Losing Love

39

Cole's POV:

Just as I'm about to push down on the knife, the door is kicked open and the room is filled with a numerous amount of loud gunshots. I instantly recognise one of the men standing by the door and pull my gun out from my waistband, stepping in front of Cheryl as a border. I shoot as many times as I can and end up hitting three men.

The gunshots die down as I hear Dominic pull the trigger one last time and a thud as a body of a heavy man hits the floor. I gaze around the room, the once beautiful clean venue is now filled with dead bodies and blood. A bunch of tables are knocked down to be used as a shield. Carter is examining the bodies in the front, Kyle is running towards Elisa, and Dominic is crouched behind a table with a hand around Hope's arm, he's speaking to her but it's clear that she isn't listening. Her teary gaze is set firmly on something on the floor behind me.

I turn around swiftly as my worst nightmare comes to life.

Cheryl lays on the floor, dark blood spreading across the torso and chest of her white dress. I hear Kyle calling an ambulance in the background but as I watch my beautiful wife's face, everything else blurs. Tears are pouring out of her eyes, which are focused on me, and across her face as her hand is cupped over her stomach. I rush to begin to perform every bit of first aid I know until Cheryl's weak hand lifts up and cups my face.

"I-I'm not g-going to make it" she cries in a calm tone. I know she's right but I don't want to admit it. She can't die. This is supposed to be the happiest day of our lives. "J-just let me sp-spend my last moments with the man I l-love most" she begs. I nod my head with tears pouring out of my eyes uncontrollably, "I need to t-tell you something" she utters. I see her wince in pain as more tears violently flow out of her eyes, "I-I'm pregnant" she states. My heart begins to race as I feel my heart shatter even more, no. I can't lose my wife and my baby all at once. "I'm s-sorry for not telling you. I was g-going to wait until tonight" she apologises. I shake my head, "no, no don't ever apologise, baby" I struggle to say the words. "Listen to me" she demands strictly, I pay close attention to her. "Don't b-become what you h-hated most, s-stay true to yourself. B-but p-please get j-justice for our b-baby" I nod my head, agreeing to everything she says. Cheryl lifts her frail hands up and places them on both sides of my face, using the pads of her thumbs to wipe away my never ending tears storming down my face. She pulls my face closer to hers weakly and lays a gentle kiss on my lips, "I-I love you C-Cole, d-don't lose y-yourself. You mean e-everything to me. L-live life f-for both of us, I want you to move on and b-be happy. Please." She begs.

"I l-love you so m-much and I'm so s-sorry, I promised I would p-protect you" I cry out to her. Her head is in my lap as I cup her face. I gave up my attempts of wiping the tears off her cheeks because they just kept flowing down. After a moment of silence, I could feel her getting weaker. "I-I'm scared C-Cole" she whimpers to me. My heart breaks even more, and the worst part is that I can't do anything about it. "I know b-baby" I cry back, I am too.

Her eyes begin to shutter close, whatever calmness that was in my body now escapes. "NO NO P-PLEASE DONT L-LEAVE ME" I begin begging. "I don't have a choice b-baby" she whispers, "I love you s-so much" she mumbles as her heart beats one last time. Her eyes stop shuttering and instead remain still. Her loose grip on my hand is no longer there.

"CHERYL" I scream out in agony, scrambling to my knees as I rest my head above her, "CHERYL, WAKE UP" I cry out, shaking her body gently in hopes she opens her eyes and tells me everything is going to be alright. To my pain, she doesn't. She lays on the cold, marble floor lifelessly. Her eyes shut and her hand glued to the ground. "Please Cherry" I hover my forehead above her stomach as I grip onto her, "I love you" I cry out. My salty tears falling off my face and soaking into her white dress.

This was supposed to be the happiest day of both our lives, but the love of my life just died in my arms. My unborn baby is dead. My whole future lays lifelessly in front of me.

No matter how much I want to die with her, how much I would like to pull my silver gun out of my holster and pull the trigger so I may be with her again. I fight every urge, my determination for justice and revenge out weighs my own feelings.

Matteo Santiago will pay and I will go to the ends of the earth to make sure of that. But for now, I'm overwhelmed with grief. I can't do anything, my only reason to live is gone.

Her dying wishes linger in my mind, as memories flash by. I look at her lifeless body, the way her face is still. That spark of joy that is always present when she's around is no longer there.

I remember the way she would flash a toothy perfect smile when someone said a dumb joke, or the way her laugh had a sort of rhythmic tone to it. I remember how she would look at me with innocence and a twinkle in her eyes every time I pushed a strand of her dark red hair away from her face. Everyone who met her instantly loved her.

They have taken the love of my life away from me and left me with nothing.

My vision leaves my whole life, who now lays still on the ground, and I look around the room. I ignore the presence of irrelevant people that I couldn't care less about, the ones she wasn't close to and focus on the people she loved.

Her parents are crouching on the floor, sobbing and holding her sister tight. Kyle hugs Elisa with tears streaming down his face as Carter sits on the floor with his hands on his face. Dominic and Hope are standing up and staring at Cheryl. Hope is balling tears and cupping her face with her hands as Dominic has a single tear drop flowing down his cheek. I recognise his facial expression, he won't stop at anything until he gets revenge. Right now, nothing else matters except for revenge.

Me too Dominic, me-fucking-too.