Armed police swept in before anyone could process what was happening, their weapons drawn and pointed. Leading the way, the officer fixed his stare on Joanne.
This is your final warning. Drop the knife! If you hurt the pregnant woman again, I will open fire!
Every ounce of hesitation drained from Joanne s face, quickly replaced by bitterness and a twisted sort of amusement. Tears streaked her cheeks as she laughed bitterly.
So you involved the authorities, Joanne snapped, glaring at Jeffery. Her voice trembled, raw and broken. Don t pretend I can t see what s really going on. All of this is for Alicia! You d throw yourself into danger for her without a second thought!
Linsey s pulse stumbled at Joanne s accusation. She had no idea whether it was her own emergency call or a bystander s that had brought the officers to the scene. Regret crept into her thoughts, a heaviness settling in her chest. Thinking back, she realized dialing the police so quickly had been hasty. Even if it felt urgent, there might have been a safer way to help Alicia without setting off this
Chain reaction. Escalating the tension now only made things worse. Joanne, already unstable, seemed ready to snap.
All at once, Linsey s fears became reality. Joanne, consumed by rage, drew the blade across Alicia s neck without hesitation.
Shock widened Alicia s eyes, her pupils shrinking as confusion overtook her. Her strength drained away, and she slumped sideways, collapsing without resistance.
A single, desperate name tore from Jeffery s throat. Alicia!
The scream echoed through the room, shaking Linsey to her core.
Joanne s rage only deepened. With hate twisting her features, she lifted the knife again, aiming for Alicia s stomach. For Joanne, everything came back to loss. Alicia and the unborn child stood in the way of any future with Jeffery, and the pain twisted her soul.
The world seemed to slow for Linsey, her senses narrowing to the chaos unfolding before her. A rush of movement caught her attention someone lunging forward to intervene.
Suddenly, a gunshot cracked through the room just as the knife tore through flesh. Crying and shouting erupted in the chaos, voices rising, panic spreading all around.
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Somehow, above the noise, Linsey noticed the sound of frantic, uneven breathing. It took her a moment to realize Alicia had fallen into her arms, blood seeping from the wound at her neck. Her gaze fluttered open for just a second.
Only a whisper escaped Alicia s lips. The baby
The words barely formed before her eyes slid shut, consciousness slipping away.
Alicia! Jeffery s palms slammed against the floor as he crawled toward her, his face ghostly pale, eyes glassy with panic and locked on her crumpled form. Doctor! Somebody get a doctor! Save her! he cried out, his voice cracking with anguish, the words raw with desperation.
Linsey stood frozen. It wasn t until her gaze dropped to Jeffery s back that she saw it the blood-slick handle of a knife still lodged deep between his shoulder blades. His shirt was soaked through, the crimson spreading outward like ink on wet cloth, drop by drop pattering against the floor until a dark, glistening pool formed beneath him.
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