Chapter 235 Surrounded By Blood Savannah “Jace, please,” Mom sobbed. Her voice broke in a way I had never heard before. Not when Chloe disappeared. Not when the first two bodies dropped. Not even when Paula collapsed bleeding on the floor. This was different. This was raw, desperate fear. “Think this through.” The gun in Jace’s hand was steady. Too steady. Raised and aimed at Chloe and Julius like he had all the time in the world to decide where the bullets would land. In that moment, the man I had grown up knowing—the quiet uncle who used to give me candy and listen to me narrate my day with patient smiles—ceased to exist. Everything about him shifted. His shoulders straightened. His eyes hardened. Something cold and merciless slid into place behind his gaze, like a door locking shut.And for the first time in my life, I realized something horrifying. I didn’t know this man at all. Jace slowly pushed himself off the floor, movements slow but controlled. There was no rush in him. No panic. Just a terrifying calm that made my skin crawl. Chloe was still sprawled on the carpet beside her father, clutching her swollen cheek, her lip split and bleeding. She winced every time she shifted, but even through the pain, her glare never left Roman. It was full of hatred. Spite. Pure venom. Slowly, Jace turned his head toward Mom. “Think this through?” he repeated quietly. Then his voice rose, sharp and furious. “What exactly is there to think through?” He gestured with the gun toward Paula’s lifeless body. “That brat shot Paula. Watched her bleed out like she was nothing.” His jaw clenched. “The only thing left to think about is how many bullets she deserves in return.” “Jace!” Julius shouted, panic cracking through his voice. “That’s my daughter you’re talking about!” Roman scoffed under his breath, eyes blazing. “You can’t be serious.”Jace shot Julius a look. “And the girl she just murdered—wasn’t she someone’s daughter too?” Julius surged to his feet, rage overtaking fear. “Her father was a worthless man!” he hollered. “You know that. Everyone knew it. He was a pain in the ass. A foolish man who stared death in the face and still chose it. What did you expect? Of course his daughter would turn out just as stupid—” My breath hitched painfully. “Don’t act surprised she ended up dead after messing with the wrong person. It was bound to happen!” The words echoed through the room. Then surprisingly, Chloe began laughing. I gasped, horror burning my throat. “Will you shut the hell up,” Roman snapped, stepping forward, “or do you want me to shut you up myself?” Julius sneered at him instead of backing down. “Did I lie? Your father is a great man, Roman. The General is one of the greatest men to ever walk this earth. Every ambitious man wants to be like him. To learn from him.” He turned his glare on me, eyes dripping with contempt. “Too bad this whore has turned you away from your path of greatness. She’s poisoning you. Get rid of her grip on you, or you’ll end up like this trash—bleeding all over my carpet—” The sound of gunfire exploded through the room. Twice. Two deafening shots that seemed to tear straight through my skull. And finally, Chloe's laughter ceased. I screamed as Chloe jerked violently, her body arching before she collapsed backward. Her hands flew to her stomach, red blooming instantly between her fingers. Blood. So much blood. The phone slipped from my hand and clattered uselessly to the floor. Jace shot Chloe. Twice. Mom’s scream shattered the air, high and broken and animalistic. “No! No! That’s my daughter!” She rushed forward, dropping to her knees beside Chloe. “That’s my baby, Jace! My child!” Julius screamed Chloe’s name over and over, his hands shaking as he grabbed her shoulders. “Chloe! Chloe, look at me!” But Chloe didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Didn’t breathe.Jace stood there with the smoking gun still in his hand, his face eerily blank. Empty. Like something inside him had finally burned itself out. Then slowly, his arm lowered. The moment it did, Mom surged to her feet and slapped him hard across the face. The sound echoed. “What have you done?” she screamed, striking his chest with her fists repeatedly. “What have you done, Jace?! You shot my daughter! That’s my baby!” Jace exhaled heavily, like a man who had just finished a long, exhausting task. “Your daughter is upstairs, Flora,” he said quietly, pointing upward. “And your daughter is right there.” His finger shifted to me. I froze. “Savannah and Alyssa are your daughters too,” he continued, voice steady. “Not just this devil spawn.” The gun slipped from his fingers and hit the floor with a dull clatter. “I’m going to check on Emily and Alyssa.” He paused beside Paula’s body, staring down at her with something that looked dangerously close to grief. “I'm sorry I failed you. I hope you can forgive me.” He turned away and headed up the stairs. His footsteps faded. Julius was still beside Chloe, sobbing uncontrollably. Mom wailed. I stood there, paralyzed, just listening to it. The silence. No breathing. No movement. No sound from Chloe at all. And even after all she'd done, something inside my chest cracked open. I slowly stepped forward, my legs trembling beneath me. My eyes never left Chloe’s body as I crossed the room. “Sav, no,” Roman said urgently, grabbing my arm. I shook him off. I didn’t even feel my body anymore. It was like I was floating. Like something else was guiding me toward her. The gun still lay on the floor nearby. I dropped to my knees beside Chloe. A tear slipped down my cheek. “I’ll call an ambulance,” Roman said sharply.Her skin looked pale. Too pale. Her body was too stiff beneath Julius’s hands. Her eyes were open, glassy, staring at nothing. I reached for her hand. But before I could touch her, Julius slapped my hand away violently. “Don’t you dare touch her,” he hissed, eyes wild with hatred. “This is all your fault.” I recoiled. “Me?” My voice cracked. “This is my fault?” “Yes!” he screamed. “Julius, stop!” Mom cried. “Stop it! If anyone’s to blame,” she sobbed, “it’s you! You did this! You know what you did!” Julius laughed bitterly. “Your lover murdered our daughter, and I’m to blame for it?” “Yes!” Mom screamed back. “Because he’s your brother! Because you wronged him! You know exactly what you did!” “Enough!” Roman shouted. “All of you, enough!” The room went silent. I wiped my tears and slowly stood, moving toward Roman like he was the only solid thing I had left in the world. “Have you called an ambulance?” Julius asked hoarsely. Roman lifted his phone. “The service is terrible here. It keeps breaking up. I’ll step outside and try again.” “Please,” Julius whispered. “Please hurry.” Roman turned to me and pressed the gun into my shaking hands. His eyes were cold and focused. “If he tries anything,” he said quietly, “shoot him. I won’t be long.” My breath caught in my throat. Before I could tell him I didn’t even know how to pull a trigger—before I could say anything at all—he was already storming out the door. And I was left standing there, holding a gun, surrounded by blood… And bodies that would never breathe again.