bChapter /bb490 /b

    The re of a car horn cut throu

    the air. Jessica instinctively turned her head.

    “Jessi!” Brian’s voice roared from behind, his head dangerously hanging out of his speeding car window.

    “Damn it!” Madeline snarled, pressing the knife harder against Jessica’s neck. “Lose him now, or I’ll slit your throatb!” /b

    “Madeline, let her go!” Brian’s heart nearly stopped at the sight of the knife glinting at Jessica’s neck. When he had rushed to the café, the guards had only suspected Madeline’s involvement, but seeing it firsthand shattered him.

    Self–loathing choked him. He thought, ‘This is my fault. I should’ve protected Jessi better,’

    The car engine roared as Brian ignored police sirens, inching closer to force Jessica’s car to stop.

    Jessica noticed his pursuit, and tears blurred her vision.

    Madeline’s eyes gleamed with frenzy as Brian’s car gained ground. “Drive faster!” She pressed the de harder.

    “Stay calm.” Jessica white–knuckled the wheel. “Let me go, and I’ll forget this. For the baby’s sake.”

    The riverbank loomed ahead. Recent storms had left the waters raging. Jessica’s nerves frayed further at the sight.

    “Shut up and drive!” Madeline was beyond reason. With no real pregnancy to protect her, she would be doomed once Brian caught her.

    Jessica refused to y along. As the bridge approached, she eased off the elerator.

    “What are you doing? Speed up!” Madeline shrieked, grabbing for the wheel. “Move. Damn! I’ll do it myself.”

    “No!” Jessica’s stomach lurched. The guardrails were broken, and the road was slick with leftover mud. She had to move carefully. Otherwise…

    The tires screeched as the car skidded on the muddy road. It sent a jolt of sheer terror through Jessica.

    “Stop this madness! We can talk.” Jessica fought for control, but Madeline wrestled violently, ignoring the skidding car.

    Cold sweat drenched Jessica. A cramp twisted through her abdomen. She gasped, “Stop!”

    The car mmed into the broken guardrails.

    “Jessica!” Madeline’s eyes bulged.

    In the struggle, the car veered, plunging toward the river.

    As the car hurtled downward, Madeline’s grip on the knife ckened.

    Seizing the chance, Jessica elbowed Madeline back and tore at her seatbelt, wing for bthe /bdoor.

    In a matter of seconds, icy water gushed in. A final, searing pain ripped through Jessica. “My baby…b” /b

    b172 /b

    13:12 bFri/bb, /bb29 /bbAug /b

    Brian mmed the brakes, tearing off his seatbelt before the car fully stopped. He sprinted to the riverbankb, /bbthen /bbfroze/bb. /bbA /bcrimson stain bloomed across the water where the car had plunged.

    b“/bJessi!” Without hesitation, he dove into the raging currents, fighting toward the spot where Jessica had disappeared. He begged silently, ‘Please be alive. Please, Jessi. Please be okay.‘

    By the time Jackson and the guards arrived, Brian had surfaced empty–handed a dozen times. His limbs were numb bfrom /bthe cold, yet he kept diving back in.

    “Find Jessi!” Brian roared when he spotted them.

    Jackson barked orders to the guards while blocking Brian’s path. “Mr. Atkinson, stop. You’ll drown!”

    “Get out of my way!” Brian shoved past Jackson and jumped again, but exhaustion and coldness had taken their toll. His strokes were sluggish, his lungs burning as he choked on river water. Yet he pushed forward, driven by ione /ithought, ‘I have

    to find Jessi.‘

    Jackson had no choice but to inform the Grant family immediately. Shrugging off his coat, he plunged in after Brian.

    Meanwhile, at the office, Dereck nearly copsed upon hearing Jessica was missing. The moment he regained his footing, he mobilized everypany guard to join the rescue.

    Dereck arrived just as Jackson dragged a half–conscious Brian onto the shore. Fueled by past grievances, Dereck strode forward and pped Brian hard. “You again? You’re a goddamn curse! Will you only be satisfied when my daughter is

    dead?”

    Already weakened from repeated dives, the p nearly sent Brian crumpling to the ground.

    Jackson barely caught Brian in time.

    Regaining his senses, Brian shoved him away, copsing to his knees before Dereck. “I failed her,” Brian said in a trembling voice. “Let me save her. I’ll bring her home.”

    With those words, he tried to rise, only to sway violently. His vision cked out as he nearly toppled into the river.

    “Mr. Atkinson!” Jackson seized him, refusing to let go.

    Dereck took in Brian’s ashen face, trembling hands, and soaked clothes. Reluctantly, he had to admit Brian had tried his

    best.

    Gazing at the search teamsbing ithe /iwater, Dereck clenched his fists. “Go. Jessica can swim. She’ll be fine.”

    Brian shook his head. “No. I’m staying. I won’t leave without her.” He struggled against Jackson’s grip, lunging toward the river again.

    Exasperated, Dereck kicked Brian. “Shut up. You’ll live to atone for this. Stop throwing your life away!”

    Even with Jackson’s support, Brian copsed onto the ground, his knees hitting hard. Yet he felt nothing. His hollow beyes /blocked Dereck in desperate appeal. “Please let me go. If she dies, I’ll die with her and beg for her bforgiveness /bbin /bbthe /bbnext /b

    life.”

    13:12 bFri/bb, /bb29 /bAug? b? /b