Page 151 of My Damaged Protector

On the chair is Peter, seated with a taunting smile on his face.

“Where is she?” I demand.

“You're late. You couldn't save her.”

I try to attack him, but I'm unable to get through to him. He's right in front of me, yet so far away.

“Come on, come at me. Threaten that you'll kill me this time around. It won't work. You're too late.”

I scream in frustration, trying so hard to get to him but not able to.

I hear the door to the room opening. I try to turn around to see who just entered, but my body won't move.

“Ian.” Sarah's voice comes from behind me. I'm still unable to move.

What the hell is going on?

She comes in front of me and hugs me. Suddenly, Peter is no longer in the room.

We aren't at the hospital. We're back in the bungalow. Sheila's seated with Olivia huddled up against her but Ryan is nowhere in sight.

Stepping away from Sarah, I look around the room, thinking maybe the boy is hiding somewhere, and all I have to do is look for him. But he's nowhere in sight.

“Where's Ryan?”

“Who's Ryan?” They all echo at once, driving me insane with fear.

Okay, whatever's going on has gone on long enough

I'm losing it.

Drawing in a calm breath, I address Sarah. “Where's our son, Sarah? Ryan? He was with Olivia before I came to fetch you from the hospital.”

Sarah sighs, looking at me with pity in her eyes. She steps close to me, her voice soft as she speaks.

“Ian, I lost the baby to save my father. I'm sorry.”

I scream, and then I'm suddenly pushing up against a bed, my eyes hurting so bad from the light in the room.

Sarah is beside me, seated on a chair. She immediately stands up.

“Ian? Are you okay?” she asks, her eyes filled with worry.

I open my mouth to answer. To tell her that I'm far from okay. But no words leave my mouth. Instead, I struggle to breath, panic passing through my lungs.

There's something seriously wrong with me. Everything hurts.

My eyes, my head, my side. Shit, it's like I've been run over by a truck.

“Ian, please calm down. Take a deep breath, stay calm for me,” she placates, but somehow, I'm unable to do as she says.

Looking around the room I'm now in, I realize it's a hospital ward. Does this mean I've been dreaming all this while?

“Tell me you're still pregnant,” I say, frantically gripping at her hand.

She looks at me in shock, confusion coating her voice. “What are you talking about?”

“The pregnancy. Are you still pregnant?”

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