Chapter 222: Falling and Escape

Jasmine's POV

I couldn't move. I just knelt there at the edge of the cliff, the cold wind biting at my tear-stained face. Louis was gone. One moment he was standing next to me, and the next... he was falling into the darkness below. The gunshot still echoed in my ears. Alan Blackwood's cruel smile was burned into my memory.

Heavy footsteps pounded against the ground behind me. Security personnel. Too late.

"Ma'am! Are you okay? What happened?" A man in a dark uniform crouched beside me, his voice urgent.

I struggled to find my voice. It came out broken and ragged. "My husband... he was pushed down... he fell... please help him! Quickly!"

The man's face paled as he looked over the edge into the darkness. He grabbed his radio and barked into it: "Emergency situation! Cliff fall incident, need immediate search and rescue!"

I heard the crackle of the response but couldn't make out the words. My eyes remained fixed on the last place I'd seen Louis before the darkness swallowed him.

"The search and rescue team will be here in ten minutes," the security guard explained, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Try to stay calm. Can you tell me exactly what happened?"

Stay calm? How could I possibly stay calm? Louis was down there somewhere, possibly hurt, possibly... No. I couldn't even think it.

"My husband was shot," I managed to say. "Then pushed over the edge. It happened so fast..."

My body started shaking violently. I wasn't sure if it was from the cold or the shock.

"Let's get you somewhere warmer while we wait for the rescue team," the guard suggested.

"No!" I jerked away from his hand. "I'm not leaving. What if he calls out? What if he needs me?"

The guard looked like he wanted to argue but instead nodded and took off his jacket, draping it around my shoulders.

The search and rescue team arrived exactly ten minutes later, just as promised. They came with equipment, lights, and ropes. They moved with practiced efficiency, evaluating the cliff edge and discussing strategy among themselves.

I pushed myself to my feet, stumbling toward the team leader, a sturdy man with a weathered face.

"I need to help look for him," I said, fueled by desperation. "I need to be down there."

The man's eyes were kind but firm. "Ma'am, please let us handle this. This cliff is extremely dangerous. We have the proper equipment and training."

"You don't understand!" I cried, my voice rising to a near-hysterical pitch. "Every second counts! He could be hurt down there! What if it was someone you loved?"

A female rescue worker stepped forward, placing her hand gently on my arm. "That's exactly why we can't let you go down there. If something happened to you too, we'd have two victims to rescue instead of one. And that would mean less chance for your husband."

Her logic cut through my panic, but only barely. I stood there, helpless, watching as they secured ropes and prepared to descend.

"Please," I whispered. "Find him."

The security team escorted me back to the hotel room, insisting I couldn't stay at the cliff edge all day. My hands wouldn't stop shaking as I picked up my phone. I needed to make calls.

I dialed Marcus first. My fingers could barely hit the right numbers.

"Dad..."

Marcus's voice was immediately alert. "Jasmine? What's happened? Are you alright?"

I tried to hold it together, but my voice cracked with every word. "Louis... he was shot. Someone pushed him off a cliff. The search team is looking for him but... but..."

There was a moment of silence, then Marcus's voice turned to ice. "Who did this?"

"Alan... Alan Blackwood."

"I'm leaving immediately. Stay strong, my dear. I'll be there soon." His voice softened just a fraction, but then hardened again. "Don't talk to anyone you don't trust completely."

I ended the call and stared at the phone. I had another call to make.

Taking a deep breath, I dialed Richard.

"Richard, it's Jasmine." I forced my voice to remain as steady as possible.

"What's wrong?" His response was immediate.

"Louis was pushed off a cliff. We're in Switzerland. The search and rescue team is looking for him now." I managed to get the words out without breaking down this time.

Richard's breath hissed through the phone. "I'm coming immediately. Daniel will too. Keep me updated on anything you hear. Anything at all."

"I will."

I hung up and sank onto the edge of the bed, my mind racing.

My phone rang, startling me. It was the search team leader.

"Mrs. Mitchell, we recommend you move to the regional hospital in town. It's closer to our search area, and if we find your husband..." He paused. "He'll likely need immediate medical attention. The medical team there is already on standby."

My heart squeezed painfully at his words. "I'll come right away."

The hotel arranged for a car to take me to the hospital. *Please be alive, Louis. Please hold on.

Hours passed like years. The search and rescue team had been working for four hours with no results. I paced the hospital waiting area, unable to sit, unable to eat or drink anything they offered me.

A nurse approached cautiously. "Ma'am, please try to sit down and rest a bit. You need to keep your strength up."

I shook my head. "I can't. My husband is still out there."

Every thirty minutes, the search team would call with updates, but they always said the same thing: "The search is still continuing."

*He must be so cold down there. If he's hurt... if he's bleeding... he needs me.*

My vision suddenly blurred around the edges. The room tilted strangely. My legs felt like they were made of water.

"I don't feel... I don't feel so..."

The world went black.

I woke up to bright lights and the antiseptic smell of hospital. A doctor was standing over me.

"What happened?" I tried to sit up but immediately felt dizzy.

The doctor gently guided me back down. "You fainted, Ma'am. We've done some tests. our tests revealed something you should know."

My heart leapt into my throat. "What do you mean?"

His voice softened. "Mrs. Mitchell, you're pregnant. Very early—about a week along. In these circumstances, you need to take care of yourself, not just for your sake, but for your baby's as well."

The doctor's words hit me like a physical blow. I stared at him, unable to process what he was saying.

"Pregnant?" I whispered, tears filling my eyes. "I'm... pregnant?"