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Time slowed down.

My heart stopped beating.

But I didn’t hesitate.

I squeezed the trigger.

Bang.

Chapter 36

Jacob staggered back, his mouth formed into a little ‘o’. Time didn’t just slow. It stopped. My eyes lowered to the bright red patch blooming across Jacob’s white shirt, and when he dropped his gaze to see what I was staring at, he stumbled backward.

“Angel…fuck,” he said, shock lacing his voice.

His knees buckled, and he fell to the floor, and at that moment, time started ticking again, only this time, it raced, just like my heart. The gun tumbled from my hand, clashing against the desk as it fell to the floor, landing by my feet.

Chaos spun inside me like a tornado, and suddenly, it felt like I was watching the scene unfold from out of my body. Me, standing there gaping at the vacant spot my husband was just standing in. Jacob, lying on the floor, bleeding.

A pain so intense it took my breath away stabbed me in the chest. I had shot Jacob. I had shot the man I loved.

Coming to my senses, I bolted around the desk, collapsing to my knees by Jacob’s side, tears streaming down my face. “Jacob, oh my god! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry. What have I done?”

His head lolled to the side, his teary eyes meeting mine, and a small, sad smile curled on his lips. “It’s okay, angel,” he said, his words broken. “I deserve this. I deserve to die for everything I’ve done to you.”

“No, no, no,” I cried, my trembling fingers plucking the buttons of his shirt open to see where the wound was. “Please, Jacob, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I don’t want you to die. I never meant…”

He reached for my hand, stopping my frantic movements as he wrapped his cold hand around mine. “Angel, look at me.” With blurry vision, I met his eyes. “I’m the one who’s sorry.” he paused, coughing to clear his croaky voice. “I hurt you, one thing I vowed never to do. I should never have loaned your parents that money; then you would never have met me.”

“No, Jacob, don’t say that,” I sobbed, squeezing his hand. Everything that had happened moments before was long gone from my head; my only focus on the man lying before me, his shirt growing wetter as more blood seeped from the wound I had caused. “I love you, Jacob. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Please, I can’t live without you.”

More tears burst free as grief, remorse, and regret combined to create an overpowering emotion that I couldn’t handle. I fell forward, resting my head on his chest, needing to hear his heartbeat.

My entire body shook violently with my sobs; it didn’t matter what had happened in the past; I didn’t want to live without Jacob; I didn’t think I was capable of surviving without him. Even before I knew him, he’d protected me. He was the only one who noticed me, who loved me for who I was.

And I’d shot him.

“Shh,” Jacob cooed, stroking a hand down my hair and coating it with his blood. “I know you love me, sweetheart, and I love you too. More than anything. I can die a happy man knowing that for a short period of time, I had the best thing that ever happened to me. I had you, angel.”

My tears came heavier, and just as I pulled myself up from Jacob’s chest to beg him to live for me, the office door swung open. My head whipped to where Johnston stormed in, my panicked gaze meeting his as he looked from me to Jacob, and back to me again.

“What the fuck happened?” he yelled, falling to his knees on the other side of Jacob and shoving my hand away so he could search for the wound like I had tried.

“I…I…I” I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that this was my fault, that I had shot Jacob.

When he ripped open Jacob’s shirt, he cursed as he took in the blood coating Jacob’s chest before his furious eyes found mine. “Go and find a first aid kit!”

“I want to stay with Jacob.”

“Unless you want him to bleed out, go and find a fucking first aid kit,” Johnston snarled.

Jacob reached for my hand. “It’s okay, angel. Do what he says. I’ll be fine.”

Reluctantly, I got to my feet, and on shaky legs, I sprinted from the office. If there was even the slightest chance of saving Jacob, I would do it. I flew down the stairs, pausing only when Wallace appeared in front of me, his brows pulled together in question.

I brushed my tears away. “Jacob’s hurt. I need a first aid kit.” Wallace blinked at me several times as if he didn’t understand the urgency of my demand. “Wallace! Where’s the first aid kit?” He raised his hands, making a motion like he was stirring a bowl. “The kitchen?”

At his nod, I took off again, racing through the house and hoping I could find it in time. Reaching the kitchen, I started tugging open cupboards, searching high and low for any sign of the kit, and trying my hardest to keep my tears at bay.