Chapter 122: Harmed Her

Chapter 122: Harmed Her
Nelly sat on what looked like a bench just outside the clubhouse. Jack managed to get Zalen to the dungeon right before the man escaped. The murderer was now locked up in their basement. It made her feel uneasy.
Fights, which were basically a norm, had been frequent these days. Her shoulders hunched and she stared into the distance, watching the sunset mindlessly as another life hung on the line and she couldn’t do anything.
Chad, who was supposed to be the most reliable person in times of crisis as such, was nowhere to be seen. Zalen didn’t specify where Chad went. She automatically concluded that he was handling something more important elsewhere.
She knew he had his responsibilities and all, but seeing Stacy left alone to fight for her life, she felt sad. If she were Stacy, she would hope that her man was beside her all along. Maybe it was just her. Stacy’s tough. Still, Chad should’ve been there. She secretly prayed in her heart that Chad would be back soon.
Her head still reeled from the stress in the operation room. She wanted to scream, to cry and to simply shake her and call out to her, asking her to come back. But she couldn’t. She’s the only one who could save her at the moment. That was why she had to stay rational. Seeing how Will easily did all of those she couldn’t afford to do fueled her anger in the time of crisis. Her outburst shocked herself. She had never been so angry. It was also the first time she openly showed that intensity of anger.
Her only relief was that Neil and Jack were safe. They were safe this time round, but what about the next fight, and the fight after that? They were endless. She used to persuade herself that everything would be fine and it was an occasional thing. However, after current events, she knew she was simply deceiving herself.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She realized that she had walked into a world of utmost chaos, and she couldn’t see the end to it.
A jacket draped over her shoulders and someone settled beside her. She didn’t have to look to know who it was. She could feel him. It was the familiar sense of security.
Slowly, she opened her eyes to take in the concerned look on Jack’s face.
“Jack,” she said, surprised by how steady her voice was. She knew something was wrong when Jack’s brows furrowed. “Yes?” He responded, keeping eye contact all along. He waited patiently for her to start talking.
There was a very long pause before she finally spoke. “I harmed Stacy,” her voice came out in a whisper. “No, you didn’t. The man in the dungeon did,” he corrected her immediately but she shook her head. “I’m the one operating on her. I caused equal harm, if not more.”
Jack’s frown deepened. “Don’t blame yourself, Nelly. You did your best. You tried your best to save her. You did all you could.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said, “she came to me before it happened.”
Jack watched her attentively, giving her room to speak.
“She came to me and made sure that I was safe before she met that psycho,” her mouth parted in a smile but her brows furrowed in desperation. Her nose soured and she heard her voice shake at the end of the sentence.
“She took care of me despite everything. She was worried that I wouldn’t be able to take care of myself. She looked after me but I couldn’t do anything to save her,” tears started to flow uncontrollably. “I failed her. I failed her, Jack. She must be really disappointed. She did so much for me but I failed her.”
Jack draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a comforting embrace. His heart throbbed as he watched her.
“She would want you to live on because she cares for you, because you are her friend, not because she wanted you to save her. I believe she would agree with me. You tried your best. That’s all you could do as a human,” he said as he patted her back while she sobbed. She finally broke down after all of the immensely stressful operations she did. He felt pained, watching her suffer, but could do nothing to take the pain away. She was so naive and bright when he first met her. Seeing her transformation gave him a heartache.
Someone was at the other side of the wall. He leaned against the wall with his head tilted up and his eyes closed. His heart ached as he listened to the conversation.
‘Stacy.. I know I’ve wronged you, but how could you bear to let this old man send you off?’ Hank thought. The more he thought, the angrier he got. Both his hands balled into fists. It had been a long time since he had felt so angry.
All he could see was red. He was going to make them pay, whoever harmed his daughter. Fueled by his anger, he moved to the entry of the dungeon.
His mind went back to the time when she came to ask him for help to recover her memory. Would it be better if he had helped her back then? Would it change her fate? His frown deepened as he marched forward.
Men parted to make way for him to pass through, afraid of the killing aura he emitted. He didn’t notice. He didn’t care. His mind was fixated on his daughter and the son of a bitch who dared to harm her.
‘She must feel so helpless,’ he had thought as he marched through the corridors, imagining how Stacy did the same just hours ago. He was simply tracing her path.
When he reached the dungeon entry, his eyes darkened.
He would not hesitate to kill anyone who had touched a hair on his daughter.