Chapter 25
He stepped closer, his face etched with desperation. “How did you know I was here, Gale?”
“As I saw Minnie come back early, I decided to follow her,” Gale admitted, his voice strained, carrying a mixture of desperation and guilt.
“As I suspected, she really did hang out with you like she usually does when she gets home early from work. I had to see you, Rachel.”
His words sent a chill through me. The fact that he had followed Minnie, trailing her movements just to find me, bordered on obsession.
“You had to see me?” I repeated, my tone sharp with disbelief. “Gale, this isn’t normal. You can’t just stalk my friends to track me down.”
“I wasn‘ t stalking,” he defended, his
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voice faltering. “I… I just needed to talk to you. To explain….”
I cut him off, holding up a hand. “No, Gale. We’ve talked. I’ve explained everything, repeatedly. There’s nothing left to say.”
His face crumpled, a crack forming in his composed façade. “Rachel, please… I know I made mistakes, but I’m trying to make things right.”
“By following my friends and cornering me at night?” I shot back, taking a step away from him. “That’s not making things right. That‘ s controlling, Gale. And that’s exactly why I left.”
He stepped forward, closing the gap between us. “Rachel, don‘ t you see? I’m doing this because I can’t let you go. You‘ re the only thing that’s ever felt real in my life, and I was too blind to see it until
you were gone.
“Stay back!” I shouted, my voice
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trembling. “If you come any closer, I‘ 11 call the police.”
Gale froze, his hands clenching at his sides as if physically restraining himself from reaching out.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “I just… I don‘ t know how else to show you that I’ve changed.”
I could not trust his words. I could not trust him.
Desperate to escape, I turned and stepped off the curb without looking.
In my fear, I did not see the car speeding towards me.
Everything happened so quickly.
In an instant, Gale lunged toward me, pushing me out of the car‘ s path.
The impact sent him sprawling onto the pavement, the sickening sound of metal against flesh reverberating in the air.
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Gasps echoed around us as a crowd gathered. Someone called an ambulance while others pulled out their phones, snapping pictures of the scene.
I laid on the ground, stunned and trembling. My vision blurred, and the last thing I heard before losing consciousness was the distant sound of sirens.
When I woke up, the sterile smell of the hospital filled my senses. Panic surged through me as I bolted upright.
“Gale!” I gasped.
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