Margaux felt fury rise like a wave. "How dare you bring your jinx here?" she growled through clenched teeth. "Gabriel will be fine. Just get out!" She pointed at the entrance.
Cecilia smirked at the visible pain in Margaux's eyes, a proof that Madelyn, too, must be overwhelmed by everything. But in a heartbeat, her face shifted back to a sympathetic expression.
"I know you and your siblings don't like me, but I've been trying my best to be a good mother," Cecilia said, voice soft. "Do you need help with anything? Money for the surgery?"
Margaux scoffed. If she took that money, Cecilia would broadcast it to the media with a twisted narrative. "I don't need your money. Not even a dime. If I do, I'll ask my father," she said firmly, remembering how many times she'd already tried to call him.
Cecilia let out a low, mocking laugh. "What makes you think he'll give it to you? He won't even spare a dime. I'm the only one he listens to. So speak to me with some respect," she added, her tone sharper.
Margaux's fists clenched at the painful truth. Her chest ached.
"I can clear the rest of Gabriel's bill if you don't want the operation to be cut short," Cecilia added with calculated calm.
Margaux frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I'm one of the sponsors of this hospital. The owner is a dear friend of mine," Cecilia said with pride. "If I recall correctly, no operation here is supposed to proceed without full payment. The surgeons broke protocol for you."
"You can't stop it now! Gabriel's life is on the line!"
"Then beg me. I want to see both you and Madelyn on your knees, crying—sincerely—begging me to let the surgery continue."
"I'm not begging you. I'll never kneel to you!" Margaux snapped.
Cecilia shrugged, already pulling her phone from her purse. "All you have to do is cry and beg sincerely until my heart's content. Unless, of course, you want Gabriel to bleed to death."
She dialed the hospital owner's number. It started ringing.
Margaux's heart dropped. It hadn't even been an hour since the surgeons began treating Gabriel's bleeding. She couldn't let anything happen to him. Not now—not with Madelyn walking into danger. Their lives couldn't hang in the balance because of her pride. She had vowed never to give Cecilia the satisfaction, but now...
Her jaw clenched, fists trembling.
The call connected.
"Hello, Cecilia!" the owner answered from the other end.
"Hello, dear," Cecilia said sweetly. "I have a complaint regarding—"
Her words faltered when she saw Margaux drop to her knees.
Margaux bowed her head, hiding the tears pooling in her eyes.
"Please, Mrs. Cecilia," she begged softly, "let Gabriel go through with his surgery. I swear I'll pay the remaining amount before the weekend."
"Hold on," Cecilia said to the caller before ending the call.
Straightening her spine, she basked in the arrogance that always followed her like a cloud. "I can't hear you properly. And I don't see any tears either."
Margaux let the tears stream. "I'm begging. Please don't stop Gabriel's surgery. I didn't mean to disrespect you all this time." her voice cracked with emotions.
Cecilia chuckled. "This is how it should be, Margaux. A respectful child who listens. I'm not that heartless. I'll let the surgery continue."
With that, she turned and left the hospital, though disappointment bubbled in her chest.
As soon as she was out of sight, Margaux bolted out of the hospital with determination to find Madelyn.
****
The ride stretched on. She eventually noticed they were out of the city. The pouring rain fell across the windshield, blurring the edges of the lonely road they traveled. The air was crispy, and unsettling.
Goosebumps crawled across her skin. Her pulse quickened when the cab began to slow in the middle of nowhere.
"This isn't my destination. Why are we stopping here?" she asked, her voice sharp with unease.
The driver's eyes met hers in the rearview mirror, strange and unsettling. His mask shadowed much of his features.
"It's disappointing we can't cross this bridge together," he said, still staring through the mirror. "So, I'm here to see you off, Madelyn."
A chill surged down her spine.
That voice.
Fear bloomed in her chest. Without hesitation, she opened the door and dashed from the car, pushing her legs into motion under the pouring rain. She looked around for help—any sign of people or cars. But there was nothing. Just the rain, the headlights, and the skeletal frame of the unfinished bridge.
Her breath caught when she glanced over her shoulder and saw him following.
No. No, no, no.
She ran. But her ankle twisted sharply under her weight, and she fell hard onto the wet ground.
"Ahhh…" she cried out, pain ripping through her leg. Her tears returned, hot and fast.
She crawled backward on her hands, dragging herself toward the bridge's edge, trying to maintain distance. Her body slammed against the cold concrete guardrail. She tried to stand, but her ankle gave way. All she could do was look up at him with pleading, terrified eyes.
He came closer. Slow. Unbothered.
"Tired of running?" he said with cruel amusement as he removed his mask.
Seeing his deadly aim at her abdomen, she instinctively wrapped her arms around her belly, trying desperately to shield her unborn child.
"No, don't do it! Please, Rafael. I'm begging you. Let me go," she cried, her voice shaking with fear.
"Do you really think I'll let you walk away that easily?" he sneered, voice laced with venom. "How foolish of you to believe you could leave me like it meant nothing," His eyes darkened. "If I can't have you, Madelyn no one would. And I hope we never meet again—even in the next life."
A sinister smile curved his lips.
Then came the shot.
BANG!
The deafening gunshot tore through the quiet surrounding.
In the blink of an eye, a sharp, searing pain sliced through her chest. Her body convulsed as a strangled gasp tore from her lips, her face twisting in agony, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at him.
Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground like a withered leaf in the wind. He smirked at her in resentment, watching coldly as she battled the creeping shadow of death.
Hot tears streamed from the corners of her eyes, disappearing into her hair as she stretched out a trembling hand—desperate, pleading to God for a mercy since she had never believed in until now. She searched the sky with blurred vision, silently calling out to a power she had long dismissed.
She was choking on her breath, her strength fading as the warmth of life drained from her body.
No... I can't die like this. Not yet. Not without my revenge.
Please... let me live this once.. Please
The thunder rumbled loudly in the sky, followed by lightning.
She sobbed in her mind, teeth clenched against the pain, her body trembling in the growing pool of her own blood. Her vision dimmed. Sleep beckoned like a final whisper.
Without a word, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the thick fog, leaving her to die on that cold, desolate bridge.
Madelyn's fading gaze followed his retreating figure. Her bloodied hand curled into a quivering fist.
Resentment flared in her chest—hotter than the pain, stronger than death.