I remembered the day I took a bullet for him, shielding him during that ambush on our trip back to the capital.
He held me in his arms, his voice shaking as he promised he’d never let me get hurt again—that he’d protect me for the rest of my life.
Now? He was the one hurting me.
My eyes stung with unshed tears. Ignoring the pain in my stomach, I forced myself forward and yanked open the car door.
The ride to the church felt surreal.
In the front car, Alexis and Janice acted like they were on some casual road trip, frequently stopping to admire the view.
Halle's POV
This time, the pain was unbearable. Blood had already soaked through the bandages on my abdomen.
I closed my eyes, trying to hold on, but memories of being with Alexis kept flooding my mind.
By the time we finally got out of the car, my face was already streaked with tears.
Alexis was walking side by side with Janice, strolling around the church grounds.
He told me to kneel alone in front of the altar and pray for Janice's recovery while they wandered off.
By the time midnight rolled around, I couldn’t hold out anymore. I collapsed on the cold stone floor and passed out.
When I came to, I saw Roy moving hurriedly toward a corner of the temple.
That’s when I noticed what was in his hands: a small urn.
My heart seized. I ignored the pain in my body and rushed forward, ripping the urn from his grip.
“This is my child’s ashes!” I cried. “What are you doing with it?”
Roy frustratingly sighed, “The spiritualist said Miss Brewer is being haunted by a child’s spirit, so Mr. Stanley asked me to bring the ashes so the spiritualist could take care of it.”
I clutched the urn tightly, refusing to let go. “No!”
He didn’t dare to fight me for it. Instead, he called Alexis.
“Halle,” he said when he arrived, “just listen to me. Give me the urn.”
I blinked back tears, my voice trembling. “Alexis, this was your child, too! How can you be so heartless? Janice—”
Before I could finish, he slapped me. His hand shook slightly afterward, like maybe—just maybe—he felt a shred of regret.
“Janice doesn’t know anything about this,” he said coldly. “And she never will. Don't bring this up again.”
“I know I wronged you about the child,” he added. “But we’ll just have another. I’ll make it up to you.”
And just like that, he signaled his bodyguards to grab me. He then forced the urn from my hands and walked away.