Chapter 59 They wanted Me

Chapter 59 They wanted Me
Melissa’s POV
I heard voices coming from a distance, but every word was muffled and heavy. My head spun for a few seconds, and I could barely make sense of anything happening around me.
My hand flew to my head as I tried to pull myself up and get on my feet, but then I felt a pair of hands pull me into what felt like a hug.
“Hey, baby.” That familiar voice called out, and that was when I realized it was my mother, Rose.
She just burst into tears, patting my back softly. “I thought I had lost you,” she cried, her hand scrubbing my back gently while I tried my hardest to force my eyes open.
To my surprise, I saw nurses standing around me, trying to push some kind of injection into my drip. That was when it finally dawned on me—I was out. I had actually left that hell of a hole.
“Where’s Jason?” I asked. My voice was soft and slow as I gently detached myself from my mother's grip.
“Baby, calm down…”
“Don’t tell me to calm down, Mom! Where the fuck is Jas—”
“Baby, you are unstable right now. Jason is—”
“I’m right here, Mel.” He answered for her. I couldn’t help but settle down the moment I saw him standing by the exit. He had a bandage wrapped around his head and another on his hand, with blood stains still spotting his clothes.
“You can get some rest now,” he said, a small smile on his face. I didn't want to listen to any of them. All I wanted was to get up and hug him tight, but it was too late for that. The medicine was already kicking in, and I couldn't feel my own body anymore.
Everything got blurry in the heat of the moment, and sleep just consumed me.

“Are you even listening to yourself?”
A masculine voice thundered through the room, loud and clear. It yanked me right back to reality.
My ears sharpened as I tried to sit upright as fast as I could. My back was aching—it felt like I had been out for hours. Every part of my body hurt, a constant reminder of the beating I’d taken from those hoodlums.
“You just risked her life, Jason! You are not fit to talk to her. You—”
“Can you all just cut the crap?” Mr. Gabriel walked in. His eyes were fixed on me as I sat there trying to process why the twin brothers were having yet another round of arguments.
Then I heard it—the sound of a slap. It echoed across the room and sent shivers straight down my spine. It was Jason. He had just been slapped again.
“You took your sister outside and risked her life?” Gabriel spoke cautiously, keeping his voice low but dangerous. “Do you have any idea of the gravity of what you’ve done?”
“And you think you are in the right position to chastise me? A murderer and a criminal like you is correcting me? Telling me what to do?” Jason flinched after he said it, and I swallowed hard from the hospital bed.
For a moment, my head felt fuzzy again. A knot tied itself in my stomach, and a sharp headache struck me, leaving me feeling completely weak.
Jordan stepped forward. “From now on, I’ll protect Melissa. Just step away. You've already shown you aren't capable of taking care of her.”
Jason scoffed. His ear was turning bright red, and so was his face, thanks to the slap he’d taken from his father.
“And you think just because this happened, I’m going to give her up?” Jason snapped. I just blinked, over and over, unable to find a single word to say.
“Have you guys lost it? This is a public space,” Mr. Gabriel seethed. But Jason didn't seem to care about the location. He was completely mad, and I could see it in his eyes.
“Do you even know the gravity of what you did, Jason? You just risked the life of your stepsister, and you placed my entire reputation on the line as well as the whole family. You know perfectly well that I’m running for the next president of this country!”
“It’s not my fucking business! Did you get that?” Jason yelled back. And just like that, the quiet was gone as the whole place began to fill up with reporters.
One of the guards rushed in, leaning down to whisper something into Mr. Gabriel’s ear before finally speaking up. “We need to leave here right now. A lot of reporters are on their way here.”
“We’ll sort this when we get home,” Gabriel said, letting out a heavy sigh as if he were physically swallowing the rest of his anger. I could tell by the look on his face that he had a lot more to say, but he was forcing himself to keep quiet for the moment.
“The cars?” my mother asked. She was still holding my hand tight, her eyes fixed on the guard.
“They are right at the back door,” the guard replied, gesturing toward the exit.
For the first time in my life, I realized that my life wasn't really my own anymore. I never imagined I’d see a day where everything I did had to be kept private and hidden away. This was the life my mom had chosen for me.
It was all starting to make sense now. I finally understood why Jordan and Jason had kept their identities a secret at school. It was why they never acted like the "hockey brothers" in public and stayed such total strangers.
We all piled into the car and started the engine. Nobody said a single word; it was completely silent as we pulled away.
“From now on…” Mr. Gabriel finally broke the silence. His hands were gripped firmly on the wheel. He had decided to drive himself, figuring it was the only way we could all stay together in one vehicle while the guards followed in front and behind us.
“You all will be going to school with the security guard. For no reason must you step out of the school premises. If you are caught, I’ll make sure I process your visa, and you’ll be sent to India to finish the rest of your schooling,” Mr. Gabriel said. Everyone stayed quiet, letting his words hang in the air.
Just then, something went wrong. The car felt different. At first, I thought I was just seeing things, until I realized Mr. Gabriel was actually struggling with the floor pedals.
“What the heck? The brakes—they’re not working?”
“Again?! Are we going to die?” I yelled, panic hitting me full force as the car started gaining speed along the wet road, heading straight for what looked like destruction.