Chapter 63: Chapter Sixty-three

I would always look back to this day. The day everything was brought into the light. Where there were no more secrets to hide. Raw emotions out in the open. However, I hope nothing like that will ever happen again. I’m too tired for this bullshit.

“Chad, what are you doing here?!”

“To get my mother’s sanity back, that’s what!” He yelled and pointed a finger at Rebecca. “Mother, you don’t know what you’re doing! This isn’t what you want at all! You said this is for our family’s sake but the way I see it, you’re just trying to hurt people for whatever bullshit that got inside your head!”

Shocked at her son’s words, Rebecca cried out as she held a hand over her heart as if her words were meaningful. “Chad! Please don’t make me order them to knock you out again. Seeing you hurt a while ago made my heart ache so don’t make me do it again, my boy.”

Not paying any heed to his mother’s words, Chad took a step forward and gestured to me. “Let her go, Mother. Let her go and come back home. You could always start a new life with me and Dad. Don’t go this way. It’s not too late— ”

“It is, Chad.” Rebecca sighed, a hurt expression on her face. “It’s my fault you were bewitched by this woman. I shouldn’t have asked you to flirt with her. I thought we were just stealing their money, I didn’t expect you to fall in love with her. I failed you as a mother— I’m just correcting my mistakes now. If I kill her, we could go back to the way it was! We could bring down the empires and rise above them ourselves!”

“Are you hearing yourself Mother?!” Chad argued. “The police are coming. It’s over for you if they catch you. Please… just let this go and we could walk away from this all. Father is coming home in a while; you don’t want to keep him waiting do you? So please, release Rachel— ”

“No!” Rebecca shrieked, yanking my hair which made me cry out. “Be a good boy and go home. Wait for me to come back unless you want to help me dispose of her body.”

Eyes wide, I began to search for anything I could use to free myself but in this situation, I couldn’t think clearly. Not only that, my skin exposed to the cold and snow was making the tears flow continuously. It was searing and I would do anything to end it.

“C-Chad… save me.”

His blue eyes snapped from his mom to me, concern and panic in those eyes. “Don’t worry, Rachel. I’ll get you out of this— ”

“No one’s leaving!” She screamed, pointing the gun back to me head. My face up in the air, making it impossible for me to see Chad. “Move a single inch and I’ll fucking pop her brains out! I swear to God I’ll kill her!”

Looking up at the gray sky, snow peacefully fell to the ground. Some even landed on my face and eyelashes. It seemed like the whole world didn’t care that I was going to die today, that it would continue to turn even if I die. And that is true, the world does continue on even if someone dies. It just stops for those who passed away. And right now… I think I’ll be the next one.

Words thrown by Rebecca to Chad were all a blur as I just stared up at the sky. Then, I blinked rapidly when I saw a familiar face smiling at me.

Dad… is it nice up there? I miss you. You’re so far away… well, at least you’re not suffering anymore.

“Choose, Chad! Go home or stop me and I’ll kill her!”

Dad. You were right all along. The Montgomerys… they’re not to be trusted.

“Mother, you can’t do this. Don’t make me fucking choose! This is not right at all!”

Maybe… maybe if we listened to you, you would still be alive right now. I should’ve listened and warned Mom about them. We have been fooled and played by these tricksters. Dad, I’m sorry…

“Rachel, move out of the way!”

The sound of a gunshot came to my senses too late and the next thing I knew, I was pushed aside. Colliding with the ground hard that made me snap out of my spiraling thoughts. Snow greeted my sight and blood. Eyes wide at the red liquid, I shot up straight when Chad grabbed me by the shoulders.

We began to run.

Looking back, I found Rebecca lying on the ground, holding her shoulder where blood continued to ooze out. Eyes wide in shock, I turned to the man who shot her. Chad was holding a gun tightly on his other hand, keeping it close to him.

Where… where did he get that? How could he shoot his own mother? What the hell is happening?

“Rachel!” he panted. I looked up to see a wounded expression on his face, although one would only notice it if they know Chad very well. “Listen to me; you need to get out of here. My mother won’t stop at nothing to make you and your family pay. The police are coming so don’t worry— ”

“Why are you doing this?”

Chad glanced back at me with a confused expression before returning his gaze on the path we were running on. “What? What are you trying— of course I’d help you! I don’t want you to be another one of her victims and I care about you, Rachel! Why are you being like this? Fuck. It doesn’t matter, just please head to safety.” He then looked back. “Those idiots are catching up to us.”

And he was right. The moment he said that they were racing to catch us, gunshots were fired that I screamed in terror. My body reacted to it immediately, freezing in fright and crouched down. However, Chad continued to pull me with him as we continued to dodge the bullets that miraculously hit the ground and not us.

“Rachel, please just listen to me! I’m sorry if I fooled you but my feelings for you would never change.” Chad pants. “I’m sorry about my mother and her insane ways. I promise I’ll make it up to you— ”

“Are you seriously doing this now?!” I screamed at him, eyebrows furrowed deeply. “R-right here when we’re about to get killed by your own mother and w-where I’m freezing the hell out!”

He blinked a few times before nodding. “Okay. Yeah, we should get to safety first. Get you inside the— ”

“Chad!”

Hearing his mother roar in anger, we quickened our pace and just before we were about to enter the building, another bullet was fired. I was pushed hard to the ground, almost making me eat dirt and snow. A groan from my side made me sit up straight but what horrified me was the sight of Chad lying on the ground with a pained expression on his face. His hand holding his side.

He was shot and blood started to seep out. Groans of pain and hissing escaped his lips as he held his hand on the wound as an effort to stop it from bleeding.

“C-Chad!” Falling to his side, I began to panic and look for a way for his bleeding to stop. “Chad… you’re… oh god.”

What should I do? There’s no first aid kit and there are no paramedics— is he even allowed to move?

“R-Rachel… go ahead.” he croaked. “You must leave. I’ll… be fine. Escape without me.”

“No, I can’t do that.” Seeing that his mother and her men were about to arrive, I didn’t hesitate to hoist him up. His arm around my shoulder while I had him lean on me. “Don’t worry. We’ll get out of here alive like we did last time.”

There was no time to say anything. In fact, one wrong move we’d die here together. I don’t want that to happen, despite what his mother has done to my family. Despite that he tried to deceive me back then. Chad may be guilty of trying to fool me. But he isn’t guilty for the mistakes his mother has made. The way I see it, he’s just another victim of hers.

We’re all just victims of this silly game. Now, we shall put an end to this.

Another groan from Chad made me wince. “T-try to hold on, Chad. We need to get inside.” I was aware of the fact that his wound might open and spill more blood out, but it was better than staying out in the cold where we’d freeze due to the cold and die because of blood lost. A pathetic way to die. And I have no plans of dying, not when the woman who has something to do with the death of my father is here in front of me.

“Rach… just leave me.”

“No! You said that the police are coming, right? Let’s hold on until they arrive, they have to!”

Once we were inside the building, I let out a sigh in relief. However, we were still hurt and Chad’s insane mother is still out there. Rubbing my forehead, I began to search for any weapon or any spot where we could hide.

Come on, Rachel! Think—

“Chad? Rachel?”

Eyes wide, I crouched down and signaled for Chad to keep quiet. Holding in the pain, he nodded.

Rebecca’s chuckle echoed around the building. “There’s no use hiding from me. Chad, you were shot right? Come on, let’s go home and get that wound treated. Protecting that girl will cost you your life. Let’s go, my boy.”

When Chad and I refused to answer, she laughed again. “No reply? I should’ve seen this coming. I shouldn’t have allowed you to seduce that woman. I didn’t expect you to fall for her like you did back then. Your ex-fiancé?” At the mention of his past lover, Chad’s eyes opened and frowned.

“Did it ever cross your mind that the reason why she cut off ties with you is because she realized that she isn’t good enough?” Rebecca went on. “She knew she was never going to fit in. She realized that the moment I told her to fuck off and cancel the engagement. I was quite happy that day, since I would be able to use you— then this woman arrived! What makes her better than the last, huh? Tell me Chad, is this woman really worth your life?!”

“Fuck… so she’s the one who sabotaged my relationship back then?” Chad shook his head with a bitter smile. “All this time I thought she didn’t love me anymore. Fuck, I should’ve known better…”

Turning to the blond man, I bit my lip as I caressed his hair. “Chad…” I whispered. “What are we going to do? We have to get out but in your condition, moving around isn’t the right answer.”

“I’ll be fine, Rachel— ”

“Time’s up!” Gunshots rang in my ears as I tried to block out the terrifying sounds as Rebecca aimed her gun around, the bullets hitting any surface. “If you two won’t come out then I should just make you do so! Pray that a bullet won’t hit your head!” She laughed maniacally over the gunshots like it was straight out of a thriller movie.

“Chad…”

“Hide, Rachel.”

The next thing I knew, Chad’s arms were around me and when I looked up, I was greeted by a crazed look from Rebecca. She was aiming her gun at us with a huge grin on her face.

“I found you!”

Chad aimed his gun at her and pulled the trigger. Both of them did.

The whole world went slow at that moment, a mother and her son facing each other. Rebecca had a surprised look while Chad still looked in pain. Rebecca backed away in shock, glancing down at her stomach that was oozing with blood.

“C-Chad…” she whispered and then dropped down on the floor. Just when the two minions of Rebecca came out, about to finish what their boss was about to do, doors burst open. The police then surrounded us, aiming their guns at the two.

“Put your hands up where I can see them!”

Whether it was out of relief, shock, fear or tiredness, I found myself lying on the floor. Just staring at Chad’s unconscious form right beside me. Reminding me of the time where Harvey was kidnapped and where he saved me.

“Chad… thank you.”