Chapter 8 - The Confrontation
“PUT THE GUN DOWN!”
The voice roared through the darkened room like thunder.
Vanessa spun around. Standing in the doorway, soaked in rain, his eyes blazing with pure, lethal fury, was Adrien.
He didn’t have a weapon, but his presence was so terrifyingly dominant that even the unhinged Vanessa took a step back. Behind him, the sound of police sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder every second.
“Adrien...” Vanessa breathed, her hand shaking. “You came for me.”
“Put the gun down, Vanessa,” Adrien said, taking a slow, deliberate step into the room. His eyes flicked to Rosa, ensuring she and Mia were unharmed, before locking back onto Vanessa. “It’s over. The police are entering the driveway right now. You have nowhere to go.”
“I don’t care!” Vanessa screamed, her voice breaking into sob-like shrieks. “Look at what you did to me! I loved you, Adrien! We were going to rule this city together! And you threw me away for them!”
“You never loved me,” Adrien said coldly, taking another step closer, putting himself in the line of fire. “You loved my money. You loved my name. But you don’t know the first thing about love. Love protects. Love sacrifices. You are incapable of either.”
“Stop coming closer!” Vanessa yelled, pointing the gun back and forth between Adrien and Rosa. “I’ll shoot him! I swear to God I’ll shoot him, Rosa!”
Rosa’s heart stopped. She couldn’t let Adrien die for them.
“Vanessa, wait!” Rosa called out, stepping out from behind Adrien’s path. “You want me. I’m the one you hate. Let Adrien and Mia go.”
Vanessa’s eyes shifted to Rosa, her face twisting in disgust. “You really think you’re special, don't you? You think he loves you? You’re just a maid! A dirty, penniless nobody!”
“She is worth a thousand of you,” Adrien said quietly.
That was the final straw.
Vanessa’s face twisted in pure rage. She leveled the gun directly at Adrien’s chest and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The gunshot exploded in the room.
In that split second, Rosa didn’t think. She didn’t hesitate. She threw her body in front of Adrien.
The bullet struck Rosa in the shoulder. She gasped, the force of the impact knocking her backward into Adrien’s arms. Blood instantly began to bloom across her white sweater.
“ROSA!” Adrien screamed.
Before Vanessa could fire a second shot, the glass windows behind her shattered completely.
Three SWAT officers breached the room through the balcony, tackling Vanessa to the floor. The gun clattered across the marble as Vanessa was pinned down, screaming and flailing as heavy steel handcuffs were slapped onto her wrists.
“Secured! Intruder in custody!” an officer yelled.
Adrien didn’t care about Vanessa. He collapsed to the floor, holding Rosa in his arms.
“Rosa! Rosa, look at me!” Adrien panicked, pressing his hands against the wound on her shoulder to stop the bleeding. His hands were covered in her warm blood. “Stay with me! Look at my eyes!”
Mia was crying loudly nearby, kneeling beside them. “Mommy! Mommy!”
Rosa looked up at Adrien, her vision blurring at the edges, her face pale. She lifted a trembling, blood-stained hand and touched Adrien’s cheek.
“Mia...” Rosa whispered weakly. “Keep... keep her safe...”
“I will, I promise!” Adrien sobbed, tears spilling down his face, dropping onto her cheeks. “But I need you too, Rosa! Don’t you dare close your eyes! I love you! Do you hear me?! I love you!”
May you like
Rosa offered a faint, tired smile. “I know...”
Her hand slipped from his cheek, and her eyes closed as darkness took her.
