Chapter 3
With him standing there stunned, I pivoted and strode off.
"She's actually leaving. Should we go after her?"
Winford's icy snort drifted after me. "Give it a few days—she'll slink back, all apologetic and subdued."
The Winford who'd once taken my hand and sworn the Campbell family would always be my haven—he was well and truly dead.
A sharp ache stabbed at my heart.
Tears spattered across my phone screen.
I gazed at the latest message from Neil.
Neil: [Decided yet? I've been tossing and turning all night. Marry me already. If not, I'll bug you again tomorrow.]
Trailing it was an adorable cat emoji making a wish.
A spark of warmth bloomed inside me. I: [Okay.]
In the pitch-black night, I brushed away the tears from my eyes and murmured a quiet farewell to the Campbell family, my home for fifteen years, "Goodbye forever."
Neil said he couldn't wait to dash over and dive into wedding plans.
But trouble had cropped up at headquarters, and his dad had called him back overseas to handle it.
It'd likely take a week or so before he could come get me.
In the meantime, he'd sent a driver to whisk me to his place, where I could crash and tell the staff to take me anywhere I pleased.
Tomorrow, I was heading to the hospital.
To abort the baby growing inside me.
To sever that final lingering tie to the Campbell family.
On the day I headed to the hospital, I bumped into Penelope and Winford again.
He was grabbing her registration slip when he noticed me, confusion flickering in his eyes.
"Why are you here again? What's the matter? You look like you've dropped a ton of weight."
Since the news of his "death," I'd barely managed to keep anything down.
Add in the morning sickness on top of that, and I'd shed more than fifteen pounds altogether.
All thanks to him.
I locked eyes with him, staring daggers, and snapped, "Do I know you from somewhere?"
His gaze shifted evasively before he mumbled a response.
He'd watched the video from my wedding.
"So, seriously, what's going on with you?"
He had no clue about my pregnancy.
And he didn't deserve one.
I was on the verge of telling him to buzz off.
"Honey, save me!"
Penelope's scream cut through the air.
A guy wielding a knife charged into the hospital.
The instant Winford heard her, he pushed me out of the way and bolted toward her, wrapping her in a fierce, protective hug.
That shove put me even closer to the knife-wielding lunatic.
In the OB-GYN ward, almost every other woman had a partner by her side.
I was the odd one out, all alone, which drew his menacing stare as he brought the blade slashing down at me.
On instinct, I threw up my right arm to shield myself.
The razor-sharp edge bit deep into my skin.
Blood gushed out.
The agony was so intense it left me in a cold sweat.
Winford shouted my name in distress and took a step my way.
But Penelope clutched his hand. "Honey, my belly's killing me—I think I'm spotting. Security's on the way."
A flash of conflict crossed his face before he hoisted her up and hurried off to the exam room.
My heart sank like a stone.
An icy chill coursed through me.
Back when some creeps had trapped me in an alley, he'd put his life on the line, clinging to me as they pummeled him bloody—refusing to let go.
He would've died for me without a second thought.
Now, for another woman, he'd thrown me right into harm's way.
I scrambled to flee but tripped and went down, the blade looming closer.
Terrified, I clamped my eyes shut—and suddenly found myself caught in a warm pair of arms.
When I peeked open, there was Neil, his face etched with lethal fury.
He'd booted the assailant to the floor, where security pounced and restrained him.
Neil gathered me up and sprinted into the ER, panic etched on his features.
I could feel his hands trembling.
"It's okay—I'm fine."
Neil looked down, tears brimming in his eyes.
"I nearly lost you. That blade was so close. After all this time chasing you, you can't go now."
In our crowd, Neil had a rep for being utterly fearless.
He'd gamble his life on high-stakes races, flip his car, and not even blink.
Yet a gash on my arm had him tearing up in fright.
Flustered, I shifted gears to distract him. "Weren't you supposed to be gone a few more days?"
"You said yes to marrying me—I needed to see it with my own eyes, confirm it was real, to finally relax. Good thing I rushed back."
The cut required seven stitches, and after a full workup, everything else checked out okay.
But they'd have to postpone the abortion for a bit.
He squeezed my hand.
"If you decide to keep the baby, I'll raise him with you—no questions asked."
I shook my head.
"No thanks. If we're severing ties, let's do it completely. Though after this abortion, who knows if I'll ever conceive again."