Page 104 of Bittersweet Revenge

I took a deep, shaky breath as my eyes locked with Caleb’s. Despite the fear I saw in his, I felt a certain comfort. ‘I love you,’ I mouthed to him.

His jaw locked, his eyes morphing from fear to determination. “Take me instead,” he told her. “I’m his heir.”

“Caleb, have you lost your damn mind?!” James barked at him and for the first time, I saw genuine concern in his eyes.

“Why not?” White asked, taking the bait. “You took our baby away. Maybe it will be retribution. I was eighteen, James! Eighteen! ‘It’s not the right time for a child, Anna; Jacklyn is pregnant, Anna; we'll have a family soon, you and I, but I need time to make things right for us. We need to deal with your commitment to William first. You can’t have my child now, but later. I swear, Anna,’ and I'd listened! I. LISTENED!”

I froze. Despite having a gun to my head, I couldn't help but feel bad for her. This was the man she'd told me she was in love with. She'd been so into him that she had done all of his biddings.

“Anna, doing this will get you nowhere,” James pleaded.

Jacklyn snorted. “You’re really good at destroying a woman’s sanity, James. I have to give you that.” Her bravado was back. She was standing straighter, her arms crossed on her chest. The hate she felt for her husband finally had purpose.

“Not now, Jacklyn. Not now.”

I had to hand it to her. She was a cold bitch, but I couldn’t help but be impressed. She was a force to be reckoned with.

“When you told me that you couldn’t get over your obsession with Victoria, I understood what you wanted!” White pressed on. “When you told me you would be able to move on and be with me if she was gone, I did it for you! Always for you! You made me a murderer and gave me nothing more than empty promises.”

“Don't listen to her. She is obviously lying,” James scoffed.

I glared at him. Sure, why not antagonize the scorned woman with a gun.

“Actually, I don't think she is,” Caleb piped in, taking a step closer. Anne missed it, but I didn't. I silently begged him to stay back. “She might have done it, but she didn’t have the means or the power to get Phang on board, to hide evidence and create fake reports. Only you did,” he added, looking at his father. His voice was eerily calm like he was planning something.

“Caleb, you don't know what you’re talking about. You’d better shut up,” James barked, letting go of his mask and showing us the monster he truly was.

“Phang called you, didn’t he? He told you we went poking around. We were tracking his phone by the way. You walked right into that one.”

“Victoria didn’t want him. That was inconceivable for James Astor, but he was much too proud to just take her out,” Jacklyn said. She waved her hand toward Ms. White. “He used the idiot here to do it for him. Don’t blame yourself, honey, you’re not the first one to do idiotic things for this man, me included.”

I looked at her with confusion. Then anger overtook my fear. Was she trying to get me killed? How could she look so cool and composed?

Jacklyn waved her hand dismissively. “Let the little girl go. Kill him instead. It’ll teach him.”

Ah, I see. Redirecting the gun was her tactic and it wasn't a bad one for anyone who wanted to take her husband out.

“He is obsessed with her,” Anne countered. “She looks just like Victoria.”

Jacklyn shook her head. “He is just obsessed with her because she is Caleb’s and the boy was foolish enough to fall in love with her. James thrives on misery. Caleb is not allowed to succeed where he failed. Isn’t that right James? Whoever your son will ever love, you’ll take away? To make him the perfect, cold, and bitter heir you want him to be?”

“You’re right,” White whispered so softly that I was convinced it was not meant for anyone’s ears. “The only thing that matters to him is his heir.”

The gun moved from the side of my head, but I didn't feel any relief as she pointed it at Caleb’s instead. “The only thing you care about is your legacy. I’m going to take it from you, even if it’s the last thing I do! You took my child, I'm taking yours!”

Caleb looked at me, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. He gave me a small smile as if to say 'it’s okay. I’ll happily die for you. I love you.'

“ANNA, DON’T!” James roared as Jacklyn's face morphed into pure horror.

I felt it before she did it. White's body tensed, bracing for the recoil of the gun, and I just reacted. I couldn't let Caleb die, not for me, not for anyone. I pushed backward with all my strength, with all that I felt, the fear of Caleb being gone. The power these feelings, this surge of adrenaline, gave me, surprised me as we went through the French doors in an audible crash.

I heard her scream at the same time as pain slashed through me. The remains of broken glass had broken through my skin. Then suddenly White was not behind me anymore and I fell freely. The last thing I saw before my head connected with the hard floor of the balcony was James holding his throat. Blood poured through his fingers. His face was frozen in sheer shock.

I felt the crack of my skull all the way to the bottom of my spine. Everything became blurry, the voices muffled. But I knew Caleb was safe and so I sank into oblivion in relative peace.

Chapter 21- Caleb

I fell in and out of sleep to the rhythmic beat of the hospital heart monitor – the proof that my Esmeralda was still with us. I moved in my seat, wincing as my neck cracked. I was going to pay for these last two nights spent on this uncomfortable chair, but there was no way in hell I was going to leave Esme after she'd risked her life for me.

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