Chapter 105: Don't Leave Me

Chapter 105: Don't Leave Me
Cattleya’s POV

I ducked down to cover my head. Looking around, I saw everyone had gone wild, fighting for survival as if their lives depended on it. Terror gripped me as I watched my husband battling fiercely, risking his own life.

"J--Jaxon!" 

He indeed chose me, and now he had to fight all those people trying to kill him. Within minutes, Vlad and his men arrived to help Jaxon in the battle.

My eyes widened as I saw Vlad grab one of them and viciously crack their neck, and then a cruel smile graced his lips. He continued in this manner, dispatching each of them with chilling efficiency.

I stepped back, searching for an exit, only to realize I had forgotten something. When I turned around, I saw Elise standing behind me, her eyes wide with shock.

She hissed, "Don't you dare.." 

I scoffed, then walked towards her, grabbing her hand tightly and dragging her towards me. 

She struggled against me, but even though my body felt battered and bruised, I wouldn't let her go.

"Let go of me, bitch!" 

"You wish!" 

We grappled, our struggle leading us to the balcony of the building. She grabbed my hair and punched me in the face. I retaliated, striking her head against the railing. 

She cried out in pain, then kicked me in the stomach, forcing me to crouch. Then I stared at her, breathless.

"If this is my last day," she declared, a chilling smile playing on her lips, "I'm making sure you're coming with me." She pointed a gun at me while blood trickled down the corner of her mouth, but her smile remained tireless. 

I raised my hands, trembling, and she let out a cruel, mocking laugh. "Look at you," she sneered, "scared to death."

Before she could pull the trigger, a chilling sound shattered the tense silence – her father's voice. 

In the distance, I saw Jaxon, his face grim, holding Mr. Salvatore by the throat while a gun pressed against his temple.

Elise gasped, a strangled sound escaping her lips. "Dad..." she whispered, tears welling in her eyes, blurring her vision.

"Elise... I'm sorry," Mr. Salvatore croaked, his voice dense with distress. 

Jaxon, with a cold, calculating precision, released his grip.

But suddenly, Mr. Salvatore lunged for the gun; he was desperate he could save his life for one more time. But Jaxon was quicker. 

The gunshot echoed through the building, and a loud blast shattered the silence. 

Mr. Salvatore slumped to the ground, life draining from his eyes while staring at his daughter.

Elise shook her head in disbelief. She dropped her own gun, a silent scream escaping her lips. "Dad! No!" she cried. "DAD!" 

Terror seized me. My eyes, wide and horrified, locked onto Jaxon's face, but if Jaxon hadn't done that, he would have been killed too. 

Then, Elise screamed viciously and asked, 'What did you do that for? Why kill him?! You killed my father! And I'm not letting anyone here alive…'"

Time seemed to shatter. Her hand snaked out, gripping the gun. The deafening roar of the gunshot echoed through the room, followed by a searing pain that ripped through my side. I gasped, my vision blurring as the world tilted violently. She'd hit me.

Jaxon immediately ran towards me as if he didn't want more bullets turning towards me. 

Vlad covered us, and in an instant, he shot Elise's hand. 

Elise immediately let go of the gun. She screamed in pain, the sound of a desperate woman who wanted to kill us all.

"No! No! Let me go!" Elise shrieked, her voice raw with despair as they forcibly pulled her away from the scene. 

"Take her away," Vlad commanded, then he glanced at me, his eyes filled with worry. "She's losing a lot of blood..." 

I didn't realize I was coughing in blood, staining my lips. 

Jaxon gathered me into his arms, his body trembling with a raw, primal fear. "Catt, listen to me," he whispered, his voice hoarse with panic. "Keep breathing, hold on to me. I'm not letting you go… please don't leave me…" 

I managed a weak smile, my hand reaching out to trace the contours of his face, "J-Jaxon…" 

He ran outside while holding me tightly, "Please, don't speak, baby," he pleaded, his voice cracking. "I'm taking you to the hospital!" 

My breath hitched, pain a searing inferno in my chest. "I-If anything happens to me… please take care of our twins…" I gasped, my voice slowly fading. 

"Oh, please don’t say that!" he choked out, his voice raw with panic. He spun to his driver, his voice sharp, "Drive as fast as you can!"

He gently laid me down in the backseat, his hands trembling as he brushed a stray hair from my face.

My eyes, heavy and glazed, struggled to focus on him. I tried to fight the encroaching darkness, to hold onto consciousness, but the pain was a relentless tide pulling me under.

And then, I slipped away.

48 HOURS LATER, 

I slowly opened my eyes, feeling heavy and disoriented. My head throbbed, and I blinked, trying to breathe softly. Finally, I managed to whisper, "Am I still alive?"

Someone on the couch sprang up at the sound of my voice. His eyes widened in disbelief, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days.

His lips parted, and he embraced me tightly, whispering, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry this happened. I'm sorry this happened to you because of me."

Then continued, "I can't imagine another year without you. I've been searching for you for three years, and I can't let you go again. I'll go crazy."

I tapped his shoulder and he pulled away from me with tears in his eyes. 

I gave him a weak smile. "You've already seen me before... on the day the twins were born. But.... you didn't recognize me."

His lips trembled as he remembered that day. He shook his head in regret. "I didn't know it was you. I have post-traumatic amnesia, and when my memory returned, I tried to find you, even though they tried to erase you from the system. I didn't give up."

I nodded and groaned in pain, feeling the effects of the surgery. "Well, that's why you played along with me when you finally saw me. Makes sense." I chuckled softly, wincing again.

He held my hand. "I didn't bring the twins here. I don't want them to worry. They might not understand this..." 

"It's a good idea though," I agreed.

Then I asked, “What happened to Elise?” 

“She’s in the mental hospital. She’s not in her right mind. She harbors a deep hatred towards us, and I’m scared that one day she’ll hurt you again,” he replied, stroking my hair.

“I feel sorry for her son. I don’t know how we can make the boy understand this situation. It must be so hard for him to see his mother in the mental hospital,” I said softly, biting my lower lip in guilt.

“Anthony confessed everything to me,” he sighed. “He’s Anthony’s son. And I gave custody to Anthony, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t care for him. I will always try to monitor his well-being while he’s with Anthony. After all, Dylan has become a part of my life.”

I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Yes… you did a great job. Thank you.” 

He smiled at me warmly, softly kissed the back of my knuckles, and said, "I will do anything for you, Catt. And now that you're finally okay, I can't wait to see the twins and introduce myself as their father…"

Suddenly, the door opened, and Vlad and Vianne entered, their faces beaming at seeing me.

"Hello, Catt! Oh my god, we were so worried about you…" Vianne hugged me tightly, whispering, 'I'm sorry, but I already told your family about what happened. They're coming tomorrow…"

I gasped softly, then smiled at her. It wasn't her fault at all. My family had the right to know about me and my life. "It's okay, Vianne. Thank you for everything."

Jaxon chuckled. "Here comes the fake daddy of my twins and the man who hid my wife from me for three years. You're happy now, Vlad?"

Vlad chuckled, "I've always been so happy, Jaxon. And of course, it's not my fault that you lost your memory and didn't recognize them on the first day."

Vianne glared at Vlad playfully, "Vlad, you're really something, huh? Don't make Jaxon feel jealous... he's kinda jealous right now..." Then Vianne smiled more, laughing softly as she saw Jaxon's reaction.

"You guys, stop teasing my husband," I said. "Jaxon, Vlad is the godfather of our twins. And they like him. So, there's no competition here. Okay? and everything's fine.... I'm sure, the twins will love you...." 

Then Vianne interrupted, "Yes, it's true," and she showed me her flashy engagement ring. "There's no competition here because Vlad and I are getting married... he proposed to me last night." 

My mouth fell open in surprise. Tears filled my eyes as I exclaimed, "Oh my god! I'm so proud of you! After all these years, you finally have the courage to tell him how you feel."

She quickly covered my mouth with her hand. "He's the one who confessed to me, Catt. Not me. Ewww."

Then, we both erupted in laughter.

Vlad beamed with pride, and Jaxon congratulated him. 

Then I asked excitedly, "So, when is the wedding, guys?"