Goodbye, My Mate

Chapter 168

Darren's POV

Josephine's stern gaze pierced through me. I clenched my fists, feeling the weight of the decision I had to make. The life of Leah's unborn baby was in my hands. If I gave the go-ahead, the baby wouldn't survive, and Leah would never forgive me. But if I didn't, Leah would die.

“Continue,” I instructed the doctor, my voice steady.

“Are you sure...?” he questioned, hesitant.

Josephine covered her mouth to stifle a scream. “Do it. Now,” I repeated firmly.

"I can't watch this," Josephine said, her voice breaking as she stormed out of the room.

I was left alone to face the grim reality. Dr. Jafar bent back over Leah, resuming the delicate operation. After what felt like an eternity, he finally removed the last fragment and collapsed into a chair, utterly spent.

"Is she going to be okay?" I asked, desperation creeping into my voice.

"She's in critical condition. I’ve done everything I can. The bullets were laced with wolfsbane and it’s been in her system for too long. I don’t know if she’ll make it. All we can do now is wait. If she wakes up within an hour, she might pull through.”

"I don’t have an hour," I said urgently. "We need to move her to the car."

Dr. Jafar looked aghast. "Why would you want to do that?"

"We have to transfer her to a safer place," Josephine said as she re-entered with a suitcase. “In case you haven't noticed, people want her dead.”

"But if you move her now, she will definitely die!" the doctor protested. "I know she's a Lycan, but she’s seriously injured. You can't expect her to heal herself in this condition!"

Opening a window slightly, I peeked outside and saw soldiers patrolling nearby. Turning back to Dr. Jafar, I asked, “Is there any way to stabilize her condition? We need to leave right now.”

The doctor glanced at Josephine, his face grim. “Well... there might be one way, but it’s incredibly dangerous.”

“What?!” Josephine demanded, clenching her fists.

“It’s too risky. It won’t work,” Dr. Jafar muttered.

"Are you kidding me, Jafar? I’ve known you for 10 years! If there’s a way to get her out safely, you need to tell us now!" Josephine’s voice was threatening.

Reluctantly, Jafar spoke, his voice low and tentative. “Maybe we could fake her death and let the soldiers bury her. Then we’d retrieve her from the graveyard. She’d be heavily sedated the whole time, so she wouldn’t feel a thing.”

"No," I said firmly. "That’s impossible."

Josephine glared at me. "Do you have a better plan to get her out without killing her?"

"I will not let anyone bury Leah alive," I declared.

"She won’t even know. We’ll get her out before she wakes up," Josephine insisted.

"No means no!" I roared, my voice echoing through the room.

Dr. Jafar retrieved a vial from his case, his expression somber. "Listen, I have to go now, but I'm leaving this here. Inject it slowly into her vein to stop her heartbeat. It’s a last resort, but it might be your only way out. Think very carefully about it." With that, he walked out.

Josephine picked up the vial, her face set with determination. "I don't want to fight with you, but we have to do this."

"You want her dead," I accused. "You've always wanted her dead."

Josephine's expression twisted with hurt and frustration. "Are you listening to yourself? I can’t believe you think that of me! If I truly wanted her dead, I would've run out and reported her to the soldiers the moment you brought her in!"

"Jo, do you really expect me to believe you?" I countered.

"I thought mates were supposed to trust each other unconditionally. But I guess I don't deserve a mate like that," she retorted, her voice breaking.

She moved towards the door but stopped short. "I hate you, Darren Swanson," she said, not turning to look at me. Setting the vial down on the table, she continued, “I'll never forgive you for saying that to me. But there's a life at stake. This vial is your only solution. I'm going to run to the streets and report a dead body found in the alley. Stop me if you can."

She paused, her voice softening. "Darren, have you ever really loved me?"

I remained silent. Josephine covered her face and ran out, leaving me with the vial and Leah, who lay in a pool of blood.

She looked hauntingly beautiful, just like the day I first saw her on her wedding day. Fighting my emotions, I leaned down and did something I had always wanted to do—a long, tender kiss.

Only this time, she didn't kiss back.

Her lips were cold.

"My sweet princess," I whispered, picking up the vial. "This world has gone crazy."