“No,” he said, speeding towards her condo, the sheer panic spreading like fire “What happened?”

“Daddy had another heart attack last night,” she said, her trembling voice breaking. “Only this time he didn’t make it.”

It wasn’t until he was at Regina’s door that he realized he’d dropped the phone without so much as telling Pat he was sorry or even good-bye. To his enormous relief, the door wasn’t locked, but the relief was short lived. Her front room was ransacked. The sight of everything in it smashed including the mirror nearly stopped his heart.

He went cold when his eyes zeroed in on the empty wine bottle on the floor next to the big open chest in the corner. It looked as if it’d been rifled through.

I never got rid of the gun. It’s buried in there somewhere.

The instant it hit him he shot upstairs like a madman. “Regina!” he yelled out. Seeing how she’d trashed her room as well only panicked him further as he searched around frantically for her. “Baby, where are you?”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Regina

Hearing Brandon’s voice made her shaky hands move faster and she began to whimper. The sudden bang against the door made her flinch. The door knob rattled, and Regina’s head jerked up to make sure she’d locked it. “Regina baby, open the door!”

Her whimpering got louder until she couldn’t hold it in anymore. What little calm she’d managed so she could load the damn gun was gone. Brandon’s voice alone was enough to make her even more emotional. “He’s gone, Brandon!” Her words were a bit slurred to her own ears. “My daddy’s gone! I didn’t even get to say good-bye to him!”

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he assured her, rattling the door knob again. “Just open the door and let me in, please.”

She sobbed louder now, the cruel reality once again slapping her in the face and squeezing her heart. “Oh my God, he’s gone! He’s really gone. I can’t take this, Brandon. I can’t. It hurts so bad. I just wanna die.”

“No, you don’t!” he yelled as she felt him push against the door. “Your dad wouldn’t want that either. Listen to me, baby. It’s gonna be fine. You’re gonna be fine. Just open the door, okay?”

“I just want this pain to go away. I finished all my wine—”

“I’ll get you more!” he yelled, continuing to push against the door. “Just promise me you won’t do anything crazy.”

Suddenly, his voice was level with her, coming in from crack in the door very close to her ear. “Baby, please, let me in. I wanna hold you. I wanna make you feel better.”

She touched her fingers to the door where she knew his face was just on the other side. “I don’t wanna feel anything anymore.” She sobbed.

“No! No, don’t say that!” The nearness of his voice against the door was gone, and she imagined he was back on his feet. “Regina.” His panicked voice broke in a way she’d never heard it as he rattled the knob in vain. “Please don’t do anything right now. You’re not well. You’re upset and you’ve been drinking!” He went silent for a moment, and then he spoke again in a near whisper. “Do you have the gun in there?”

“Yes!” she screamed. “Because I’m a f**king coward and this is the only way I’ll be able to deal with this! I’m not strong like you.”

“Yes, you are!” he yelled. “You can do this. Let me help you.”

“No, I can’t. I can’t!” she cried. “I’m sorry, Brandon. Tell my family I’m sorry, but I just can’t do this.”

She was sobbing uncontrollably, but she could still make out what he was yelling. “I’m not telling them, Regina, because you’re not gonna do this. You’re gonna be fine. Stay with me, babe.”

She pressed her lips together in an effort to not scream out anymore because she hated to hear him so panicked. She managed to speak again without sobbing.

“I love you, Brandon. Never forget that.”

She felt him lunge at the door again and heard it crack. “No, baby, please! Please, I’m begging you,” he cried. Cried. Brandon was crying. Hearing how tortured he sounded did something to her. “I’m not strong. I need you. I need you, baby. I can’t live without you, Regina,” he wailed through the crack of the door, banging against it some more.

Something snapped in her head, hearing how tormented Brandon sounded all because of her. She struggled to get up, still holding the gun in her hand. She thought of Ryan and what his loss had done to her. How could she be so selfish? He loved her as much as she loved him, and she loved him more than anything. If he did this to her, she’d be instantly destroyed. How could she even think of doing it to him? She was a complete idiot! With clarity setting in, it felt as if the heavens had opened up and she’d finally seen the light. Fumbling with the ridiculously big gun, she nearly fell as the room moved sideways and her head spun a little. “Brandon, I’m so sorry!”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Brandon

“No! Don’t do this to me, please. I love you so much. I’m sorry about yesterday. I’m sorry about everything. I’d do anything for you—”

The sudden and unforgiving earsplitting sound of the gun going off and then the thud of her body hitting the floor took his breath away, and he stood there, shaking. His mouth fell open as he felt his heart shatter. The tears continued to flow down his face, and when he was finally able to speak, he cried out. “Regina?”