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“You know, Reaper, you didn’t just hit Hannah, you also sent her into a man’s arms who is only going to use her and spit her out. And thanks to you, right now he is the person she’s thinking of running away with!” Brad screwed the silencer onto the end of the gun. He wasn’t serious about shooting Dad, was he?

He pointed the gun back at Dad. And this time Dad was actually looking at him. He uncrossed his arms.

“Right arm. Right under the elbow. So it hurts when I write.” Dad was giving Brad directions. Dad had actually given some thought into where Brad was going to shoot him!

I looked between them. They couldn’t be serious?

Brad went to aim.

“Okay, fucking stop it! No one is shooting anyone!” I stepped in between Brad’s gun and Dad. “Put the gun down.”

“Fucking move, Tyson.” Brad wasn’t even listening to me.

I looked at Mum. “Come on, Mum, you aren’t seriously going to let Brad shoot Dad?” I looked at her, hoping the mother I knew who was extremely smart and thought before she acted was listening. She would put her life in front of Dad’s. Everyone knew that. So I was finding it really hard to believe she was going to let someone—not just anyone, but Brad—shoot Dad.

Dad was standing there, ready to take it and I watched Mum’s eyes go from the gun to Dad.

“Come on, Mum? You can’t seriously let Brad shoot him!” I couldn’t believe she wasn’t already barking for Brad to back down.

She slowly nodded her head and walked away from the couch and to Brad. “Tyson is right.” Mum’s hand went around the gun, taking it from Brad. “You can’t shoot him, Brad.”

I exhaled slowly. Finally someone was seeing sense. But then it happened so bloody quickly I wasn’t sure I had seen it right. Mum lifted that gun and fired.

“But I can.” Mum handed the gun back to Brad. Not looking one bit sorry for what she’d just done.

This was a side of Mum I hadn’t seen. I looked at her in disbelief. Cold was not a word I would use to describe Mum, but right now that was the only word to sum up her expression and what she’d just done.

“Fuck, Mum!” I couldn’t believe she had just done it. I didn’t know which was worse; that Mum shot Dad or that Dad was just standing there, not even letting the pain capture his face. His eyes had gone off Mum and were back on the door.

He didn’t even give a fuck that blood was running down his arm.

“For fuck’s sake, have you all gone mental?!” I yelled at all of them and went to Dad. God, Mum couldn’t just shoot Dad like that!

Dad fucked up. We all knew that. But I think what everyone else was forgetting was Dad loved Hannah more than all of us put together.

“I think he gets off lightly.” Eve’s attention was back on us, and this time she was showing a side I hadn’t seen. I saw the tears slowly running down her cheeks. “Dad gets a sore arm. I lose a sister. If you ask me, I know which one I would take.” Eve’s words were bitter and her attention went back on the driveway. Then she pushed herself away from the window. “I can’t look any longer. We all know she’s going to get in that car.”

Eve walked to the couch and sat down. Her eyes were on the ground while tears ran slowly down her cheeks.

My stomach dropped hearing Eve say it out loud. Yeah, we did know how this was going to end. Hannah was getting in that car. She was going to leave.

My eyes went to Dad’s bullet wound. That bullet wound was going to be a reminder to him of the day he lost his daughter. And the day I lost my sister.

Then I heard it. I think we all heard it at the same time. The car pulled away. We all listened till it disappeared. My heart was pounding twice as fast as normal, watching, listening for any sign saying Hannah was still here.

I glanced at Dad and his eyes were still on the front door. He was still hoping. More time passed and there was no noise, and that front door he was hoping would open, didn’t.

We weren’t a religious family. But right now, I knew every Wilson in the room was praying that Hannah hadn’t got in that car. I sure as fuck was.

More time passed and I couldn’t put it off any longer. My eyes went to Mum. I didn’t want to see the pain in her eyes. I didn’t know how she was going to react. She had meant it when she said to Dad their marriage was over if Hannah left.

Mum’s eyes were on Dad. Dad’s eyes, however, were stilled glued to the door. He was still hoping Hannah was going to walk through it.

A few more minutes passed and then Dad’s eyes finally left the door and went to Mum. I knew I was about to see my family fall apart and it fucking terrified me. Hannah left. She’d gone. I knew we had zero chance of getting her back.

Dad wouldn’t put his resources into finding her. He’d promised her he would let her leave, and he would let her go.

I had never felt so fucking furious. Well, he might have told her he wasn’t going after her, but I sure as fuck never made that promise.

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