After Rian’s call I had to sit down for a minute. What had happened? I was of course still angry at Jack but I also loved him. I was scared, my breathing got faster and faster, tears pricking in my eyes. I got Mari but left all the other stuff at Luna’s place. I had to force myself to stay within the speed limit, blinking away my tears. I arrived at the house to find a police car and an ambulance. What was that and why?

I was on the verge of a panic attack when I entered the house. I didn’t know why but apparently Mari had decided to be quiet, much to my gratefulness. I ran into the living room and came to a halt when I saw Rian and Zack sitting on the sofa, their faces petrified. There were two chairs in front of them. My eyes wandered up to see a cut-off rope hanging from the big wooden beam.

“Z-Zack. Wh-what happened?” I asked, already dreading the answer.

“Maybe it was better if you sat down, Alex,” Rian said softly, taking my hand and pulling me down next to them. “Alex, I am so sorry, but I found Jack hanging. It looks like he tried to commit suicide.”

I had already expected this but it hit me harder than I had thought it would. I could feel my consciousness fading away but I forced myself to stay awake.

“Is he alive?” These three words echoed through my head, repeating over and over. Every single cell of my body wanted Rian to say yes. I didn’t know what I would do without Jack. I loved him so much, even if he was not always the best husband and father. ‘Please, please be alive,’ I prayed.

“Yes. Yes, he is alive but his condition is critical.”

With that, everything around me went black.

Notes

He is alive! But yeah, his condition is critical....

Should I put trigger warnings in the description of each chapter or not? I think everyone who reads this will know that things can get triggering, I just wanted to ask for your opinions.

-Laura