As I walk through the house, I feel the weight of the past few weeks lifting off my shoulders. I won’t be here for the Mercedez finale. I have more important things to do. I hop on my bike, rev the throttle, and race toward the hospital, my heart pounding with anticipation. It’s time to finally make Milly mine.
SIXTEEN
OUR LOVE IS WORTH THE WAR
Milly
My phone vibrates with a message.I peek over to see it’s from Twitch.
Where are you?
Just at lunch. Why?
Where?
The hospital café. It’s closest to the front entrance of the hospital.
See you soon.
A buzz of electricity soars through me, wondering why he’s come to see me during my lunch break. As I finish the remainder of my sandwich, commotion erupts. Screams echo through the corridor, and I stand to see people running toward the hospital entrance. My stomach drops as I spot Mr. Anders—the man whose wife died in the shooting—walking toward me, a gun cocked and aimed directly at me.
I gasp but force myself to stay composed even as my pulse thrashes against my skin. I scan the area. Nearly everyone has fled, leaving me alone with him. A security guard cautiously approaches, but I subtly raise my hand, signaling him to stay back. I don’t want the situation to escalate.
As the old man walks closer, I see the hand holding the gun is trembling, which isn’t good at all. It could go off at any moment. Tears stream down his face. “You killed my wife!” His voice is rough and broken.
I take a deep breath, calming my own panic. “What’s your first name?” I ask softly.
“Terrence,” he replies.
“Okay, Terrence,” I say gently. “My name’s Milly, and I want to say how deeply sorry I am for the grief you’re experiencing. But your wife came to us with a gunshot wound that caused catastrophic injuries. Because of where the bullet hit her, no amount of medical skill could have saved her. We did everything we could.” My voice is steady, but my heart is pounding. I need to humanize myself, to show him I care, but also to make him understand it wasn’t my fault.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice someone else in the corridor. It’s Twitch. My body shakes with fear as our eyes lock. I give a small shake of my head, silently begging him to stay back. But his wide eyes and determined expression tell me he’s not going to listen. He’s moving closer, quietly and carefully.No, Twitch. Please don’t. I can’t lose you.
“No,” Terrence says, his voice rising as he frowns. “You could have saved her, but you didn’t.”
“No, we couldn’t have,” I reply, keeping my tone calm. “It was the man who fired the gun through your house who’s responsible, not anyone who tried to save her.” I pause, hoping my words will sink in. “I can see she meant a lot to you.”
“A lot?” he shouts, his voice breaking. “She was my world... now I have nothing to live for.”
Twitch is closer now. His face is red. What happened? Terrence notices him and swings the gun toward him.
My heart hammers in my chest with such force it may explode. “No!” I yell.
Twitch has his arms up in surrender. “Hey, man, what’s the problem?” Twitch asks in his easygoing voice. No stress lines it whatsoever. The tension in his shoulders gives him away. “Maybe I can help?” he offers.
Terrence shakes his head, his grip on the gun tightening. “My wife died. You can’t help me. No one can, but this woman...” He points the gun back at me and I flinch. “She was supposed to save her, but she couldn’t. Now I’m without my beautiful Dorothy,” he says, his gaze dropping to his wedding ring.
“I’m sorry to hear about that,” Twitch says, his voice steady. “But are you really here to kill a doctor who worked tirelessly to save Dorothy’s life? Your wife wouldn’t have wanted that.”
Terrence’s jaw tightens. “Someone must take responsibility. Someone has to suffer.” His voice is tormented with a mix of pain and anger, but all I can think of is that person should be me, not Twitch. He has nothing to do with this.
“Kill me,” Twitch says with a sad smile on his face as he glances at me. “Her name’s Milly White, and she loves me.”
I get teary-eyed as I shake my head, my eyes pleading. He can’t do this to me!
Twitch steps closer to him. “So, if you want to hurt her, kill me and she’ll suffer like you have.”
Terrence’s hand trembles as he shifts the gun between us, his face crumpling under the weight of his grief. More tears stream down his face as he suddenly points the gun at his own head.
