Chapter 261

Howard's POV

Philip's body lay crumpled on the floor like a heavy sack of sand,consciousness scattered beneath his bloodied, swollen face. My breathing remained rapid, knuckles throbbing from the violence I had just inflicted,but none of that mattered now. A bone-deep chill spread from my spine throughout my entire body-I had arrived too late.

I staggered toward Annie, my knees barely supporting my weight. My heart pounded violently against my ribcage as though trying to break free.The sight of her bound, humiliated, and hurt cut into the depths of my soul like a blade.

"Annie..." My voice emerged broken and low,as if forcibly wrenched from the depths of my soul. Every red mark on her pale skin felt like a scar branded onto my heart.

I carefully wrapped my suit jacket around her exposed body,movements as gentle as if handling a fragile work of art. When I finally took her into my arms, my lips trembled as I kissed the rope marks on her wrists, as if my kisses could erase those painful impressions; then her shoulders, her neck, as if my touch could purify what had been defiled. Each contact was filled with silent remorse-why hadn't I arrived sooner? Why had I allowed this to happen?

"Howard..." Annie's voice penetrated the fog of my emotions, her palm firmly pressed against my chest, halting my further movements. "Not here."

"He didn't succeed," Annie said, her voice steady and clear.

I stared at her, concern replaced by confusion. "What do you mean? I saw

him... he was completely naked, and you -"

"He couldn't go through with it." Annie explained directly,her gaze unwavering. "He tried, but at the last moment, he couldn't... perform.When his body wouldn't cooperate with his intentions, he completely broke down."

The meaning of her words slowly sank in. Philip had attempted to violate her but physically couldin't. Such intense relief swept over me that I felt slightly dizzy as I pulled Annie back into my embrace.

"Thank God..." My lips pressed against her hair that carried a faint scent,my voice barely audible even to myself as if I'd just survived a near-death experience. "Thank God..."

My fingers gently lifted her chin as my lips sought hers with almost reverent devotion. then her cheeks, the space between her eyebrows,the hollow of her neck. each kiss carrying the fervor of renewed life. Knowing she had been spared that irreparable harm filled my chest with gratitude bordering on euphoría, like a parched desert suddenly drenched by torrential rain.

Annie's palm gently pushed against my chest, this time with a glimmer of playfulness in her eyes, the corner of her mouth lifting in a slight smile,like the last starlight before dawn. "Howard, whatever plan you're formulating in your mind can wait until we're safely home."

Then her expression turned serious,her gaze sharp as a hawk's. "What about Lucy and Brian? Are they safe?"

Her question was like a bucket of ice water, instantly pulling me from the emotional whirlpool back to harsh reality. The children.,. yes. I almost cursed myself for momentarily forgetting. I carefully helped Annie secure

the jacket. ensuring it adequately covered her body, then sat on the edge of the dilapidated bed, which groaned in protest as if responding to all the evil that had transpired in this abandoned factory.

"I'm not certain yet." I admitted softly, gently cradling her hands in mine,feeling the slight tremor in her fingertips. My thumbs drew small, soothing circles on the backs of her hands, as if this might calm our shared anxiety."When Sarah called, something felt... wrong." My gaze sharpened,recalling my instinctive judgment in that moment: "She demanded we separate, you to Brooklyn, me to Long Island. In that instant, I realized this was a carefully designed trap, and you... were the primary target."

Moonlight cast upon Annie's pale face illuminated the fear and concern welling in her eyes. Her breathing quickened: "So you disobeyed her instructions, coming here instead of going to the pier?" Her voice dropped almost to a whisper, as if afraid of the answer: "But what about the children? What about Lucy and Brian?"

I felt the weight on my shoulders grow heavier. In that decisive moment,I had faced an unimaginable choice-Annie or Lucy, my lover or my niece,two lives equally precious to me.

My Adam's apple bobbed as I swallowed with difficulty: "I sent Robert to the pier in my place." Seeing the shock in Annie's eyes,I continued:"I knew it was a gamble, a bet on Sarah's limits. I couldn't bear the thought of you possibly facing Philip alone."

My voice involuntarily darkened; "And my instinct... told me Sarah wouldn't truly harm the children. To someone like her,children are more valuable as leverage alive than dead."

Annie's eyes widened, "That was an... unimaginable gamble, Howard."

My gaze briefly fell to the floor, to Philip's body beginning to stir with returning consciousness, then back to Annie's face. My voice was low,filled with painful honesty, "It is."

Admitting this sent a sharp pain through me, like acknowledging my own powerlessness. "But I analyzed Sarah's behavior patterns over the past few months. She wouldni't destroy her leverage prematurely." Mygaze darkened further: "And... I knew better than anyone about Philip's obsession with you. He never accepted that you chose me. I knew...I knew what he would do to you. That's why I had to come here."

Annie looked toward Philip on the floor, moonlight and shadow intertwining on his bloodied face, creating a disturbing portrait. Bruises had begun forming around his eyes, his lips swollen almost beyond recognition, his nose bridge clearly broken, darkred blood congealing on his chin and neck.

I looked down at my own hands-knuckles swollen and split,covered in blood that had begun to dry. Looking at these hands that normally signed contracts and stroked Lucy's golden curls, I confronted the terrible truth deep within myself for the first time.

My voice was surprisingly calm, yet carried an unfamiliar coldness:"I would have killed him." This admission shocked even me, but on some level, I knew it was true. "If you hadn't called me to stop... I believe I would have continued until he stopped breathing completely."

The air between us seemed to grow heavy with this terrible confession.Before becoming Lucy's guardian and meeting Annie, I had never imagined such violent potential existed within me. This knowledge both terrified and reassured me-terrified by the darkness lurking in my depths,reassured knowing I could unhesitatingly cross that line to protect those I

loved.

Annie's hand gently covered mine, warm and firm, pulling me from this dark spiral of thoughts. Her voice was soft yet decisive: "We need to call Robert now, Howard," Her gaze regained that focus and clarity I knew well.that quality of remaining even more composed during crises. "We must confirm whether Lucy and Brian are safe."

I nodded,grateful she had redirected my attention to the most urgent matter at hand. I pulled my phone from my pocket, fingers still trembling slightly from the violence. Philip emitted a low groan from the floor,his body beginning to move slightly as consciousness gradually returned, but I completely ignored him as if he were merely apiece of broken furniture in the corner of the room. I dialed Robert's number, put it on speaker, and placed the phone between Annie and me.

The ringtone echoed through the silent abandoned factory, each tonelike an anxious mark drawn across endless darkness. Finally, after the fourth ring. the call connected, and Robert's voice came through the speaker,sounding both tense and urgent, with children's small voices and distant sirens in the background: "Howard! Thank God you finally called. I've been desperately trying to reach you."

Annie and I both tensed, my voice almost forced through clenched teeth,"Are the children safe? Lucy and Brian?" This was the only question that mattered now, as if the entire universe awaited this answer.

The brief pause on the other end nearly stopped my heart, then Robert's voice sounded again: "Yes, they're safe." I felt Annie's entire body relax beside me, her breath shaking as if she finally dared to breathe.Robert continued: "Lucy and Brian are both here with me. But..," his voice suddenly grew heavy, as if burdened by something unspeakable, "Sarah...

there was an accident."

"What kind of accident?" I asked, my voice low and tense, an ominous feeling spreading in my chest.

Robert's sigh came clearly through the phone, the background sirens seemingly closer: "She... she had a gun, Howard." His voice became fragmented, as if each word was painfully pulled from the depths of his soul. "She was pointing it at me, threatening to harm the children if I didn't cooperate. I... we struggled, and the gun... the gun went off." A painful sound escaped his throat: "The bullet hit her abdomen,Howard.The ambulance just took her away, but it looks... it looks really bad."

A heavy silence, like an invisible blanket, enveloped Annie and me.Despite the terrible things Sarah had done, despite how she had nearly destroyed our lives, no one wanted to see such an ending. That unborn child was innocent, and now, its life might have ended before it even began.

"The children..." Annie's voice trembled almost beyond recognition,and she had to bite her lower lip before continuing: "They didn't see any of this happen, did they?" Her question contained an instinctive maternal concern, that desire to protect children from the world's darkness clearly audible in her voice.

Robert's low voice came through the phone, carrying a hint of relief: "No.thank goodness." He paused, his voice tinged with subtle surprise: "In fact,they...they had already untied themselves with Max's help."

Thank God, everyone was safe.