“I’m so sorry, Melodi. He forced me.” She whimpers as she swipes the tears off her face.
“I don’t care! How could you do this to me…to your brother…to your family?” I seethe at her.
“Shut up, you stupid girl! She would do anything for me. You’re nothing to her but a gold digger.” Jacob’s hand connects with my face, making my cheek sting. My hand instantly clutches it.
I look behind him and see Abby. I can hardly recognise her with her face bloody and hair matted with blood. What has he done to her?
“Abby, are you all right?”
She merely nods.
“So now everyone is here, we can let the party begin,” Jacob announces before his foot forcefully stomps on my leg. I scream out in agony. “You see, Melodi, I knew your sister wouldn’t break, but she has a weakness…you.” He gets right up in my face and smiles before his fist lashes out and connects with my cheek. I let out another cry as it feels like a hammer has connected with my face.
“Stop!” Abby screams.
Jacob just laughs like a hyena and grabs my hair, reefing me across the room with everything he has. I bring my knees to my chest in the hope to cover any blows he might make to my stomach. I need to protect my babies at any cost.
“You ruined my life! Now I’m going to destroy yours one step at a time then take my daughter and leave.”
“She isn’t yours, you stupid man!” Abby screams back.
Jacob’s face becomes hard, his eyes blaze with so much anger and hate. He turns away from me, heading toward Abby. He takes his gun out and points it directly at her chest.
“You slut, whose is she? She will suffer now, just like her mom and aunt.” He releases a guns, adjusting his aim for Abby’s leg and she screams out in agony as the gun goes off. My stomach drops as the tears begin to fall.
“No!” I cry. No…I just got my sister back and now I’m about to lose her again. He stalks back to me with the gun raised. I cower away in the corner, wishing the wall would swallow me and keep me safe from this monster. As I hear his weapon click, I close my eyes wishing with all my might to disappear. The shot never goes off. I open my eyes and see Athena climbing over Jacob. She’s thrown herself at him, her fingers digging deep into his eyes. I scurry toward Abby to check on her. Her body is crumpled over as if the spirit has left her body.
“Abby, no! Please don’t leave me again. I need you here,” I cry. The tears won’t stop flowing. I check her pulse and feel it, it’s still strong. I look around for my phone to try to call 911. I notice my bag by the door so I crawl over and tip the contents onto the floor. I dial and within seconds, they have people on their way. As soon as I hang up, a gunshot rings out within the apartment. I see Athena’s body slump to the floor. Oh no! My heart breaks for her. I should be angry with her, but she’s young and silly and fell for the wrong man just like my sister did.
“Jacob, please, stop,” I beg with everything I can muster.
“No! My life has been hell and it’s all because of her.” His finger stabs toward Abby. As much as I want to hate the man, and I do to an extent, he must have lived a crap hole of a life for him to turn out this way.
“What’s hurting us going to achieve?”
He looks at me, his eyes boring into my soul. “I want you and her to suffer like I did. I loved Abby with everything I had in me. I know I wasn’t the perfect man, but I didn’t know any better and she couldn’t even give me a chance.”
Seriously, how is he making me feel sorry for him?
I need to keep calm and try talk him down. His gun still in his hand makes me nervous.
“I know, but really making her suffer like this isn’t the way.”
“What do you know!” he cries out. He rubs his face with his free hand and I move closer to Abby very slowly. “Stop moving towards her! She can die for real for all I care. She made me out to be a murderer and my life went to hell!”
I have no words. He paces in front of me, the gun waving around, and his anger becoming worse by the second. I keep trying to calm him down. I hear Abby groan as she begins to come to and I start to lose him to his anger again. He stalks over to Abby pointing his gun at her again.
“You know, I always loved you. You were everything to me and you left me. I’ve waited and waited for you to show up again. I knew you weren’t dead and it looked like I was the only one who knew that until your little boyfriend showed up in New York. Low and behold, who should show up once I put the pressure on your sister? I just had to wait for the right time.” I struggle to my feet and run at him, shoving him away from Abby. He stumbles and as he does the front door bursts open. I hear three gun shots ring out, so I instantly drop to the ground, screaming and shielding myself.
Chapter Thirty
Abby
I hear an agonising cry out in pain. I don’t know who it was, but there was more than one scream.
Melodi…
Where is she? Was it her?
I try to open my swollen puffy eyes, attempting to get up and get to her, wherever she is. I see Blake standing there with his gun pointed directly at Jacob, who’s now lying on the floor.
“Corban… No! Wake up, please!” Melodi’s scream chills my entire body.
No…
One thing I never wanted to happen has happened. Is he…dead?
“Abby, Abby! Are you okay?” Blake rushes over to me, wrapping me in his arms and instantly safety engulfs me. One place I’ve always felt safe is in his arms as, nothing hurts me here.
“Corban?” I glance over to where Melodi is sitting on the floor with Corban’s head in her lap. His shirt is blood soaked and the emergency services are working on him, lifting him onto a stretcher. My heart aches for Melodi. This is all my fault and I take full responsibility. Reluctantly, I release my hold on Blake. Very slowly, I make my way over to Melodi, but with a bullet in my leg it’s very hard. She looks up at me with her tear stained face and I break. The sturdy wall I’d built up shatters into a million pieces. I collapse down beside her, wrapping her in my arms, tears pouring down our faces.
“Abby…” she sobs. “He can’t die. I need him.”
Clutching her tighter to me as everything breaks apart for her. I’m here and I won’t be going anywhere. We’ll see this through together. Corban is a fighter; I know he’ll pull through.
Looking past Melodi, I see Jacob’s body limp on the ground with a pool of blood surrounding him. Seeing him, I have a sense of relief that it’s finally over and that I can move on with my life, and not have to live in hiding anymore. Emergency Services rush over to Melodi and me. Blake has stepped back and let them in, to care for us.
“Please, go to her first, she’s pregnant,” I demand to the medic who looks at me, then at my leg.
“Just let me wrap this up tightly. It’s a through and through so it will be a quick clean up, then I will go to your friend.”
“She’s my sister! I said go to her first,” I cry out at the man.
“Okay, there’ll be another medic coming soon to look at you, though.”
I nod, accepting his answer. What I’m feeling is nothing compared to what Corban or Melodi are feeling.
“Oh, my goodness, Katie!” I struggle to get up from the ground. I need her in my arms now.
Blake stops me getting up and brings Katie forward, and she rushes into my arms. Emotion pulses through me and I break down once again. I have my family here and now I’m wracked with guilt that Corban was shot and Melodi could possibly lose her babies.
What have I done?
Chapter Thirty-One
Melodi
Three Days Later