"You need to leave." He's between me and the door. If I move to force him out, I leave Savannah exposed.
He laughs again. "Nothing about this is fair. I did everything right. I followed all the rules. I was the perfect fiancé, the perfect son-in-law, and she chose you. A criminal. A killer."
"Thad—" Savannah's voice is stronger now, and I can hear her trying to sit up. "Thad, you need to go."
"Shut up!" He's looking past me now, looking at her, and the hatred in his eyes makes my blood run cold. "You don't get to talk. You don't get to tell me what to do. Not after what you did. Not after you humiliated me. Not after you?—"
He moves, faster than I expected from someone who's clearly intoxicated. He lunges at me, and I raise my hands to block him, but he's not trying to hit me. He's reaching for something in his jacket.
A knife.
The blade catches the fluorescent light as he swings it toward my chest, and I try to twist away, but I'm exhausted. I haven't slept in days. My reflexes are a half-second too slow.
The knife catches me across the ribs.
Pain explodes through my side, white-hot. I feel the warmth of blood spreading across my shirt, and I stumble backward, trying to keep my balance, trying to stay between him and Savannah.
"Romeo!" Savannah screams, and I can hear her trying to get out of bed, but she can't. She's still weak from yesterday. She's?—
Thad swings again.
This time, I manage to catch his wrist, but he's stronger than he looks. Desperation gives him an edge I don't have right now. We're grappling, and the blood from my side makes my grip slippery.
"You took everything from me!" He's screaming in my face, spittle flying. "Everything! And now I'm going to take everything from you!"
He wrenches his arm free and slashes again. The blade catches my shoulder this time, and I feel something tear. My left arm goes partially numb. I'm losing this fight.
The realization hits me. I'm injured, exhausted, and he has a weapon. And I can't leave Savannah unprotected. Can't risk him getting past me.
"Security!" Savannah is screaming. "Someone help! Please!"
But the hospital is quiet at this hour. The nurses' station is down the hall. No one is coming fast enough.
Thad shoves me hard, and I stumble backward, my legs hitting the chair behind me. I go down, and the impact sends fresh agony through my injured side.
He's standing over me now, the knife raised, and I can see the madness in his eyes. The complete break from reality. "I'm going to kill you," he says. His voice is eerily calm. "And then I'm going to finish what I came here to do."
"What—"
His eyes shift to Savannah, and the look on his face makes my blood freeze. "She's pregnant with your bastard," he says quietly. "Six weeks, right? That's what I heard. Still early."
No.
"Don't." The word comes out as a gasp. "Don't you fucking dare?—"
"Why not?" He's moving toward the bed now, and I'm trying to get up, but my body won't cooperate. "You took everything from me. Why shouldn't I take everything from you? She loses the baby, she loses you—maybe she'll finally understand what she threw away."
"Thad, no—" Savannah is sobbing now. "Please, the baby didn't do anything?—"
"Neither did I!" He's screaming again. "I didn't do anything except try to give you the life you deserved! And you threw it away for him!"
He's at the bed now. He's reaching for her. He's going to?—
I try to stand, but my legs won't hold me. I'm on my knees, blood pooling beneath me, and I can't stop him. Can't protect her. Can't?—
"Romeo!" Savannah's voice cuts through the haze of pain. "The call button! Press the call button!"
But it's too late. Thad has grabbed her arm, yanking her toward him, and she screams, fighting, but she's weak. She's been through so much already.
