Chapter 0235 Fuck. What did this have to happen to her? Why would someone do this to her? Were there signs that I ignored? Was she in danger, and I didnât notice?
The questions keep bombarding my head as Gabe drives out of the underground parking. I would never forgive myself if she was in danger and I didnât notice it, or even do something about.
âIs she alive?â I ask as the fear of his answer chocks me.
She had to be alive. She just had to.
Gabe gives me a side way glance. âI donât know much, but I know sheâs aliveâ
âBarelyâ
The words arenât said, but they are implied.
I saw the video. Whoever was after her wanted to make sure that Ava died. That she didnât have a chance of surviving. I donât know the extent of her wounds, but I know at least two bullets hit her.
âDo you know which hospital sheâs at?â I ask, my voice sounding gruff even to my own ears.
I had been so focused on getting to her, that I didnât even bother asking which hospital she was taken to. I just wanted to be there for her.
âYeah, donât worry. I called around and got the info. I was told theyâre taking her to Avenue Hospitalâ he answers.
At least they had the mind to take her to the best hospital in the city.
I try to calm my heart. Try to breathe through the panic that threatened to drown me. Itâs hard though. So F***ing hard. I wonât get a moment of peace until I know that sheâs okay.
âSheâs going to be okay, Roâ Gabe tells me after a minute or so of silence.
I want to be confident about that, but I am not. She might survive, but what about the baby? Not only was she shot, but when she fell to the ground that impact couldnât have been good for the baby.
If she survived, but the baby died in the process, she would be devastated. I know Ava. The loss would destroy her. It would probably be her undoing.
âCan you please hurry up? I demand.
it felt like we were moving at a snail pace. Like time was crawling. Why the F*** is it always like that?
slow motion.
âIâm going as fast as I can, Roâ
âItâs not fast enough. I need to be with herâ I tell him desperately.
Why canât he understand that I have to be there? That I need to be there? What if she woke up and she was all alone with no one by her side? She needs me by her side.
I should have trusted my instincts when I first got that sense of dread. I should have listened. I should have dug deeper and made sure that all my loved ones were protected. I failed to listen to F***ing intuition, and now Ava has paid the price.
âDo you have any idea who could be behind this?â Gabe asks.
I know what heâs trying to do. Heâs trying to distract me so I wouldnât focus so much on all the negative stuff.
âReaperâ I growl his name in anger. âHeâs the only one with motive.â
If itâs him, then he has won. He has managed to destroy me and get his revenge. Nothing he can do could hurt as much as this.
âWhat about Noah. You have to tell himâ Gabe adds.
Fuck. I had completely forgotten about him. He was going to be so heartbroken. He loves his mom so much and this is going to hurt him.
âWhat am I going to tell him? How am I supposed to face him and tell him that his mother was F***ing shot? That I wasnât able to protect herâ
I feel the avalanche of emotions try to suffocate me. I canât fall apart now. Noah needed me and so does Ava. My emotions will just have to F***ing wait until I can deal with them.
âIt wasnât your fault, Rowan. You couldnât have predicted any of thisâ
I wanted it to be true, but the guilt was too powerful. I should have just listened to my intuition.
I stay quiet because there is nothing to say. A few minutes later, we arrive at the hospital. I donât wait for Gabe to park the car, I just jump out while itâs still moving and rush inside.