My Best Friend's Brother: The Husband - Book 2[First Draft]

Chapter 17: Peace with the Past

Chloe:

The darkness surrounding me seemed to stretch on for miles. My arms and legs were buzzing but at the same time, I couldn't feel my flesh. I was numb. What happened? Why am I here? A constant beep has been the only sound heard and I can't tell how long I've been trapped here. I can't even tell what happened before this. The last thing I remembered was a gunshot.

Jake....gun.....Chris...

Chris! My eyes flew open, only to shut back immediately from blinding white lights. The scent of chemicals infiltrated my nose and I instantly knew it was a hospital. The beeping noise got louder and I was now hyper-aware of the needles poking my skin.

"Thank fucking God!" I heard a familiar voice exclaim and I turned to look into the eyes of none other than my best friend. Rachel looked frazzled compared to how she usually does and my other girls were here as well. Even my little Lisabeth was asleep soundly on the couch inside the hospital room.

My husband, however, wasn't anywhere to be seen. My heart dropped. I didn't even know Leana was talking to me until someone snapped their fingers in front of my face.  "Where's Chris?" my hoarse voice calls out and everyone went silent.

My throat aches as if I haven't used it in ages. How long have I been out? I glance up and realize all my friends are looking at me with sympathy. A sick feeling appeared in my stomach and the heart monitor attached to me started going crazy. "Where is my husband?!" I shout this time.

All four pairs of eyes widen and my anxiety spike. I don't like that look on Rachel's face. The heart monitor started beating even faster; at that point, I could see the worry lines appearing on my best friend's face.

"Hey! Calm down!" she exclaims. "Rachel, where is Christian?!" I screech this time. Leana was the one to actually answer me. As the soft words left her lips, my instincts took over. "Chris got shot. He's in the ICU."

My legs swung over the bed and I yanked the IV tubes out of my arm. My friends yelled and shouted but their words didn't get through to me. The adrenaline had taken over my brain now it was doing all my thinking. My only thought right now is to get to my husband as fast as possible.

My nerves were eating away at me. So many questions flowed through my head as my legs flew me down the hall to the ICU. How did he get shot? Is he alright? Is he in a coma?

Time seemed to go in slow motion but it seemed like before long, I had reached to the receptionist and was demanding the whereabouts of my husband. The poor woman looked scared but she gave me his room number anyway and then I was racing toward room number 181. Nurses and even some doctors called out to me but I paid no one any mind.

I flung the door open; heart racing, blood pumping furiously through the veins in my body, and to my surprise, my Christian was doing just fine. He was sat up on the hospital bed with a bandaged chest and an open book preseed firmly between his fingers. He looked alright. It took him a few moments to notice me but when he did a wide smile appeared on his face.

"Baby," he says with so much relief, "Come here." Two very simple words and yet they made butterflies appear in my stomach. I immediately rushed over to him and without thinking, I threw my arms around him. His groan alarmed me to the fact that he is still wounded and I let up, whispering a sorry as I do.

"What happened?" I ask as he places a loving kiss on my forehead. "You need to rest first, Chloe," is all he responds. I sigh, knowing he's not going to answer me until we get out of here. I look up, meeting his eyes and I gulped at all the emotions running through them. Anger, relief, fear guilt. They were all swarming around in his eyes and I was determined to find out why.

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Mike is dead.

The words surrounded my mind, echoing like a mantra. The monster is dead, he is no longer breathing; no longer able to terrorize me. The craziest thing is he was killed by the same 'best friend' he thought he had. The same 'best friend' that tried to kill my husband as well. The numb feeling in my body was sickening.

It was like my mind refused to accept that my nightmare with Mike was over. I know it's over but at the same time, I still have the feeling of impending doom. Like he can jump out at any minute and everyone would say it's a joke. I stared at his cold dead body on the morgue table. Since no one was able to come to identify the body, the court called me. Of, course, this is just a formality.

 Christian has to stay in the hospital for a few more days and I was discharged earlier after I received the phone call from the court. Rachel is with me but I asked her to stand outside. This was something I needed to do myself. I need to make peace with my past.

"I don't know what I ever saw in you," I whispered to the corpse, " but I do know that if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have met Christian so for that I thank you."

I took a deep breath as my eyes began to sting, "I know that I wouldn't have been able to get through to you had you still been alive but now you don't have a choice. I hated you for so long; for everything that you did to me. I even hated you in the courtroom when you had that smug look all over your face and I hated myself for letting you get to me like that."

he remained unresponsive. I know he's dead but I still feel like it's a joke. I'm still expecting him to jump up and start attacking me any minute. "I just want to let you know I forgive you, Mike. I forgive you and I am going to let all of this hatred go; right now, in this room, at this very moment. When I walk out that room, I will be at peace with our past. I hope God forgives you as well and will make you a better person in the other life. Goodbye, Mike."

That said, I give him one last fleeting look, feeling my shoulders lighten with every step I take towards the door. I felt the ache in my heart cease and the mantra in my mind stop as I came to terms with his death. Finally, my past can remain in the past, and I, I can move on with my life; without fear holding me back.

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