I couldn’t contain my tears as I saw my father appear at the door. He looked gaunt and pale, but he was free. At last!

Mom and I could take care of him again.

Only last month, we all felt so hopeless, thinking Dad would never get out of jail. But now he was truly free.

My mother ran toward my father. They hugged tightly, crying together.

I let them have this moment. I would have my time with Dad later, at home, and I swore to be always by his side from now on.

When they finally let each other go, they both looked at me, big smiles on their faces.

I ran toward my parents. The both hugged me, and we cried again. Our tears were washing away the horrors of the past months. We had a new chapter in our lives now.

“My little girl, I have missed you so much,” my Dad said, his voice thick with emotion.

“I missed you, too, Dad.”

“Let’s go home,” Mom said.

“Is everything taken care of?” Dad asked, wiping his tears.

“Yes, Dad. You’re free to go home.”

“I have to warn you, guys, there’s a horde of press waiting out front,” Mr. Gatz said behind us.

“What about the back exit?” I asked.

“The paparazzi. They know we’re going to try to avoid the media so they’re waiting out back. Sneaky bastards.”

“Let’s leave this place like we came in. No hiding. I have absolutely nothing to hide,” Dad said.

I smiled at my father, my heart swelling with pride for the courage that he so valiantly showed us from the beginning of his ordeal until this very moment. He’d been hurt, humiliated and judged so harshly, but he was still standing tall and strong, his dignity intact.

I’d never been more proud of him.

Hand in hand, we walked to the front of the Manhattan City Jail.

Two guards escorted us to the portico where the press had gathered with their cameras at ready.

I squeezed my Dad’s hand, giving him more strength to face more judgments. I knew the press would capitalize on his freedom to make more money at his expense. Maybe at my expense this time around, as Josh and I just became the most controversial figures connected to the Rutledge Scam.

But I was ready for anything. I loved Josh and I would fight for him, no matter what.

“Mr. Madden, how does it feel to be free after months of incarceration?”

My father smiled graciously. “Blessed.”

“Did you cut a deal with the prosecution? Is this a plea bargain?”

“No. It was a voluntary dismissal.”

“What’s the catch?”

“No catch at all. They just found me innocent of all charges.”

“Is your company filing for bankruptcy?”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“Any words for the victims of Rutledge?”

“My heart goes out to them. I’m a victim just like them.”

“Liar!!!”

The booming voice stood out from the throng. All eyes turned to the source. An elderly man wearing a green jacket and a baseball cap.

His eyes were burning with hatred as he stared at my father.

“You’re a cold-blooded murderer, Madden. You destroyed our lives! You deserve to rot in jail for what you did but it looks like it’s not gonna happen. You rich people can buy justice, but I can take it. Right now, I will take it! Justice!!!”

The man raised his hand. He was holding a gun, pointing it at my father.

I was immobilized by fear where I stood, as were everyone else.

Gunshots exploded.

One, two, three…I lost count.

Everything was a blur of motions and screams.

The sounds dulled and I was just seeing people running everywhere.

My father was on the floor.

Blood oozed out of his face and chest, drenching his shirt and the concrete floor under him.

I dropped to my knees and cradled his head, screaming for help.

“Josh! Josh!”

Wyatt barged into the conference room, halting my speech.

“Madden has been shot!”

“What?!”

“Open the fucking TV!” Wyatt shouted.

One of my staff pushed a button and a flat screen TV appeared on the wall.

“What do you mean shot?!” I demanded.

“Shot, man. Bang bang!” Wyatt replied.

“What the fuck…! Who? Is he okay?!”

“I still don’t know. I just got a call from his lawyer. It just happened right in front of the city jail while he was leaving.”

A major news network was reporting it live, showing graphic footages of the shooting, blurring the most violent parts. The paramedics had arrived and were wheeling Armand into the ambulance. I saw Cressida climb in with the paramedics.

My heart felt like it was lodged in my throat. My muscles had knotted in shock. I’d never been more afraid in my entire life.

She was beside her father when the shots were fired. She could have been hit.

Cressida…My God!

“Let’s go, Wy!”

“She’s not answering her damn phone!” I growled frustratedly.

“What did you expect, man? She’s still in the thick of it.”

“Have you found out what hospital they’ve taken him?”

“The Presbyterian.”

I pressed a button and barked at my chauffeur to move the limo’s ass faster.

We watched the news on the limo’s TV on our way to the hospital.

The man who shot Armand also shot himself in the head and died at the scene. It was a horrifying tragedy. He was identified as Lt. Col. Alan Marsh, a Gulf War veteran who served as a diplomat in the Middle East after his retirement from the Marine Corps. Alan had apparently invested his entire life-savings into a company called Hyannis Funds, an affiliate of Madden Securities. Hyannis Funds had shut down following the Rutledge Scam expose. It was a domino effect after that.

I cursed loudly when my call was diverted to an answering machine again. “Why the hell isn’t she picking up?!”

“Calm down, Josh.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down. She could have been killed!”

“She’s okay. I think…You saw her. She’s fine.”

“No, she’s not. She just witnessed her father get shot.”

“Josh—“

“She could have been killed, Wy, and it would have been my fault. This is all my fault,” I said, my emotions threatening to overwhelm me.

“How is this all your fault?”

“I could have just bought out all the other investors from the beginning.”

“You did.”

“No. I could have just saved Armand instead of helping the prosecution fry his ass. You were right. I didn’t care about the old man. I only cared about taking his company. But I haven’t met Cressida then. I’m an evil bastard, Wy. God!”

I wiped the sweat from my face. It was not only sweat. I didn’t realize I was crying.

“You’re in love with this girl,” Wyatt stated quietly.

I didn’t answer. There was no use denying the obvious.

“Oh, man…”

I watched her from a distance. The doctors were still working on Armand.

The front of her cream dress was covered in blood. She was hugging her mother as they both huddled on the sofa near the operating room.

I wanted so much to go to her but I hesitated. I was afraid, flooded with guilt. I had a hand in this tragedy.

I had a choice. To help or destroy. I had all the power to do the former, but I chose the latter.

I had blood on my hands. Alan and Armand’s blood.

How could I face Cressida and look in her anguished eyes with this heavy weight in my heart?

How could I even tell her I loved her now?

Yes. I loved the girl. I was so fucking in love with her, and I fucked it all up before I could even tell her.

I felt Wyatt’s hand on my shoulder, squeezing. “Don’t beat yourself too hard, Josh. Go to her. She needs you.”

“Cressy…?”

She turned to look at me. I’d never felt more unnerved in my entire life, as if my entire existence depended on her reaction.

Her tears fell, and she ran to me, threw her arms around me and cried in my chest. I embraced her tightly, wishing I could absorb even half of her pain.

“Josh…my father…”

“Shhh…everything will be all right, “ I whispered over and over as I kissed her hair. What I’d give to relinquish all my abilities in making money in exchange for saving a life right this moment. If Armand died, Cressy would be devastated, and I never ever wanted her to be in this kind of grief. I couldn’t even stand watching her in tears.

She pulled away from me and held my hand. She guided me to where her mother was sitting.

“Mrs. Madden,” I politely greeted the woman who I met once, when she came begging for my mercy. I turned her down flat.

She was all grace despite her grief. “Joshua, thank you for coming.”

I sat with them, waiting in agony. I could only hold Cressida’s hand while she held her mother’s.

The doctor’s finally came out of the operating room.

The neurosurgeon spoke with the clinical expertise of a man used to delivering bad news.

“Mr. Madden sustained three major injuries, in his heart, in his lungs and in his brain. His heart was grazed by the bullet but it would be fine. His lungs will recover. But the bullet that went into his left cheek penetrated his brain and it’s still in there.”

Anna started crying again, but Cressida remained calm.

“What are his chances, Doctor?”

“We have to stop the bleeding and swelling of his brain by freezing him overnight.”

“Freezing him?”

“Yes, this is a process called Induced Hypothermia. To reduce further damage to his brain, we cool his body temperature down to below 90 degrees Fahrenheit to temporarily halt all organ activities. Then we operate on him.”

“But he will survive this, right, Doctor? He would be fine afterward?”

“I don’t know the extent of the damage to his brain yet, Ms. Madden. I have to be frank with you. He could die on the table, or survive with motor skills damage, or lapse into a coma and eventually expire, or wake up fine but with extensive memory loss. Let’s hope for the latter. That’s the best case scenario.”

When the doctor left, Anna sat down again and sobbed. Cressida went to comfort her mother.

I went after the doctor.

“May I speak with you for a bit, Doctor?”

“Yes, Mr…?”

“Landis, Joshua Landis.”

“Relative?”

“Madden’s daughter is my fiancee,” I lied to get through the technicalities. Only close family members were allowed to inquire about a patient’s case.

“I see. Is there anything more I can do for you?”

“Money is no object here, Doctor. Please, do the best you can. Bring him to the best hospital. Hire the best specialists to assist you in the operation. Just please, save him.”

The doctor nodded.

“Thank you.”

“You need to go home and change, princess.”

I smiled despite my despair. Josh would call me “princess” whenever I was feeling sad. He was sweet that way.

He was here with me. He came to me right after he’d heard of what happened and never left my side since.

It was almost evening now. My father had been transferred to the ICU where they froze his body in preparation for his brain surgery. He was aided by life support, his life hanging by a thread.

“I have to take care of my father, Josh. I have to be with him.” My mother was physically and emotionally drained from the day’s ordeal. Josh had his chauffeur drive her home. I stayed in the hospital longer. I couldn’t bear to leave my father.

“I know, baby, but you need to take care of yourself, too. You can come back first thing in the morning.”

“But—“

“Your father will be fine. He’s being taken care of by the nurses. If anything happens, we’d be notified quickly and we’d be here in no time.”

I went into his arms again, grateful for his presence. He’d helped me arrange for my father’s hospital accommodation, lending us his financial support. The state of our finances was still in shambles and we were not prepared for what happened. My mother was still in shock and was incoherent in her grief. Without Josh, I wouldn’t have known what to do. We had no friends after the scandal hit. I only had Josh.

“I’m sorry, I’ve rubbed off my father’s blood onto your suit,” I said.

“No worries. I have plenty of this.”

“I guess, we both need to change.”

“Okay, let’s go home, baby.”

“Wait…to your home or mine?”

He stared at me, then touched my cheek gently. “Wherever you want to go, princess.”

“I’d like to be with my Mom tonight. If…if that’s okay with you?”

He smiled. “Of course. Your mother needs you. I’ll drop you off at your place.”

It wasn’t the first time since we got together that we didn’t sleep in one bed. But it was the first time she’d chosen not to be with me.

I didn’t expect I’d be so disappointed, but I was being a selfish bastard. She was having a family crisis. Of course, she would choose to be with her mother. Poor Ana was almost inconsolable.

I tossed and turned on the bed. The bed that I used to sleep on in solitude. I’d always lain in the middle, occupying the entire space, knowing I was alone and would always be alone.

But Cressida came and suddenly, my bed was fully occupied, filled by the memories of her softness, her scent, her warmth.

I lay on my side of the bed, imagining her sleeping on her side.

Her head was lying peacefully on the pillow, her hair spilling like silk, touching my shoulder. I only had to reach out to touch her.

But she was not there, and I couldn’t sleep.

I wanted her with me.

I fucking missed her already.

My phone rang.

I jumped and grabbed it from the side table.

It was her. My princess.

“Cressy?”

“Josh…sorry, were you already asleep?”

“No…no, baby. I can’t sleep.”

“Me, too.”

God, what I’d give to be holding her in my arms right now.

“Don’t be afraid, baby. Your father will be fine.”

I heard her sniffle. “What if he dies?”

I closed my eyes. “He won’t,” I said like I was God who could command Armand to wake his ass up.

“I saw your missed calls. I dropped my bag when the shooting happened. Our lawyer gave it back to my mother, and I saw your calls when I opened my phone just now. I totally forgot about my phone. Sorry.”

“No problem, baby.”

“Josh?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

“You didn’t have to do all that, but you did and—“

“Cressy, don’t mention it.”

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“Goodnight.”

“Night, princess.”

I dropped the phone back on the side table and sighed. Hearing her voice comforted me somehow.

I closed my eyes and did something I hadn’t done in a long, long time.

I prayed. I prayed that Armand would survive the surgery. Because God, how the hell would I comfort my princess if her father died? Would I be able to? Would she even want me to? Especially when she found out the truth?

I willed for tomorrow to come sooner so I could talk to Wyatt about drawing another agreement.

I had to set things right before it was too late.