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Dexter held his hand out to Rachel and though her hand continued to shake, rage in her eyes, he faced me and cupped my face in his hands. “Listen to me. I don’t need Dylan to grow up without both of his parents. You need to survive. Forhim,” he whispered, before pressing his lips to my forehead. “Live for me,remember?”
“But I—”
“Get away from him,” Rachel screamed, interrupting me and gesturing with her gun to the other side of the room.
But I want to livewithyou,I tried to tell Dexter with my eyes as he stepped back.
I walked, staring at her with hatred the entire way.
“I wasn’t always this way, Dex.” Her voice was shaky, and it sounded like she was trying to reason with him, to make it so he saw the good she was referring to. “I…I used to be a nice person. But your love—or lack of love, I should say—it changed me. I loved you for so long. Since I saw you, really. More than once, I thought I might have a chance buteverytime, you turned me away. Always for her.” By the end, her voice was filled with bitterness.
“Where’s Phoebe?” he asked, and I wanted to tell him she was with Dylan, but Ralph moved closer to Rachel and she flipped the safety off. That click of metal made the room still.
“I don’t want to have to shoot you, but I will,” she said to Ralph, her voice low. Then she looked at Dexter. “She’s fine. A little chloroform, nothing life-threatening.”
My jaw dropped. Rachel had us all fooled. Her crazy wasnothinglike mine.
I was impatient to see Dylan. I didn’t know how, as a womananda mother, she would be all right with this. With innocent children in the house. It showed just how far gone she was.
“Why didn’t you tell me you needed help, Rachel?” Dexter asked, and I balled my hands into fists.
Nothing would help her.
“Secrets, secrets.” She laughed. “Turns out Noa wasn’t the only one with secrets. Did you know that Phoebe’s father didn’t die? He’s somewhere with his wife and children, probably still fucking his students. I was crying that day because I was pregnant and my college professor wasn’t going to support us. And when you came up to me, it was like a higher power placed you in my path. I figured, after time and friendship, you’d step up. Because you were that type of man. And if a baby could make you stay, you could love me. Phoebe was…she was a pawn at first. I hadn’t planned to love her, but I did. When you and I finally got together, I was happy.”
I wanted to cover my ears with my hands. I didn’t want to know what Dexter had been like with Rachel because it was going against the higher power I had on my side.
“Even though I gave you a child and loved you more than anything, you still decided to be without me. To bealone. And then you foundher,and she was back and I had to pretend like I wasn’t dying inside. If it weren’t for Phoebe, I’d have nothing. Even then, seeing her face reminded me of her piece of shit biological father and her disappointing adoptive father.”
“Where does Theo fit into all of this?” I asked, confused.
She laughed, then licked her lips. “That was just because I could. I admit I wanted Dexter all along, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to hurt you in the process.”
I rolled my eyes.
Crazy bitch.
Dexter spoke, stepping a little more toward Rachel. Though her eyes shot down to his feet, she remained where she stood.
“That Phoebe’s biological father is alive changes nothing. I’m her father because I chose to be. I’ll always be her father, no matter what.”
She groaned with frustration, covering her face. The gun slid against her cheek.
I looked at Ralph for guidance and he shook his head.
“You’re a good man. I don’t want to have to kill any of you.” She turned to face me. “I know this’ll hurt, Dex. But you’ll get over Noa’s death. We can raise Dylan and Phoebe together and everything—”
Ralph slammed into her and a gunshot went off, and then another.
I watched the scene unfold and there was blood smearing the floor where they struggled. I didn’t know who it was coming from.
Ralph was on top of Rachel, pulling the gun from her grip before tossing it aside. I couldn’t tell who was shot and when I looked over at Dexter, I screamed.
He was clutching his abdomen, blood on his hands when he pulled them away from his body. He staggered a little.
“Dexter! Dexter, no.” I rushed toward him and he shook his head.
“I’ll be fine,” he said. “Where are the kids?”
