The gunshot echoed through the room, and the sharp pain in Joel's leg dropped him to the floor with a grunt, blood quickly soaking through his jeans.

Before you could reach him, two of Abby’s men grabbed you roughly, holding you back as you kicked and fought to get free.

Joel barely moved, his body trembling from the shock of the injury, but he looked at you — his face pale, but steady. He winced, breath ragged.

Abby stood over him, her eyes burning with rage. “You have no idea what you’ve done," she spat. "You killed my father. And now I’m going to make you pay for it."

Joel looked up slowly, blood trickling from his mouth as he managed to prop himself up slightly, leaning on his elbows. His voice, hoarse but sharp, cut through the tension: "Don't. You don't have to do this."

Abby snapped her head to him. "Don't try to talk your way out of this."

You could see it — the anger in her eyes, but also the hesitation, the flicker of uncertainty. Joel’s expression was hard, unflinching. He was steady, but his words were like a stone thrown into the stillness of the room.

"You don’t need to hurt her," he said quietly glancing at me. "Just me. She's pregnant."

The room fell into a tense silence.

Abby blinked, her grip on the gun tightening, but she paused. You caught a glimpse of doubt flicker in her eyes as she processed his words.

You felt your heart hammering in your chest, but you couldn’t look away from the way Abby wavered for just a second. Joel’s calmness — the way he spoke so simply, without fear, but also without a hint of aggression — was almost too much to ignore. He wasn’t begging. He wasn’t pleading. He was just stating a fact.

Abby stood there, frozen for a moment longer. Then she glanced at her men, her expression unreadable, before she slowly lowered her gun, though her eyes remained locked on Joel.

One of the men reluctantly released you, though they still watched you carefully. You rushed to Joel’s side, your hands shaking.

Joel’s breath was shallow, and the pain was evident in his features, but his voice was soft, reassuring when it finally came, just a faint whisper: “It’s okay, darlin'. I got you.”