Chapter 147 Prepare for the worst

Chapter 147 Prepare for the worst
Prepare for the Worst 

Rosalie’s POV

The moment his message came through, my whole body went cold.

I read them again and again, hoping I had misunderstood them. But deep down, I already knew exactly what he meant. A sick feeling settled in my chest, and my hands started trembling around my phone.

“Faster,” I said to the driver, my voice shaking with panic. “Please… please, drive faster.”

Without another word, he pressed harder on the accelerator.

I sat frozen in my seat, gripping my phone so tightly my fingers hurt. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst through my chest. I kept whispering the same thing over and over, begging that I wasn’t too late. Begging that Liam was still alive. Begging that I wasn’t about to lose the boy I had loved and raised as if he were my own son.

I reached out with my power, desperately trying to find him. I searched for even the smallest trace of his emotions, anything that could tell me he was still there, still fighting, but I got nothing.

There was only silence.

The bond that had always let me feel him was empty, and that silence terrified me more than any scream ever could. Every passing second felt like another step closer to losing him forever.

The instant the car pulled up outside his building, I didn’t wait for it to stop completely. I shoved the door open and jumped out, nearly stumbling as I hit the pavement before taking off toward the entrance as fast as I could.

My heart hammered against my ribs while every terrible possibility raced through my mind. I was already too late. I could feel it.

The second I stepped inside the building, I caught the smell of smoke.

It was faint, but there was no mistaking it.

Fear gripped me so hard I could barely breathe.

I ran toward the apartment and threw the door open.

My world stopped.

Liam stood in the middle of the room with a golden dagger clutched in his hand. The tip of the blade was already pressed against his chest. His eyes were empty, filled with a hopelessness I had never seen before.

He was seconds away from ending his own life.

My mind went blank.

I didn’t stop to think. Instinct took over.

My vampire power exploded through me, and I moved faster than I ever had before. In the blink of an eye, I was in front of him, ripping the dagger from his hand before he could drive it into his heart. The weapon flew across the room and crashed against the wall.

“What are you doing?” I shouted, grabbing him by the shoulders as tears blurred my vision. My voice cracked under the weight of my fear as I shook him. “Liam… look at me!”

I tightened my grip, desperate to pull him back from the darkness swallowing him.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

He didn’t answer.

His eyes were dull and unfocused, staring straight through me as if he couldn’t even see where he was. It was like his mind had drifted somewhere so dark that nothing from the outside could reach him.
“Liam,” I called again, my voice breaking.

I kept talking to him, refusing to stop. I shook his shoulders gently but firmly, desperate to pull him back. I didn’t care if he hated me for it later. I just needed him to hear my voice. I needed him to remember that he wasn’t alone.

For what felt like forever, there was nothing.

Then, little by little, something changed.

His eyes blinked, and the emptiness faded just enough for recognition to return. He looked at me, confused and exhausted, as if he had just woken from a nightmare.

I let out a shaky breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

“Get him out of here,” I said to the men who had followed me inside, nodding toward Liam. “Take him outside now.”

They didn’t hesitate.

Two of them carefully guided Liam toward the door. He didn’t resist. He walked like someone whose body was moving on its own while his mind was still trapped somewhere else.

Once they were gone, I turned toward the bed.

The sight of Dylan nearly brought me to my knees.

He lay completely still beneath the sheets, his skin frighteningly pale. There wasn’t a single movement from him, not even the slightest twitch. He looked so lifeless that my chest tightened with pain, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

I wanted to break down beside him. I wanted to cry until there were no tears left.

But there wasn’t time.

Right now, Liam needed me just as much.

I forced myself to look away from Dylan and walked back outside, where Liam sat with his head lowered. The fear that had consumed me on the drive over slowly gave way to anger, and the moment I saw him, it all came rushing to the surface.

“Why?” I demanded, stopping in front of him. My voice rose despite my efforts to stay calm. “Why would you do something like this?”

He slowly lifted his head, his eyes red from crying.
“Do you have any idea what this would have done to Dylan?” I asked, tears burning my own eyes. “If he wakes up and finds out you tried to take your own life because of him, he’ll blame himself for the rest of his life. He’ll never forgive you, Liam. Never.”

The words hit him like a physical blow.

His face crumpled, and the little control he had left disappeared. Tears streamed down his cheeks as a broken sob escaped his lips.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered between gasping breaths. “I’m so sorry, Rosalie. I… I couldn’t think anymore. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t imagine living without him.”

My anger disappeared the moment I heard the pain in his voice.

I stepped forward and pulled him into my arms.

For a second, he stayed frozen. Then he completely fell apart, clutching me as sob after sob tore through him. His whole body shook violently, carrying the weight of days of fear, guilt, and helplessness that he had been trying so hard to hide.

I held him tighter, rubbing his back as he cried against my shoulder. My own tears fell silently because, in that moment, there were no words strong enough to carry the pain we were both feeling.

We ended up sitting together in the back of the van. Neither of us spoke for a long time. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was heavy, filled with too many thoughts and too much pain for either of us to put into words.

As I sat beside him, my mind wandered back to the day I first met him. He had been so small then, standing in the middle of the ruins his life had become after losing both of his parents. He’d been terrified, heartbroken, and completely alone. Yet somehow, even through all that grief, there had been a quiet strength in him that refused to disappear.

I had watched him grow from that frightened little boy into the man sitting beside me now. He had survived things that would have destroyed most people, and every single time, he had found a way to keep going.

I reached over and gently brushed my fingers through his hair, just like I used to when he was younger.

“You’ve survived so much before,” I said softly. “I know everything feels impossible right now, but you’re stronger than you think. That same strength is still inside you, Liam. It never left.”

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he slowly leaned against me, resting his head on my shoulder. His breathing was still uneven, but little by little, it began to settle. The panic that had consumed him moments ago slowly loosened its grip, leaving behind nothing but exhaustion and grief.

We stayed like that for several minutes before I finally looked toward the others.

“Move him into one of the cars,” I told them quietly. “We’ll bring Dylan in the van behind us.”

They nodded without a word.

Everyone handled Dylan with the greatest care, lifting him gently onto a stretcher before carrying him into the waiting van. Watching them do it made my chest tighten. He looked as though he were only asleep, but the stillness surrounding him was impossible to ignore.

Once everything was ready, we started to drive home.

I couldn’t stop looking over at Liam through the gap between the vehicles. Even from a distance, I could see how badly he was struggling. He couldn’t sit still for more than a few seconds. Every few minutes, his hand drifted to his mouth, and he began chewing on his nails.

I hadn’t seen him do that since he was a little boy.

He used to bite his nails whenever he was scared or overwhelmed. As he grew older, he’d eventually broken the habit. Seeing him do it again told me just how shattered he really was.

His lips kept moving too.

He whispered to himself so quietly that I couldn’t make out the words. Maybe he was talking to Dylan. Or maybe he was simply trying to convince himself that none of this was real.

Every few seconds, he looked at the van carrying Dylan.

He stared at it without blinking, as though he believed that if he watched long enough, the doors would suddenly open, Dylan would sit up, smile, and tell us it had all been a terrible mistake.

My heart broke every time I caught him looking.

Hope can be a cruel thing. Even when the truth is standing right in front of you, a part of your heart keeps searching for a miracle, refusing to let go of the person it loves. Liam was holding onto that tiny piece of hope with everything he had, even as the world around him kept telling him to prepare for the worst.