Chapter 72 72

Chapter 72 72
Chapter Seventy Two.

Tess_

Ana sat down beside me, her hand still holding mine tightly. “We will,” she said softly, though there was an edge of uncertainty in her voice. “We’ve gotten through everything else together, and we’ll get through this too.”

I nodded, trying to convince myself that she was right. But the fear lingered, smearing at me, reminding me that nothing was certain. 

As I looked at my mom, lying so still and fragile in that hospital bed, I knew that we had no choice but to keep going. To keep fighting, we had to protect her, to protect each other, no matter the cost.

The hours went on as we waited for Damien to return. The hospital room was thick with tension and worry, the silence only broken by the occasional murmur of a nurse checking on my mom or the soft hum of the machines that kept her stable.

Jane had finally stopped crying, though her eyes were still red and puffy. She sat by our mom’s bedside, holding her hand as if she could will her to wake up. Ana had been pacing the room, her worry evident in every step she took.

When Damien finally returned, his expression was grave but serious. “Everything’s set,” he said, his voice low. “We’ll take her to the new facility tonight. The transport is already on its way.”

Jane and Ana both nodded, relief washing over their faces. But I could see the exhaustion in their eyes, the weight of the past few hours taking its toll.

“Thank you, Damien,” I said softly, my voice thick with emotion. I knew how much he had risked by getting involved, how dangerous it was for him to go against Helen like this. But he had done it anyway, and for that, I was grateful.

He gave me a small nod, his eyes softening as he looked at me. “We’ll get through this, baby,” he said quietly. “We’ll protect your mom, and we’ll deal with Helen. You’re not alone in this.” he kept reminding me in case I forget.

His words brought a small measure of comfort, though the fear and guilt still clung to me. I knew that he was right…we weren’t alone. We had each other, and together, we would find a way to get through this nightmare.

The transport arrived shortly after, and the process of moving our mom to the new facility began. The nurses were efficient and quick, carefully transferring her to the waiting ambulance, while Jane, Ana, and I watched anxiously, holding onto one another tightly.

As we followed the ambulance in Damien’s car, the reality of the situation began to sink in. We were uprooting our mom, moving her to a place where she would be safe from Helen, she is so dangerous and ready to hurt me no matter what. It was surreal, terrifying, and overwhelming all at once.

But as I looked at my sister and my best friend, who were both pale and silent in the back seat, I knew that we had no choice.

The drive felt like an eternity, but we finally arrived at the private facility, a secluded and secure place far from the city. The staff there was discreet and professional, quickly getting our mom settled into a private room.

Once everything was in place, the tension that had been winding tighter and tighter inside me finally began to ease. We had done it….we had gotten her to safety.

But even as that relief washed over me, I couldn’t ignore the gnawing fear that this was only the beginning. Helen was still out there, still a threat, and I knew that she wouldn’t stop until she had Damien….no matter who she had to hurt to get him.

As we sat in the quiet of my mom’s new room, the gravity of what we had done began to settle in. We had taken a huge risk, defying a woman who was clearly willing to go to any lengths to get what she wanted.

And as much as I wanted to believe that we could keep my mom safe, a part of me couldn’t help but wonder how long it would be before Helen struck again.

But as I looked at my mom, her chest rising and falling with each breath, I knew that we couldn’t afford to dwell on the fear. 

We had to focus on the here and now on making sure she was safe, on keeping ourselves together. 

Jane and Ana had settled in on either side of the room, their eyes heavy with exhaustion but their bodies still tense with worry. 

Damien sat near the door, his eyes scanning the room as if expecting Helen to burst through at any moment. 

His presence was a strange comfort, a reminder that we weren’t completely alone in this fight. He was here, with us, despite everything.

“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Jane’s voice was small, almost childlike, as she looked up at me from where she sat. 

The sight of our mother in such a fragile state had brought out a vulnerability in her that I hadn’t seen in years.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. “She’s strong, Jane. She’s always been strong. We have to believe that she’ll pull through.”

Jane nodded, but I could see the doubt in her eyes. She was always the one who believed in the worst-case scenarios, the one who worried about every little thing. 

It was both her strength and her weakness, and right now, it was eating away at her.

Ana, on the other hand, was trying to hold it together for all of us. I could see the tension in her jaw, the way her hands trembled slightly as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was scared too, but she was trying to hide it. 

I wished she wouldn’t, I wished she would just let it out, scream or cry or do something. But that wasn’t Ana. She would hold it all in until she couldn’t anymore, and by then, it would be too late.

I crossed the room and sat down beside her, taking her hand in mine. She didn’t pull away, but she didn’t look at me either. We sat in silence for a few moments, the weight of everything pressing down on us.

“I’m scared, Tess,” Ana whispered finally, her voice barely audible. “I’m scared that we’ve made things worse.”

I squeezed her hand gently. “We did what we had to do. We couldn’t leave her there, not after what happened. This was the only way.”