Chapter 177 (Scarlett’s POV) +25 Points: The police swarm through the warehouse like ants, their boots echoing against concrete, their radios crackling with static and urgent voices. Someone’s calling for medics. Someone else is securing the perimeter. But I can’t focus on any of it. Virginia and I are still on our knees beside James, our hands covered in his blood. Jasper stands behind us, one hand on my shoulder, the other on Virginia’s. Dorian’s talking to the officers, his voice low and urgent, explaining what happened. “We need to move back,” one of the paramedics says gently. “Let us work.” “No.” Virginia’s voice is raw, broken. “I’m not leaving him.” “Miss, please. We need space to-” “He’s my father!” She screams it, the words tearing from her throat. “He’s my father and I just found him and I’m not leaving!” The paramedic looks at his partner, uncertain. They both know what I can see in James’s face–the gray pallor of his skin, the way his chest barely moves, the blood that’s stopped flowing because there’s nothing left to pump. He’s dying. Maybe already dead. But then his fingers twitch. “Wait.” I grab the paramedic’s arm. “Look. He’s still-” noveldramaJames’s eyes flutter open, unfocused and glassy. His lips move, trying to form words, but only a wet, For original chapters go to Fɪnd-Novel.netrattling sound comes out. “Papa!” Virginia leans over him, her tears falling onto his face. “Papa, we’re here. We’re both here.” His gaze shifts slowly between us. Recognition flickers in his eyes, dim but present. “My girls,” he whispers. The words are barely audible over the chaos around us. “My beautiful girls.” “Don’t talk.” I press my hand over the wound in his chest, even though I know it’s useless. Even though I can feel his life slipping away beneath my fingers. “Save your strength. The paramedics are going to help you.” “No.” He manages a weak shake of his head. “Too late.” “Don’t say that.” Virginia’s sobbing openly now, her whole body shaking. “Don’t you dare say that. You’re going to be fine. You have to be fine.” 14 < Chapter 177 +25 Pasto James reaches up with trembling fingers, touching first Virginia’s face, then mine. His hand leaves bloody streaks across our cheeks. “Listen,” he rasps. “Both of you. Listen to me.” We lean closer, straining to hear over the noise. “You’re sisters,” he says. “Real sisters. Blood doesn’t matter. What matters is-” He coughs, blood bubbling at his lips. “What matters is you have each other now.” “Papa, please.” Virginia clutches his hand. “Please don’t leave us.” “I need you to promise me.” His eyes lock on Virginia’s. “Promise me you’ll take care of each other. Support each other. Be there when–when it gets hard.” “I promise,” Virginia chokes out. “I promise, Papa.” His gaze shifts to me. There’s so much in that look–regret, love, pride, sorrow. A lifetime of unspoken words compressed into a single moment. “Scarlett.” My name on his lips sounds like goodbye. “I’m sorry. For everything. For not–not being there for you when you needed me. For failing to protect you both.” “You protected us tonight.” Tears blur my vision until he’s just a shape in front of me. “You saved us both.” “Good.” A faint smile touches his lips. “That’s what fathers do.” The words break me completely. I press my forehead to his, our tears mixing with his blood. “I love you,” I whisper. “I love you so much. You gave me everything–a home, a family, a chance at happiness. I wouldn’t be who I am without you.” “And I love you.” His voice is fading, each word costing him. “Both of you. My daughters. My precious girls.” Virginia’s sobbing so hard she can barely speak. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for everything I did. For hating you. For believing Morgan’s lies. I wasted so much time-” “No.” James squeezes her hand weakly. “No wasted time. You’re here now. That’s all–all that matters.” His breathing is getting shallower, more labored. The paramedics are trying to move in, but Jasper holds them back with a look that says let them have this. “Stay together,” James says, his voice barely a whisper now. “Promise me. No matter what happens. No matter how hard it gets. You stay together.” “We promise,” I say, reaching for Virginia’s hand. She grabs it immediately, holding on like I’m the only thing keeping her anchored to earth. “We promise, Papa,” she echoes. James looks at our joined hands, and that faint smile returns. Peaceful. Content. < Chapter 177 “Blair,” he murmurs. “Tell Blair I–I tried my best. Tell her I love her. Tell her-” “You’ll tell her yourself,” Virginia insists. “When you wake up. You’ll tell her yourself.” But we both know that’s not going to happen. James’s eyes drift closed. His chest rises once, twice, then stops. “No.” Virginia shakes him gently. “No, Papa, come back. Please come back.” +25 Points: The paramedics move in quickly, checking for a pulse, starting compressions. But I can see it in their faces–the resignation, the knowledge that they’re going through the motions for our sake, not because there’s any hope. “Time of death-” one of them starts. “No!” Virginia launches herself at them, trying to push them away from James’s body. “No, you don’t get to say that! He’s not dead! He’s not-” Jasper catches her, pulling her back gently but firmly. She fights him at first, then collapses against his chest, her screams dissolving into broken sobs. I sit back on my heels, staring at James’s still face. His eyes are closed now, peaceful. Like he’s just sleeping. But he’s not sleeping. He’s gone. Really, truly gone this time. The man who chose me when my birth mother didn’t want me. Who taught me to ride a bike and helped me with my homework and walked me down the aisle. Who gave me everything and asked for nothing in return. Gone. Dorian appears beside me, crouching down. “Scarlett. We need to get you checked out. You might be injured-” “I’m fine.” My voice sounds hollow, distant. “I’m not hurt.” “You’re in shock.” He reaches for my arm, but I pull away. “I said I’m fine.” But I’m not fine. Because nothing will ever be the same again. Jasper’s still holding Virginia, who’s crying so hard she can barely breathe. Her whole body convulses with each sob, and I realize she’s hyperventilating. “Virginia.” I move to her side, touching her back. “Virginia, breathe. You need to breathe.” “I can’t.” She gasps between sobs. “I can’t do this. He’s gone. He’s really gone and I never–I never got to tell him-” < Chapter 177 “He knew.” I wrap my arms around her from behind, sandwiching her between Jasper and me. “He knew you loved him. You didn’t have to say it.” “But I should have.” She turns in Jasper’s arms, grabbing onto me instead. “I should have said it every day. I should have been the daughter he deserved instead of–instead of destroying everything.” “Stop.” I hold her tighter. “You heard what he said. He loved you. Both of us. Nothing else matters.” She clings to me like I’m the only thing holding her together. And ironically, she’s the only thing holding me together right now. Around us, the warehouse is slowly emptying. Morgan’s body has been covered with a sheet. Her men are being led away in handcuffs. The evidence team is marking bullet casings and taking photographs. And James is being loaded onto a stretcher, a white sheet pulled over his face. Virginia sees it and makes a sound like a wounded animal. “No. Don’t take him. Please don’t take him yet.” But they’re already moving, wheeling him toward the exit. Taking away the last chance to say goodbye. “We need to call Blair,” I hear myself say. The words feel wrong in my mouth, too calm for the chaos inside me. “She needs to know.” “She already knows,” Dorian says quietly. “She was the one who called the police. She’s at the hospital waiting for news.” Waiting for news that will destroy her. Waiting to hear that her husband died saving their daughters. Virginia’s crying has quieted to soft, broken whimpers. She’s still clutching my shirt, her face pressed against my shoulder. “I’ve got you,” I whisper, smoothing her hair back. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” Jasper’s watching us with red–rimmed eyes. When he reaches for me, I take his hand, letting him pull me close until we’re all three holding onto each other. The only family we have left. Violet Moon ” #Vote#! Comments