here was Jenna, blaming me, as if I were the one who had brought him to this point.
“Jenna, I didn‘ t-” I started, but she
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interrupted, her voice sharp and full of grief-
fueled rage.
“You think you’ve won? You think you‘ ve taken everything from me?” she hissed, stepping closer. “He loved me! He was mine! And now you’ve taken him away!”
I shook my head, the anger rising in me now.
“This isn’t about you, Jenna. This was never about you! Jacob made his choices, and he paid for them.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but they were twisted with fury, not sorrow. “You think you can just walk away, that you‘ ve got Xander now?” she spat. “You don‘ t deserve any of this! I wish you were the one who had died.”
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