45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

-Jared-

Growing up with a father whose unpredictable presence haunted my nights ingrained a constant state of hypervigilance. Even years later, it remained my silent weapon. So when I slumbered with Alison in my embrace, the sheets draped low to avoid suffocation, my senses jolted me awake. My eyes flew open, heart thundering against my ribcage, yet the silence enveloping us was deafening. Still, I knew better. Something stirred in the quiet, drawing closer.

It had been several days since I dispatched the messages and photo of Alison, baiting Vince into reclaiming her from me. But in doing so, I had roused a dormant monster. Sitting up, I eyed the closed bedroom door. Alison, nestled against my chest, stirred at my movement.

"What's happening?" she murmured, her voice thick with sleep.

I pressed a finger to my lips, urging her silence. Sensing my alertness, she too sat up, scanning our surroundings. Slipping out of bed, I gathered our discarded clothes and tossed them to her, gesturing for her to dress. She complied swiftly, donning the garments as I fetched a gun from the closet, one for each of us. She resisted, a silent argument unfolding between us in hushed tones. Eventually, she relented, accepting the weapon.

I had continued her training, but her reluctance to fully trust the firearm posed a significant concern. In dark circumstances, hesitation could prove fatal.

I gently grasped Alison's arm, guiding her toward the bedroom door. With a soft creak, I swung it open, the noise echoing eerily in the silence. Suddenly, a loud boom resonated, resembling a scene ripped straight from a horror film. Alison and I exchanged a glance, our attention drawn to the heavy rain pelting against the windowpanes. Could it have been the impending storm that roused me from slumber? I pondered.

To err on the side of caution, I peered down the hallway, detecting no ominous shadows. Turning to Alison, I murmured for her to remain in place and wait for my return. She trembled against me, but before she could voice any objections, I silenced her protests with a kiss and slipped out into the corridor, leaving a small gap for her to observe from.

Each step down the hallway was deliberate, my posture slightly hunched as I advanced cautiously. Despite my careful search, I discerned nothing out of the ordinary, even after checking the office. Pressing onward, as I descended to the next floor, something caught my attention.

Peering over the small balcony facing the entrance, I noticed a faint glow emanating from a nearby hallway. We always ensured all lights were switched off. Steeling my nerves, I took a deep breath, acknowledging his presence. Lowering my gun, I proceeded calmly down the staircase, veering toward the light filtering through the partially cracked double doors leading into the largest living room.

With a heavy sigh, I pushed the door open, the loud creak echoing as I stepped into the room, and there he sat. Positioned in the center of the expansive couch, he appeared as impeccably dressed as ever, yet a subtle tremor betrayed his fa?ade of composure.

He made no sudden movements, simply lounging with one leg casually draped over the other, his gaze fixed upon me. I scanned the surroundings and realized there were no guards present—a glaring absence that hinted at the extent of his infiltration. Vince possessed a knack for silent intrusion, a skill he had evidently employed tonight. However, I knew his intentions extended beyond mere elimination. Vince always aimed to impart a lesson.

"Hello, son," he greeted, his voice cutting through the tension.

"Vince," I responded, moving further into the room until I stood directly in front of him.

"I received your message," he declared.

"I wasn't certain you would," I admitted quietly, a brief silence enveloping us.

"I wasn't sure I wanted to respond," he confessed abruptly.

"No?"

"Despite all I've tried to impart upon you, this seems to be the one lesson that eludes you," he sighed, his disappointment obvious. "Hence, I questioned whether it was even worth intervening."

"Then why are you here?" I inquired, searching for clarity.

"I'm not one to admit defeat easily, am I?" he retorted, a hint of defiance in his tone.

I shook my head. "No."

"But I must admit, Jared, I'm impressed by how far you were willing to go for her," he conceded, his words carrying a weight of unexpected praise. Despite myself, I felt a surge of warmth at his acknowledgment. It still held significance.

"Thank you," I replied earnestly, unable to suppress my gratitude.

"However, in my eyes, she'll be your downfall. I've always been ready to sacrifice myself for you," he confessed, his words laden with profound meaning. Yet, there was something he seemed to overlook.

"So would she, and I'd do the same for her," I revealed, asserting my unwavering commitment. He sighed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"The two of you," he groaned.

"I know it doesn't make sense," I admitted.

"No, it fucking doesn't, and yet somehow it does," he snarled. "In some twisted way, it makes sense. For a kid who had so little, suddenly having the girl must feel intoxicating."

"It's not like I ever dreamed of possessing her," I retorted.

"But you did dream of possessing her, just as she possessed you. I mean, it must feel empowering, doesn't it? With her fabricated friends, her sham of a husband, her false family, all stripped away, leaving only you, the boy from nothing," he remarked, his words striking a chord within me. Though they resurfaced an old pain, a lingering sense of worthlessness, I couldn't deny their truth. It felt... exhilarating.

"I applaud you," he continued, clasping his trembling hands together thrice. "You've achieved what you wanted. Now, only one obstacle remains."

He rose from the couch with deliberate slowness, his deteriorating physique showing more than I had anticipated. I raised my gun slightly, refusing to underestimate him.

"Me," he declared.

"I don't want to kill you," I confessed, my voice steady despite the gravity of the situation.

"No, but you must, because we both know she doesn't belong with you. She doesn't deserve you. All she deserves is pain—agonizing, crushing, relentless pain, the kind she inflicted upon you. Yet despite everything she did to you, you choose to be with her!" he bellowed, his words reverberating in the room.

"Yes," I replied calmly, unwavering in my resolve.

"That makes no sense," he spat, incredulous. "Not even to me."

"I can't explain it, but whatever transgressions occurred in the past, she's making amends now," I explained.

"Like a reverse drug," he snapped.

"If that's how you want to see it. But I've made my decision. I'm staying with her," I asserted firmly. "I won't attempt to rationalize it or justify it to anyone. I choose Alison. Even if I can never fully sever my ties to Astrid, I belong to Alison, and she belongs to me."

"And then you just live your lives together? Pretend the pain and hurt never happened?" he scoffed.

"When we're together, the past fades away. It's just us," I admitted.

"Must feel soothing after years of torment," he remarked cynically.

"It does, because you were right. I wanted someone to love me. I yearned for what I couldn't have in the past, and Alison loves me. She loves me more deeply than anyone else ever could, even you," I affirmed.

"And yet she hurt you," he remarked solemnly.

"She did," I confirmed.

"And you're willing to forgive?" he inquired, his tone tinged with incredulity.

I shook my head. "I'm not forgiving her, and I'm not reciprocating her love, but I am choosing to keep her."

"Like a prize," he murmured.

"Like mine," I corrected him firmly.

Vince sighed, a sense of disappointment evident in his demeanor. "Son, I can't support your decision. From an objective standpoint, it seems illogical."

I nodded in acknowledgment, understanding the skepticism.

"But I do care about you deeply. I never expected to embrace fatherhood, but you brought me a sense of peace. It pains me to take away what you love, but I believe it's necessary for a clean break. I should have eliminated her when I had the chance," he confessed, prompting me to raise my gun further and aim it at him.

"I can't let you do that," I interjected. "I won't lose her again."

"I'm sorry, Jared. I know you'll kill me, but I won't leave without rectifying this last detail," he stated solemnly.

"Vince!" I shouted, but before I could intervene, a chilling scream reverberated through the house, followed by a gunshot.

I turned toward the source of the disturbance, then back to Vince.

"You should never leave behind such precious belongings. Didn't you remember what I taught you?" he questioned calmly.

I felt a wave of icy fear coursing through me as I bolted toward the exit, but I was unprepared for Vince's next move. Before I even reached the doorway, he surged forward, crashing into me with surprising force. We collided, slamming into the wall as he pinned me down with his weight, a testament to his formidable fighting skills.

"Let her go, son!" he urged.

I emitted a primal growl, refusing to listen to his command. With a forceful shove, I knocked him back, then spun around, delivering a powerful blow to his face that sent him staggering. The gun had slipped from my grasp during our struggle, but I swiftly retrieved it, firing in his direction. However, he was already sprinting toward the doors leading outside. My next shot missed its mark, shattering the glass as he disappeared into the storm.

Conflicted, torn between pursuing Alison or apprehending Vince, I made my decision. If Alison had already died, then I couldn't allow Vince to evade justice. Determined, I charged after him, racing outside and leaping over the steps that descended into the backyard. I could see Vince's figure receding into the distance. I called out his name as I pursued him, and when he heard me, he abruptly halted. I couldn't discern his intentions, but he turned to face me, his arms outstretched, laughter mingling with the sound of the rain.

"Do it, son!" he exclaimed with manic exhilaration as I approached, aiming the gun at him. "End it! It had to be you!"

My hands trembled uncontrollably, torn between the desire to pull the trigger and the wave of memories flooding my mind. He was more than just a parent—he was my pillar, my anchor, the reason I still drew breath. Yet, as he stood before me, arms outstretched, embracing death amidst the deluge of rain, a profound sense of betrayal engulfed me.

He was the reason for Alison's agony, her abduction. However, did his actions now also lead to her demise? Was my choice to leave her a fatal error? The mere thought threatened to unravel me, but I couldn't afford the luxury of crumbling. With a steely resolve, I tightened my grip on the gun, pushing aside the haunting images of Alison lying lifeless in our bedroom.

"Come on, son, do it!" he urged, his voice cutting through the tumult of my thoughts. I let out a frustrated groan, grappling with the conflicting emotions swirling within me. "It will all be yours once it's done."

But would it? I had relinquished everything for my time with Alison, a time he had once again stolen from me. If he truly cared, how could he subject me to this torment? Tears threatened to spill from my eyes as I wrestled with my anger.

"I don't understand how you could do it, any of it," I whispered, my voice choked with emotion.

Impatience flickered in Vince's gaze as he reached for a gun of his own, his trembling hands struggling to maintain a steady grip.

"Will this spur you into action?" he challenged, his voice tinged with bitterness. "Shall we resort to threats? Will it compel you to pull the trigger?"

I willed myself to act, to end the torment, but my finger refused to exert the necessary pressure on the trigger.

"You must make a choice, son," he implored, his words hanging heavy in the air.

A choice , he said. Yes, I needed to make a choice, but who said I had to make the one he wanted? With a dark smile playing on my lips, I lowered the gun, baffling him momentarily, only to swiftly raise it again, aiming at my own temple, watching his face pale in horror.

"Jared!" he called out desperately.

"If she's already gone, then I'm going to follow her," I declared firmly, my resolve unyielding.

"Jared!" he yelled, his voice laced with urgency. "Do not fire!"

"Isn't this what you wanted, Vince?" I taunted, my laughter mingling with the rain cascading down my face."

Vince tightened his grip on his gun, poised to thwart my decision by any means necessary. "Don't you dare," he snarled.

"It was always meant to end this way," I proclaimed, my voice carrying a solemn finality.

"Jared!"

A gunshot echoed through the storm, but I felt no pain. I hadn't pulled the trigger. Instead, I watched as Vince slowly slumped forward, his hand clutching his side, the wound not fatal. Confusion engulfed me as I spun around, searching for the source. Standing further away was Alison, her gun trained on Vince.

"Alison..." I murmured, a mixture of relief and concern flooding me as I lowered my gun, a smile gracing my lips despite the throbbing ache in my chest.

"If she just hadn't been such a bitch," Vince snarled, his words dripping with venom, and though I understood his meaning, I gestured for Alison to cease fire. She complied, her ragged breaths audible over the rain.

"You didn't think I'd leave her that vulnerable again, did you?" I taunted, seeing the fury ignite in Vince's eyes at my calculated "lesson".

Raising my gun once more, I aimed it at him, yet uncertainty lingered like a heavy cloud.

"What's it going to be, son?" he taunted.

"Kill him, Jared!" Alison's voice pierced the air, her tone unrecognizable, a stark testament to the profound transformation she had undergone.

"Me or her?" Vince chuckled through the pain, his defiance undiminished.

"I truly didn't want it to come to this," I admitted, the weight of regret heavy in my words.

"I know," he acknowledged quietly. "Neither did I."

"Then you should have stayed away."

"Not when she took what belonged to me," he retorted.

I groaned, shaking my head, but I knew I couldn't allow him to live. It had to end here.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice choked with sorrow.

"I am too."

We locked eyes for a moment, the gravity of our shared fate hanging between us. Just as I prepared to pull the trigger, Vince raised his hand once more, aiming his gun at me. Three shots rang out, and I watched as Vince collapsed forward, his chest struck this time. Slowly, he fell face-first to the ground, the realization sinking in that it was finally over.

I groaned, a sudden surge of pain coursing through me. Glancing down, I saw my shirt growing bloodier by the second.

"Jared?" Alison's voice called out, but before I could respond, my legs buckled beneath me, and I collapsed to the ground.

"Jared!" Alison's scream pierced the air as she rushed toward me, throwing herself beside me as I lost all strength.

"No, no, no," she sobbed, her eyes fixed on the wound in my chest.

Three shots fired , I mused to myself—one for me, one for Alison, and one for Vince. The bitter irony of it all elicited a raspy laugh from my lips as I focused on Alison before me, mustering the last of my strength to reach out and touch her one final time.

"No! Jared, just stay still," she pleaded, her voice trembling as she called out for help, still clinging to the hope that there were guards left alive to aid us.

I shook my head weakly, unable to speak, my attention solely fixed on her. She applied pressure to my wound, causing me to groan in agony, but her words were lost to me amidst the haze of pain. I knew she was calling my name. I could see the way her lips formed the word, and it always sounded beautiful coming from her, even in the midst of our turmoil. She was mine, I thought to myself.

Despite the encroaching darkness, that thought lingered: she was all mine. Perhaps, in some twisted way, it could be considered love, but I never got the chance to tell her. The words remained unspoken as the world around me grew dim, the life draining from my body with each passing moment. I knew she was still calling out to me. I longed to hear her voice one last time.

Just one more ti...