It’s been three hours and still no Grayson. No anyone. Frankie brought in another coffee, again not making any eye contact. I phoned Sienna just after Luca left, she was adamant she wanted to come here for me. It’s the middle of the night and she is going to have to deal with Keller. He isn’t going to take this well at all since he loves Grayson like a brother.
The engagement ring weighs heavy on my finger. Sadness washes over me as I realize he might never see this on my finger. I thought I was out of tears, but the ones now rolling down my cheek tell me different.
The sudden urge to go to the toilet distracts me. As I stand up, a shooting pain radiates from my lower stomach, just like a period pain. But worse, radiating down both of my legs and into my lower back. I suck in a breath and rest my palm against the wall.
Shit, this hurts.
After a moment to get over whatever the hell that was, I push myself off the wall and pad over to the door. I stumble forward, crashing against the door as the pain returns, this time far worse. Enough for stars to form in my vision. I fumble around, trying to find the doorknob. I need help. Something isn’t right.
Panic sets in. I open the door, only to be hit with another wave of pain. I double over. Frankie crouches before me.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“N-no.”
“It fucking hurts,” I shout, squeezing my arms around my stomach and trying to quell the pain.
“Go and get someone!” I shout, wincing in agony. Frankie looks horrified.
I close my eyes as he runs off down the corridor. I’m losing them both. Everything I’ve ever loved is leaving me. Please be okay, little one. Mommy needs you right now more than anything.
Frankie returns with a doctor following behind him, her hair is pulled up into a tight bun.
“Miss Peters, if you’d please come with me.”
Frankie nods so I push myself off the wall and stand. The pain subsides for a moment. He holds his arm out for me. I grab onto it, and he leads me down the corridor to a room up on the right.
He walks us over to the bed, and I pull myself up onto the bed. It’s already in an upright position, so I lie down, I’m scared the room might start spinning.
The doctor shuts the door behind us and walks over to the bed, clipboard in hand. She has a warm smile which provides me a tiny bit of comfort. Unlike Mr. Clenched Jaw over there.
“How many weeks are you?”
“Ummm, around ten now. I have my twelve-week appointment in a couple of weeks.”
“Would you mind pulling your dress up so I can get to your stomach. I would like to do an ultrasound. Is this the father?”
“No,” we both say in unison.
He senses the awkwardness in the air, perhaps, because he barges out the room.
“Have you had any bleeding?” the doctor asks.
“I had a little bit earlier before I went out. I looked it up online and it said it could be spotting. It was only a little bit.”
I know I’m rambling. What if I missed something. I didn’t want to tell Grayson.
“Let me get the ultrasound and we can take a look. Okay?”
I nod, and she shuffles out the door.
“Time to go, Maddie.” Frankie rushes in.
“What, I can’t leave.”
He pins me with a glare. I scoot back on the bed away from him.
He reaches behind him, straightening his arm out, and points a gun straight at my head.
“W-what are you doing?”
He runs a hand over his dark stubble. “Either come with me now and you live. If you don’t, you die.”
My mind goes into overdrive.
“But you work for Luca,” I say vehemently.
“I work for no one.”
Oh shit.
“Luca and Grayson will kill you.”
Grayson would hunt him down and send him straight to hell if he touches me.
But Grayson can’t help you now, Maddie.
“Right now, Grayson can’t do shit. I need you out of the way for my plan to work.”
This makes no sense to me.
“What plan, what the fuck is this?”
He takes a step toward me, and I flinch away from him.
“Get the fuck away from me,” I scream.
He shoots across the room, his hand muffled over my mouth. Gasping for breath, I hit against his muscular arms, trying to wriggle out of his hold.
“Shhh, Maddie. Grayson said you were fiery. Goddamn, he was right.”
“You couldn’t just make this easy for me, could you. I’m doing this to save you both,” he adds when I refuse to relent my struggle.
“Maddie, calm the fuck down. I’m not going to hurt you. I just need you to come with me. If you stay, Marco will come after you in exchange for his daughter. I need Grayson. I need him furious and ready to burn down the city.”
No, this can’t be happening. I can’t leave Grayson.
“Will you be quiet if I let you talk?”
I nod against his hand. He releases it, and I gasp for air, my hands holding my throat.
“I can’t leave him,” I sob.
“It’s temporary. It’s the only way to keep you both safe. Grayson can’t protect you right now. I can. Now, you need to write him a letter, break up with him. I need to be able to keep him reined in. I can’t do that if he’s distracted thinking something’s happened to you.”
“W-what, no, I can’t do that to him. Please don’t make me do this. What about my baby?”
Pulling out a folded-up piece of paper and a black pen, he hands them to me. Through trembling hands, I snatch them out of his tattooed fingers.
I want to stab him in the eye and run. But I know how dangerous it is out there. I don’t have Grayson here to protect me anymore. Plus, this lunatic has a gun pointed at me.
“Make it believable, Maddie. I need his full attention for this.”
How am I supposed to find the words to break his heart?
Dear Grayson,
I want you to know, I will always love you.
You are the man of my dreams. To be treated like a princess by you is every woman’s dream.
But I can’t be with you anymore.
I can’t live a life where you risk your own for me.
I can’t live in the dark anymore. Not with our child.
Please don’t try to find me.
I don’t want to break your heart. This is already ripping my own out too. But it’s for the best.
We were never meant to be together. But I’m glad we had these last few months together.
I will cherish every single moment we shared.
I’m sorry.
Maddie. Xx
I fold the letter in half, and Frankie holds his hand out to take it.
“I would like to put it in his room.”
“Fine,” he grunts. “We have to be quick, Maddie.”
I slide off the bed and follow him. As we reach Grayson’s door, I turn the knob. My heart is in my throat as he lies there, tubes coming out of his mouth, monitors beeping erratically. But he’s alive.
“I need to say goodbye properly.”
“Five minutes. Luca will be back in ten.”
Sucking in a breath, I walk in, pulling up a chair next to his bed.
He’s so still, so peaceful. I take a seat and put my hand over his.
“Grayson, I don’t know if you can hear me. I will marry you. I have the ring on and everything, so there is no getting out of it now. Please don’t stop looking for me. I’m begging you.”
Tears spill onto his arm. I place the letter on the side table with his phone atop.
“I’ll see you again one day. Soon, I hope.”
I have to be strong right now—for the baby, for Grayson.
With my head held high, I have one more shot to get away.
I peek into the window as Frankie is checking his watch and looking down the corridor to the entrance.
I open the door as quietly as I can, my eyes glued on the red exit sign to the left. I thought hospitals were busy, so where the hell is everyone. Where the hell is my doctor anyway?
Taking a deep breath and flinging the door open, I run as fast as I can toward the fire exit.
“Maddie,” he growls.
His heavy footsteps get louder and louder behind me. I push the barrier and fall through the door, turning around and pushing it shut, straight on a furious Frankie.
“Someone help,” I scream.
The door flies open, crashing into me and sending me hurtling toward the rubble, and I land straight on my ass. My hands sting as they slide across the floor. “Fuck,” I hiss, scooting back as Frankie towers over me.
“Fine, have it your way,” he mutters, bending and lifting me into his arms, throwing me over his shoulder.
I pound my bruised hands as hard as I can against his back and kick my legs frantically.
“Let me fucking go, you asshole!”
“Shut the fuck up.”
He marches us into complete darkness across the carpark, the lights flashing on his black Mercedes.
“Please don’t do this, Frankie.”
“This is the only way to keep you and Grayson alive. Now get in the car and no more fucking running. If you do, it will only take me one call to have Grayson killed in his hospital bed. Do you understand?”
I nod, holding back the tears.
