The Second Marriage Chance

Philip

“Daddy, I need to pee,” Iris said, her gray eyes wide with urgency as she looked up at me, both hands pressing against her tummy.

At home, Amanda or Pepper usually handled these situations, sometimes with Sarah’s help. I caught sight of my son nearby.

“Rowan, come! We need to help your sister,” I called to him. I had no intention of taking Iris into the men’s restroom, nor could I leave her alone in the women’s restroom.

“But I still wanted to play,” Rowan protested, glancing at Iris.

“Please, Brother…” Iris pleaded, shifting from foot to foot. Despite his stubbornness, I knew Rowan would relent.

“Fine! But promise me you’ll give me your Monday snack,” he bargained.

“Rowan…” I said warningly, not wanting him to take advantage of the situation.

“I-I’m just kidding!”

“You are so annoying!” Iris retorted, putting her hands on her hips. I could only shake my head at their usual bickering.

“No fighting. Come here…” I picked up Iris. Trey followed us, holding Rowan’s hand.

Both of them went into the women’s restroom.

“Okay, you two go in together,” I decided, setting Iris down. “Rowan, keep an eye on your sister.”

I watched nervously as they disappeared into the women’s restroom, Trey positioning himself near the door.

After what felt like an eternity, I called out, “Are you done, kids?”

“Just washing my hands…” Iris replied.

A few moments later, the entire hotel was plunged into darkness, followed by the sound of gunshots. My instincts kicked in immediately.

“Iris, Rowan!” I shouted, my heart pounding as I rushed into the pitch-black restroom, Trey right behind me.

“Daddy!” my daughter cried. I felt her tiny body collide with my legs, and I quickly lifted her. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could make out her terrified face.

More shots rang out, alarmingly close. Iris buried her face in my neck, her whole body shaking.

“Shit!” The shots were close, and I wasn’t sure if we were safe.

“D-daddy, I’m scared…” I could hear the fear in Rowan’s voice. He was gripping my pants tightly.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Daddy is here, alright? Both of you listen to me. We need to escape!” I looked at my guard. “Trey!”

Trey was talking with our security team outside the restroom. The door swung open, and two more guards appeared, their faces tense with concern.

The situation outside was chaotic; some well-known individuals attending Chairman Benner’s birthday party were fleeing.

“Boss, we’ve dispatched R1 to locate Madam Sarah upstairs,” one of them reported.

“There’s a signal jammer in play. We can’t reach her, and the elevators are down.”

“Damn it! Sarah!” I felt torn, my heart racing. I didn’t know what to prioritize. If I went upstairs to find her, she would surely hate me for leaving our children behind.

“Boss, we need to move now,” Trey insisted.

He carried Rowan and moved swiftly towards the parking area. I silently thanked our luck for being near an escape route. Things would have been much worse if we had stayed at the party, where the havoc was happening.

We took large strides as we descended the pathway to the hotel’s lower ground. I didn’t know where our van was, but I followed the guidance of the three guards.

“Mommy…” Iris whimpered, her tears soaking through my shirt.

Suddenly, gunshots rang out from where we had come from, followed by screams. Iris’s cries grew louder, and I felt her small body trembling against mine. My own fear rose, but I pushed it down and focused on comforting my daughter.

Trey yanked me behind a row of parked cars. “Keep low, boss,” he hissed.

“Shh, baby,” I whispered to Iris, my lips close to her ear. “Close your eyes, sweetheart. Don’t make a sound, okay?” I felt her nod against my shoulder. “You too, Rowan. Eyes closed, buddy.”

We quietly moved through the garage, hiding behind the cars. After what seemed like forever, we got to our van. I quickly put my children inside, securing Iris and Rowan in their seats.

“Boss, we need to leave now!” Trey urged, his eyes scanning our surroundings.

‘What about Sarah?’

My mind raced. Sarah was still up there, possibly in danger. But I couldn’t risk the children’s safety.

“Call Alex! Take the kids to Alex!”

Someone trustworthy was needed right now. With Jane in London, leaving my two children with her was impossible. Sending them back to Serenity Pines was not an option, especially since I strongly felt like what was happening now involved Sarah and me!

I spoke to Rowan, cradling his face in my hands. “Listen carefully, buddy. I need you to be brave and protect your sister. I must stay here to help Mommy, so you must listen to Trey, okay?”

He nodded, though his eyes were brimming with tears. He took a deep breath and tried to steady himself.

Iris’s sobs filled the van as I closed the door. Trey quickly started the vehicle. Gunfire erupted, bullets slamming into the van’s armor. My security guard returned fire at the attacker. My heart eased slightly when the van carrying my children finally pulled away from the building.

A guard thrust a gun into my hand, my mind already gearing up for the fight ahead.

We raced back to the main floor. The scene that unfolded was a war zone-injured people scattered, glass shards and debris everywhere. I forced myself to snap into action, shoving aside the shock and horror to stay sharp.

I had to stay focused. The fire exit was on the other side of the chaos, leading upwards, so my security guard and I ran toward it, remaining vigilant.

As I reached for the door, it suddenly swung open from the other side. I found myself face-to-face with a hulking figure. Before I could react, a shot rang out. My guard crumpled behind me.

The barrel of a gun pressed against my forehead, cold and unyielding.

Damn it! I wanted to curse but knew I had to stay still. Any wrong move and he’d pull the trigger without hesitation.

“Marcus!” I said through gritted teeth. I’d been trying to uncover this man’s identity for years, constantly wary of his presence. Last I knew, he was imprisoned in Alcatraz. So why was he here now?

A cruel smile played across his features. “Ah, so you know me. I’ve been waiting for this moment.” His eyes narrowed. “Where are my grandchildren? Don’t you have any respect for the father of the woman you married?”

My blood ran cold. This madman would never lay eyes on my children if I had anything to say about it.

“I’ve seen them on TV,” Marcus continued, his tone disturbingly casual. “Such beautiful children. I want to meet them.” Staring into the eyes of a clearly unhinged man, my mind raced to find a way out of this nightmare.

I watched Sarah slowly descend the stairs, and Marcus must have caught the flicker in my eyes.

“Dock, Philip!” Sarah shouted.

But we had underestimated Marcus. His eyes lit up with a disturbing joy at seeing his daughter. In that split second, he threw a knife poised dangerously on Sarah’s shoulder! My teeth clenched as I took aim and fired my gun. The bullet struck Marcus in his side, but he didn’t even flinch.

He tried to shoot me in the chest. I dodged, and the bullet hit my shoulder instead. Marcus followed up with a vicious punch that sent me sprawling, his teeth gritted in fury. His strength was such that I was hurled to the floor. Pain shot through me as the bullet wound in my shoulder flared.

Sarah continued to fire at Marcus through the haze of pain, her hands shaking.

“Hahaha!” Marcus just laughed, the sound chilling and inhuman. He turned his gun toward my wife. Sarah ducked, but not fast enough. Blood blossomed on her clothes, and my world seemed to stop as she tumbled down the stairs.

“No!” The cry tore from my throat, raw and agonized. My lips quivered in shock.

Gunfire erupted from multiple directions, all focused on Marcus.

“Sarah!” I screamed.

Through my blurred vision, I saw Josh burst onto the scene, his gun roaring as he unleashed a relentless barrage on Marcus. I forced myself to my feet, grabbing a gun from a nearby guard and joining the fray. My teeth were clenched, and tears streamed down my face as I fired at Marcus with all the fury I could muster.

The world started to spin, darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision. The last thing I saw was a flood of uniformed officers pouring into the scene.

As consciousness slipped away, one thought consumed me: ‘Sarah.’

“Sarah…” I whispered before the darkness claimed me ultimately.