[|]Jackie's POVPresent-day..."Maddy?" I whispered as I saw the face of my best friend in a different picture, standing in front of the man who had been following me at the supermarket. "Maddy is responsible for everything?"I let Lucas take the phone away from me as I felt weak. Everything made sense to me now. If Maddy was interacting with that man who was seen using Ruth's credit card, it could mean that Maddy was the one responsible for the kidnapping of Ruth and everything Ruth had said was the truth."I knew something was off about Maddy when she started being friends with you in high school. If Ruth is telling the truth, she should probably know this guy, right?" Lucas asked and I shrugged my shoulders, too speechless to form words.Lucas grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the motel. He opened Jared's room door and we walked in. Once he shut the door, he left my hand and went to his sister who was still tied up. I watched as he knelt before her and showed her my phone's scr
[|]Lucas' POVI watched as Jackie slept soundly on the bed. She had cried herself to sleep and still had tears on her cheeks. Her skin had gone pale and cold from all the exhaustion. It made my heart break as she has gone through a lot all her life. It made me want to do everything possible to erase such memories in exchange for happy ones.I rose from the bed and covered her body up. I kissed her forehead and tucked some of her hair away from her face before leaving the room to the next one which was Jared's. I opened the door and Ruth sat up from the bed with a hiss.She was now clean and wearing some of Jackie's clothes. Her skin still had bruises on them and her hair was now cut short to her neck. I walked closer and stopped in front of her. I stared in silence as guilt ate inside of me. I was a bad brother. I've protected Ruth ever since she was raped yet I didn't believe her one bit all because of one woman. I felt ashamed of myself for not trusting her."Lucas, I—"I wrapped
[|]Jackie's POVLater that afternoon, I was sitting on the bed, thinking about Maddy and how she has always been fake. I began to think about how my life would have been different if I had not met Maddy that day after walking those dogs for money to buy an outfit for Lucas' party. Everything would not have been this way. Those boys would not have assaulted me and no one would have been hurt like we all were. Maybe, Lucas and I would have had a better relationship from the beginning. It was crazy how jealousy and hatred would make someone act.Maddy's actions made everyone feel unsafe and on guard because we did not know what she had done that we were not aware of or what she was about to do. I don't even know the extent she has gone after sending those boys to hurt me. I looked down at my stomach and placed my hand on the small bump. I rubbed it and a smile formed on my face."Some crazy lady is trying to ruin our future, little one. She's trying to go after your father who doesn't
[|]"What?" I asked in a whisper. I could not believe what I had just heard her say. "Yes, Jackie. Maddy found out you were pregnant and home one day, crying and getting angry. She said she's doing everything to separate you two yet you end up having his baby. She knew how a baby brings a couple together and she picked offense. I tried to stop her, I tried to tell her to do everything but harm the child but she didn't care. Besides, if she can abort her baby out of selfishness, she can harm another person's baby."Lucas placed his hand on my shoulder and I rested against his side. My mind was blown by this information. "I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry that I couldn't do anything to not poison you. I was scared because she said she would kill me and you if I don't give you the food containing the pill. At first, I thought the food had only the right dosage but I found out through my husband that it was an overdose. I didn't know it would almost kill you. After I got arrested, Ma
[|]As soon as I walked into Lucas' apartment, I felt strange. The atmosphere of the apartment was so different to me because of the last thing that happened before I left for Redside. I had not been expecting that I would come back to this place after everything that had happened. But now that the truth was out, there was no point in harboring negative emotions or energies that would weaken my mental state. I made my way to the kitchen and ran my fingers over the smooth surface of the counter. I started to remember the times we ate here and cooked food together. It brought a smile to my face and I wanted more memories with him.I heard the door closing behind me and I turned around. Lucas was dragging my luggage and his duffle bag toward the stairs. I smiled at him when he glanced my way. When he climbed the stairs, my phone rang in my purse and I quickly took it out. I frowned when I saw it was a call from Maddy. I hesitated for a few seconds before accepting her call request. I r
[|]I got home and found Axel and Lucas speaking to each other in the kitchen. They turned their heads in my direction and I smiled at them, approaching the kitchen. I stopped beside Axel and hugged him, he has been absent for some days, working with his partner on finding the boys."Hey," I said and went to where Lucas was standing. I smiled at him and took the glass of honey-colored drink. He immediately grabbed it from my hand and I frowned."That's alcohol. You're pregnant and you shouldn't be drinking much," Lucas warned, glaring at me."I didn't know it was alcohol," I said and pouted. "Anyway, I'm hungry.""What do you want?" Axel asked. "I can cook for you. I know my brother is a shitty cook.""You do know I'm learning from watching YouTube, right?" Lucas asked in a defensive tone.I smiled as I watched the two of them before shaking my hand, feeling more hungry."I want noodles with mangoes and watermelon cubes. I was in the hallway when I smelt mangoes and watermelon and I w
[|]Lucas' POVI woke up early the next morning and put some of the leftovers onto a paper plate. I did not bother heating the food up and made my way up the room. I smiled at the sight of Axel sleeping with legs spread out and Jackie sleeping away from him. I walked up to them and dropped the plate on the side table then covered them up properly with the blanket. I leaned over Jackie and kissed her temple before making my way to the closet with the plate. I opened it and scowled at the sight of Ashton Kingston and his friends. They were asleep and I had the perfect way to wake them up. I placed the plate on a section of the closet beside me and kicked Ashton in the stomach. He grunted and groaned in pain, waking up. I went to the other two and kicked them in the stomach. They woke up, groaning in pain."This isn't a five-star hotel, bastards. You don't get to sleep," I said and squatted between all of them. "You don't get to sleep properly as long as you're here.""P-please, Lucas.
[|]Jackie's POVI walked further into the living room and crossed my arms, waiting to hear what Maddy had to say. Her mouth was moving but no words came out as her eyes went from Ruth to me. "By the way, what are you doing here?" I asked and she tensed up."I... I... What are y-you doing here?" She asked back and I rolled my eyes."I came here to get something I left behind," I lied, knowing I had been in Jared's place, waiting for the perfect time to come out. I had heard everything she said about me to Lucas and if I said I was surprised, I would be lying. Maddy could not even wait until maybe I was out of the picture before she went ahead to brainwash Lucas. Like always, if I had not known the truth, I would have reacted differently. Maddy smiled, which did not reach her eyes. She wiped her hands on her denim pants and pointed at Ruth."Y-you... Uh, Ruth. What are you doing here?" She asked."My brother stays here," Ruth retorted.Maddy nodded. "Yeah, I know but aren't you the
[|] The next day, we were back to the hotel we had been in before Maddy captured me. When I woke up, I felt an odd feeling at the thought of Maddy being dead. Even though she ended up betraying me, she had been part of my life and it made me a little sad that she had to end the way she did. I pushed away the feeling and sat up on the bed. I looked at the other side of the bed and smiled at a sleeping Lucas. He was facing the other way, bare-chested. I leaned forward and ran my hand over his smooth chest. He moved his body a little but didn't wake up. I rested my chin on my palm and stared at him. His jawline was covered with very light beards and I pictured him with a full beard. He would look handsome with it and more mature as I imagined him with a trimmed beard. It made me smile as I focused on his hair which was a bit longer. I began to imagine our life together with a child running around the house. I smiled wider at the imagination. "All I want is happiness from here on ou
[|]"Hey."I flinched at the sound of Lucas' voice. I turned away from the floor-length window in the hallway of the hospital and faced him. He was looking stressed out with bags under his eyes, scattered hair, and pale skin. I wouldn't be surprised if I was matching his look."How are you?" I asked, walking up to him. I opened my arms for a hug and he came into it and I wrapped my arms around him. He lowered his height and rested his head on my shoulder."I'm so tired and I'm sure you are too," he said and hugged me back."I'm better now that I know Axel is fine," I said and pulled away from him.Axel had gone into surgery the moment we arrived at the hospital and it's been hours since we arrived. Barry had not left the door of the operating room. I could see how much they loved Axel. "You need to sleep. You are stressed from everything," Lucas said and cupped my face."I'm kinda hungry though," I said with a smile. "I need a nap but I won't do all these until I'm sure that Axel is
[|] The loudness of the gun was ringing in my ears and I could barely hear my heartbeat. I was frozen on top of Maddy as I felt fear move through me. I gulped and wondered why I couldn't feel anything, I was numb. I rolled away from Maddy and looked down at my stomach. There was blood on my shirt but I couldn't feel any wound. It was when I looked at Maddy, that I realized the blood belonged to her and not me. She had a bullet hole in her chest while the gun was slack in her hands. Her eyes were wide as her chest moved up and down quickly. I rose to my feet, holding my stomach out of fear and protecting the baby in me. "Jackie?!" I looked up at the sound of a new voice. I saw Lucas staring at me with fear in his eyes. He ran up to me and cupped my cheeks"Jackie, you're shot," he said. I snapped out of my shocked state and shook my head. "No... Not me," I replied and looked down at Maddy who was laying on the ground, still breathing. Lucas furrowed his eyebrows and slowly fol
[|]Jackie's POVThe moment Lucas had shifted, I was confused because I had been expecting him to fall at the impact of the bullet but I saw someone else; Axel.When I had seen Lucas at first, I felt my heart stop beating, I had felt like I lost it all. I thought I had lost him, I thought I had lost the man I loved but when I saw Axel, I didn't feel any different. Axel was my best friend, a brother I never had. I never had a sibling but it felt like I was losing one when I saw Axel taking the bullet for us. I didn't know if I could have screamed or passed out at the sight of Axel. I had not expected Axel to take the bullet. When I saw Lucas broken at the sight of his brother, I prayed that Axel was alright.The moment I saw Maddy run off, I knew I had to go after her before she escaped. I didn't even think twice and ran after her, picking up the gun she had dropped in the process.When I saw that Maddy had run out through a door in a corner. I pushed the door and looked on each side
[|]Lucas' POVI could not let Jackie die. I would rather die than let the woman who has suffered enough go through death. I just couldn't watch her take that bullet.So, when I saw Maddy pull out her gun, I knew things would not end well. I had thought she would not pull the trigger but I was wrong when I saw her finger push the trigger. Knowing how fast a bullet was, I blocked Jackie to take the bullet with my eyes shut the moment she fired the gun.But when three seconds went by and I did not feel the burning and body-numbing feeling of the bullet, I opened my eyes and felt like my soul left my body when I saw the last person I was expecting in front of me."Axel?!" I screamed at the top of my voice, the same time Jackie said my name.I couldn't feel my body as I watched Axel slump to the floor. Everything around me became dark and I found myself falling to my knees and crawling toward him. He rolled onto his back and my eyes went straight to his bleeding chest. My hands began to s
[|]Jackie's POVIt hurt so bad.It broke my heart to see him sign the contract. It made me angry to see them kiss. It wasn't Lucas' fault, I was not mad at him. I was mad at Maddy. She was so cruel. The worst feeling I felt was helplessness. I couldn't do anything to stop everything as I watched them kiss. I felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest and tossed into a larva. I felt like I could not breathe. It was at that moment I knew that people could die from heartbreak. I just couldn't withstand the sight and thought of losing Lucas to her."Finally," Maddy said and I raised my head.I sniffed and glared at her when she looked at me, smiling wide with the contract pressed against her chest. She giggled and walked up to me."Won't you congratulate me?" She asked, craning her head to the side.I formed some saliva in my mouth and spat on her face. She gasped and closed her eyes at the impact. I smiled at the sight of my spit on her face then chuckled."I already got what I want
[|]Lucas' POVI took out my gun from my duffle bag and checked for bullets. I saw it was fully loaded and fixed the gun between the waistline of my pants and my back. I covered it up with my shirt and grabbed my jacket then turned toward the door. I paused to take deep breaths. I was scared and worried and I was feeling like I was going to go crazy. I was so mad at myself for leaving Jackie alone when I knew Maddy was around. Now, she was with a crazy bitch who was probably going to hurt her. Whatever I had to do, I had to act smart and not put Jackie in danger.I exhaled and opened the door then walked out of the room where I met Barry leaning against the wall across me."Ready to go?" They asked and I nodded."Yes. Have you called the police?" I asked."Remember the Redside police department is on their payroll, I don't think it's going to be something they'll like to hear," Barry said, pushing themselves off the wall."You're right. They won't care about what we say," I said and
[|]"You know, at some point, I started to give up on Lucas since I saw you weren't interested in him. That's where Clark comes in," Maddy said and sat down on a chair the man had brought for her. "I saw him, he was rich, handsome, and a player like Lucas. They had the same issues, family problems and all. I felt like I had Lucas but in a different body."I was too weak to even try to tell her how crazy she was. I saw her type of person in the movies and books. It was so unbelievable I was experiencing such before my very eyes. "As I was saying before this, I found out Lucas was going to our college and I had to forfeit a prestigious university to be close to him. I watched him but with you around, it was so hard. I ended up regretting canceling your scholarship to the college in the UK. I wish I had but I'm only human. When I found out you choose this college as your second choice, I had to keep you close and make sure you got in. I'm sorry for everything you went through but you de
[|]My eyelids hurt so bad that I felt pain when I struggled to open my eyes. When I had them open, the first thing I saw was my lap through slightly blurred vision. I hissed and then moaned when I felt a dull ache on my head. I tried to raise my head but it was difficult, almost as if my neck was stiff with pain. I shut my eyes against another wave of a dull headache then opened them when I heard heavy footsteps."You're finally awake," a gruff masculine voice reached my ears and I groaned out in pain when my hair was yanked back.The pain in my neck and head doubled and I felt dizzy from the movement. I took deep breaths and looked to my side, I saw the same man who had been following me in the supermarket. My eyes widened as fear came over me then I became aware of my surroundings. I was facing a church altar and on my side were rows of wooden benches. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked back at the altar in confusion. I could tell from the stained glass window behind the cross that