Chapter 80
Gradually, they finished off the men outside. Feeling cornered, Fabricio searched his pocket for a lighter and set fire to the curtains. Then, he took giant steps toward the women, his eyes vacant. When he reached them, a sinister laugh escaped his mouth, followed by terrifying words.
“We’ll be married to the flames in here.”Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g
At that moment, the door was knocked down. Oscar entered, accompanied by Damian.
“Surrender, Fabricio. Your men have been captured,” shouted Oscar from the entrance, knowing that any wrong move could endanger the lives of the women and his daughter.
Fabricio was very close to Lindsey. He pushed her, taking the girl from her and using her as a shield. The baby cried desperately in his tight grip.
“Are you the murderer of my son?” he expressed with a cold look. “I’m going to show you what it feels like to see your child dead.” He aimed the gun at the baby’s head.
Courney felt a sharp pang in her belly, sending a shiver through her body. Her mind clouded, and she whispered to herself, ‘I will never hold my own child in my arms. What more suffering can I experience?’ Then she glanced at Fabricio, observed the expression on his face, the same as her son’s when he showed no mercy to her. She felt that pain in the soul where you think your life is not worth living. With all the effort her body could muster, she stood up. Another thought came to her mind, ‘If my son is no longer here, that girl has the chance to have a better life than me. For the first time in your life, Courney, do something good.’ She calculated her move and jumped onto Fabricio, making him release the girl and shot at her.
Oscar, seeing Courney’s move, shouted, “No…!” Running at the same time that Fabricio let go of the girl, but he didn’t have time to prevent the shot.
Oscar quickly handed the girl to a paralyzed Lindsey and crouched down to take Courney in his arms. Tears appeared on his face, and with a broken voice, he whispered, “Why did you do it, my love?”
“For Oriana,” she mumbled very slowly.
Damian also ran towards them and managed to disarm Fabricio. He turned him around, placing his head towards the floor, handcuffed him, coughed a bit, and with an irritated throat shouted, “Let’s get out of here; the fire is gaining strength.”
Kyle was anxious outside the cabin. A police officer didn’t let him in. He heard a gunshot and saw flames peeking through the window of the house. His heart started pounding with apprehension. Regardless of the uniformed officer, he forcefully pushed him aside. Striding quickly, he found his wife with worry on her face, approached, and hugged her with Oriana in his lap. Then he separated from her and led her outside with the others.
Oscar, holding Courney in his arms, shouted in fear, “Lin! Stay with Oriana; I’m going to the hospital with your sister.”
“Courney, don’t die, little sister, don’t leave me,” Lindsey screamed desperately with the child in her arms.
A paramedic approached Lindsey and took the girl to check on her. Kyle held her from behind.
“Calm down, my love; your sister will be fine.”
Freed approached them and asked puzzled, “And where is Kathen?”
Lindsey wiped tears from her cheeks and answered with a muted voice, “Fabricio shot her; she’s still inside.”
Everyone stared at the house burning, knowing there was nothing they could do for her.
“She’s burning in hell; I hope her screams were agonizing,” Lindsey expressed with anger.
Everyone got into the cars. Lindsey handed the girl to Freed to be taken care of at the mansion. She asked Kyle to take her straight to the hospital.
The ambulance carrying Courney was speeding. She had been shot in the stomach.
Upon reaching the hospital, they were already waiting; the doctors rushed towards her and admitted her directly to the operating room. Oscar’s gaze was lost; in a short time, Courney had found her way into his heart. He didn’t care about her past; she had already shown that she could be a good mother to Oriana and that she had changed. He was on edge, his hands trembling, murmuring to himself. “God, don’t take her like you did with Anna, please, not again. Allow me to give Oriana a family. Please, God, let Courney withstand the surgery.”
Lindsey rushed into the hospital and found Oscar sitting in a chair with a distraught expression.
“How is Courney? What have they told you?”
“Nothing! She’s still in the operating room, and Oriana…”
“Oriana is at the mansion, don’t worry about her. She’ll be well taken care of.”
“Thank you,” he replied with a thin voice.
Lindsey sat down beside her husband, resting her head on his shoulder. He gently stroked her hair to offer comfort. Kyle felt like his soul was leaving his body
Kyle felt his soul leaving his body as he saw his wife so depressed. He couldn’t believe that a day that promised happiness had turned into a tragedy.
Meanwhile, in the same hospital, Isa entered anxiously, inquiring about Dexter. They informed her that he was also in the operating room, having the bullet removed, and she would soon receive news about him. She approached her friend and sat down to wait.
Two hours later, a doctor came out of one of the operating rooms and approached the waiting area.
“Are you family of Mr. Dexter Grade?”
Isa stood up immediately and took two steps toward the doctor. With anguish in her voice, she asked, “I am his partner. How is he, doctor?”
“We removed the bullet from the man; the wound is not too severe. He will be fine. At the moment, they are transferring him to a room, and he is sedated.”
“Can I see him?”
“Yes, come with me.”
Isa glanced back at her friend. “I’m going to see how Dexter is, and then I’ll be back.”
“Stay with him, my friend. Don’t leave him alone. Courney has us. I’ll send you any information I get about her.”
Isa nodded and followed the doctor’s steps. She entered a cold room. Tears welled up in her eyes as she saw him there, asleep, covered by a white sheet. She approached, gave him a gentle kiss on the lips, and then sat in a chair, waiting for him to wake up.