Chapter 151

Third Person POV.

Marlene's laughter echoed through the restaurant, bouncing off the walls as the tense standoff unfolded. She stood there, a wild glint in her eyes, surrounded by police officers with guns trained on her. Despite the gravity of the situation, she couldn't contain her excitement. This was her moment of triumph, and she was enjoying it in every way without caring about the fact that she was about to get arrested and possibly jailed for the rest of her life.

As the cops pointed their weapons at her, Marlene's mind raced back to how things had come to this point and how she had ended up this lucky. It had all started with a simple plan: walk into the restaurant, shoot Amber since Mary was being too slow, and once that was over, she'd be done with her hatred for Amber and her desire to see Amber suffer.

But, as fate would have it, her mind changed as soon as she walked into the restaurant and saw what was about to unfold.

When Marlene first entered the restaurant, she walked in with knowledge of Amber's trap and knew that her mother was oblivious to the danger she was in.

Marlene had been ready to end Amber's life then and there, despite knowing that she wasn't going to get out of here without getting caught. She didn't care. She had walked in, ready to shoot anyone who got in her way of getting to Amber, but everything changed when Richard's voice cut through the air.

"Amber! Get down!"

Hearing his voice distracted Marlene from her goal, and in a moment of clarity, Marlene realized that killing Amber wasn't enough—there was a much more fun option that she had foolishly missed until now. It dawned on her that she needed to hit Amber where it would hurt the most, and that meant targeting Richard, whom Marlene knew was the most important person to Amber.

He was the one Amber loved, the one Amber would do anything to protect, and now he was the one she needed to get rid of in place of Amber.

Without hesitation, Marlene shifted her focus towards Richard. The first shot at him went wide, hitting his arm instead of his heart like she intended. But the second shot found its mark, piercing his chest. To her utmost delight, Richard crumpled to the ground, and she could see the look of shock on his face despite the distance between them.

Before Marlene could fire another shot, the restaurant was flooded with police officers. She dropped her weapon, her laughter ringing out in the chaos. She had achieved her goal. Richard was down, and Amber's world was shattered.

Across the room, Amber's face was a mask of horror and disbelief. When she initially heard the gunshot, she had expected to see herself bleeding to death as the victim, but when her eyes met Richard's body lying in his pool of blood from across the room, her entire world came crashing down.

With a heavy heart, she dragged herself across the cold tile floor, her movements slow and unsteady. The distant voices of the police and the frantic activity around her faded into the background as she focused all her attention on reaching Richard.

Neither Marlene nor Mary, whom she could hear getting dragged away, mattered to her at the moment. She could only see Richard, and the sight of his condition broke her into a million pieces.

Each inch felt like a mile as she crawled, her limbs trembling with exhaustion and fear. Her entire being was consumed by the overwhelming need to be by his side and to know that he was okay and that he was still with her.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she reached him. With trembling hands, she reached out to touch him, to feel the warmth of his skin beneath her fingertips. But all she found was cold, seemingly lifeless flesh. Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized the extent of his injuries. The blood continued to flow, staining the floor underneath him, and the sight of it made Amber's heart drop even lower.

"Richard," she whispered hoarsely, her voice barely above a whisper. "Please wake up. You can't leave me like this. You promised..."

Her words dissolved into sobs as she clung to him desperately, her tears mingling with the blood that soaked his shirt. She begged him to open his eyes, to smile at her, and to tell her he was going to be okay, but there was no response. Richard was lying in front of her, silent and still, and his features paled.

While she was begging for him to open his eyes, the sound of approaching sirens pierced the air; the wail of the ambulance grew louder and louder. Detective Garcia appeared at her side, his expression a mix of concern and guilt.

"I know this is hard, Mrs. Romero, but you need to let go of him now," he said. "The paramedics are here, and they'll take it from here."

With a heavy heart, Amber allowed herself to be pulled away from Richard's side as the paramedics rushed in. She watched helplessly as they carefully lifted him onto a stretcher, her tears not stopping.

As they prepared to transport him to the waiting ambulance, Amber felt a surge of panic grip her heart. She couldn't bear the thought of Richard slipping away from her, of losing him forever. With tears streaming down her face, she followed closely behind them, with Detective Garcia following beside her to keep her from falling.

As Amber walked out of the restaurant and was about to climb into the ambulance with Richard, she was met with a sight that made her blood boil. In front of her, being escorted by a police officer, was Marlene.

Marlene had a smirk on her face that sent a chill down Amber's spine, and her eyes gleamed with malicious triumph as she met Amber's gaze. It was a look of pure, unadulterated hatred and pride.

With a toss of her head, Marlene stuck out her tongue at Amber, attempting to rub salt on Amber's wounds. As she was pushed towards the waiting police car, she mouthed the words that caused Amber to clench her fists so hard that she ended up cutting through flesh with her own nails.

"I won."

***

Elena's heart raced as she burst through the hospital doors, her mind filled with worry. The thought of Richard lying in a hospital bed, fighting for his life, filled her with a dread that threatened to overwhelm her. No matter how hard she tried to push away the worst-case scenarios, they continued to haunt her thoughts, and for the first time in a very long time, she had to admit that she was scared.

As she approached the operating room, Elena's steps faltered a bit, but she steadied herself. When she arrived, she'd found Amber and Bianca huddled together in front of the OR. Bianca's eyes were red and swollen with tears, and her arms were wrapped tightly around Amber as if she were trying to shield her from the pain. And Amber sat there, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

Elena's fists clenched at her sides. She couldn't stand the sight of Amber; she couldn't bear to see her sitting there, crying as if she had any right to feel pain. In Elena's eyes, Amber was the one to blame for Richard's condition, because if it weren't for Amber and her crazy sister, this would have never happened.

But despite her overwhelming anger, Elena forced herself to remain calm. She couldn't afford to lose control, not when Richard's life was at stake, and swallowing her anger, she called out Bianca's name.

NBianca turned at the sound of Elena's voice, her tear-streaked face lighting up with relief. She released Amber from her grasp and rushed over to Elena, tears welling in her eyes.

"How long has he been in there? Any news yet?" Elena asked.

Bianca sighed. "It's been over an hour," she replied, her voice trembling. "But there's still no news yet."

Elena's chest tightened. "Do you know how bad it is?" she asked.

Bianca hesitated for a moment before responding. "According to Amber, he was shot twice," she said. "Once in the arm, and once in the chest, and it's very critical, according to the doctor."

The words hit Elena like a punch to the gut, knocking the breath from her lungs. Twice. Richard had been shot twice. The severity of his injuries was worse than she had thought, and that realization sent a wave of despair over her.

"Bianca," Elena stated, stopping herself from sounding shaky. "What was Richard doing at that restaurant? What exactly happened?"

Amber, who had been listening quietly, shook with silent sobs as she struggled to compose herself. "It's my fault, Elena," she whispered hoarsely. "Richard was at that restaurant because of me. He wanted to protect me, and because of me,"

"You knew the risks, didn't you?" Elena hissed. "You knew Marlene was free and that your mother could have been meeting with her, and yet you still went ahead with that meeting instead of using your common sense."

Amber flinched at Elena's words, her tears flowing even more freely now. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

Elena couldn't stand the sight of Amber sitting there crying as if she were the victim in all of this. In Elena's eyes, Amber was nothing more than a selfish, reckless woman who had put her brother's life in danger.

"Amber, you better pray to God that nothing happens to my brother, or I swear..." Elena hissed. "I won't take it lightly with you."