I couldn’t breathe..
Everything around me was spinning–the cold white walls, the smell of blood still clinging to my clothes, the sound of Ryder’s body hitting the floor.
My chest rose and fell in sharp, painful gasps as my mother gripped my arms, trying to calm me down.
“Rachel, sweetheart, breathe. You’re okay. He’s going to be okay,” she whispered, brushing hair from my face.
But I wasn’t okay. Ryder had taken a bullet for me. The love of my life–the man who brought me back to life–was bleeding out because of me.
I could still hear the gunshot, still feel the heat of his blood splattered across my skin.
“He can’t die,” I sobbed, gripping my mother’s arm. “He can’t leave me. Not now.”
The doctors rushed him into surgery. I sat there, knees pressed to my chest, in the hospital hallway while my family huddled around me.
Tony handed me a bottle of water. George sat beside me in silence. My father paced. My mother prayed under her breath. But no one spoke too loudly. No one dared to say what we were all thinking.
Ryder might not make it.
It felt like hours. Maybe it was. My panic had dulled into numb silence by the time the doctor finally came out.
“He’s stable,” the doctor said, pulling down his mask. “The surgery was successful. The bullet missed all major organs. He’s awake and asking for you.”
I didn’t wait.
I ran through the corridor and pushed open the room. And there he was–propped up in bed, shirtless, bandages wrapped around his shoulder, hair a mess, and still… smirking like he always did.
“Darling,” he said weakly, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Tears spilled from my eyes as I rushed to him, throwing my arms around his neck. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again!”
He groaned softly. “Ouch–easy, love. You’re hugging my bullet wound.”
I froze. “Oh God, I’m so sorry!”
He chuckled. “I’m messing with you. You didn’t even touch it.”
I pulled back and hit his chest lightly. “You idiot.”
“I’d get shot again if it means I get to see you cry over me like that,” he said, brushing a tear from my cheek.
He Killed My Scn. Now I’ll Ruin Him
1/3 32.6%
13:17 Wed, 16 Jul & G
51%
I shook my head, sobbing and laughing. “I love you, Ryder. I can’t live without you. I want to marry you. Soon.”
His brows lifted. “Soon as in next year?”
“No. Soon as in… now.”
“Darling,” he said, voice serious now, “If you keep talking like that, I might actually cry.”
We both laughed, but something shifted in me. I felt faint. My vision blurred.
“Ryder… I don’t feel so good.”
My knees buckled.
I woke up to soft murmurs and blurry faces hovering over me.
My family. Ryder in a wheelchair beside me. My mother holding my hand. My father whispering something to a nurse.
“What… what happened?”
The doctor smiled gently. “You fainted from emotional stress and exhaustion. But we ran some tests while you were out.”
I blinked. “Tests?”
“Yes,” he said. “And congratulations, Ms. Lyndon- err… Ms. D’Angelo, you’re pregnant.”
I sat upright. “What?”
The doctor nodded. “You’re about five weeks along. We believe the previous procedure didn’t damage your uterus as initially claimed. In fact, no removal was ever done.”
“What do you mean?” I whispered.
He lowered his gaze. “When you were brought in unconscious after the kidnapping… Jack ordered the surgery. But I… I couldn’t do it. I lied. I told him it was done. I left your womb
intact.”
Tears filled my eyes. I turned to Ryder, who was already crying silently.
“You’re going to be a mom,” he said softly. “We’re going to be parents.”
I covered my mouth as joy exploded through me like fireworks.
I was pregnant.
After everything. After every loss. After all the pain.
A miracle.
Weeks passed like a dream. The wedding planning went into full swing.
Cara had been officially diagnosed and placed in a secure mental facility. Her mother had been sentenced to prison for arson and attempted murder.
Jack’s mother moved to the beach house with David. She sent letters, still begging for forgiveness. I didn’t reply. But I hoped she’d find peace. Maybe, in her own way, she was
Chapter 30 – A Ray of Sunshine
2/3 33.0%
trying
Meanwhile, Ryder pampered me like royalty. He refused to let me lift a finger, bought me three pairs of wedding shoes, and threatened to fire the wedding planner because the flowers weren’t “radiant enough” for his bride.
My family–my real family–were everything I had dreamed of.
Tony and George cried when they saw me in my dress. My father kissed my forehead and said, “You’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”
My mother just kept whispering, “My baby girl is home.”
The ceremony was held in a glass chapel on a hilltop, overlooking the ocean.
As I walked down the aisle, my father and brothers each took turns holding my hands.
“You sure you want this guy?” George whispered.
“You mistreat her, and I’ll break your legs,” Tony warned Ryder.
“I already have the scar to prove I’d never let anyone hurt her again,” Ryder replied with a soft smile.
The vows were tearful. The kiss was perfect. The reception was like something out of a dream.
As we danced under the fairy lights, Ryder touched my stomach and leaned down to whisper.
“I swear, I’ll never leave you. I’ll protect you both. Always.”
I looked up into his eyes, smiling through tears.
“I know.”
“You’re mine forever, Mrs. Saltzman. And our baby’s going to have the most badass mom on earth.
For the first time in forever, I was truly, wholly, completely happy.
Surrounded by family. In the arms of the man I loved. A child growing inside me.
After all the pain. After all the heartbreak.
This was my ray of sunshine.
And I was never going to let it go.
13:18 Wed, 16 July
Chapter 30 – A Ray of Sunshine
Gwen’s Pov
I couldn’t breathe.
Everything around me was spinning–the cold white walls, the smell of blood still clinging to my clothes, the sound of Ryder’s body hitting the floor.
My chest rose and fell in sharp, painful gasps as my mother gripped my arms, trying to calm me down.
“Rachel, sweetheart, breathe. You’re okay. He’s going to be okay,” she whispered, brushing hair from my face.
But I wasn’t okay. Ryder had taken a bullet for me. The love of my life–the man who brought me back to life–was bleeding out because of me.
I could still hear the gunshot, still feel the heat of his blood splattered across my skin.
“He can’t die,” I sobbed, gripping my mother’s arm. “He can’t leave me. Not now.”
The doctors rushed him into surgery. I sat there, knees pressed to my chest, in the hospital hallway while my family huddled around me.
Tony handed me a bottle of water. George sat beside me in silence. My father paced. My mother prayed under her breath. But no one spoke too loudly. No one dared to say what we were all thinking.
Ryder might not make it.
It felt like hours. Maybe it was. My panic had dulled into numb silence by the time the doctor finally came out.
“He’s stable,” the doctor said, pulling down his mask. “The surgery was successful. The bullet missed all major organs. He’s awake and asking for you.”
I didn’t wait.
I ran through the corridor and pushed open the room. And there he was–propped up in bed, shirtless, bandages wrapped around his shoulder, háir a mess, and still… smirking like he always did.
“Darling,” he said weakly, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Tears spilled from my eyes as I rushed to him, throwing my arms around his neck. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again!”
He groaned softly. “Ouch–easy, love. You’re hugging my bullet wound.”
I froze. “Oh God, I’m so sorry!”
He chuckled. “I’m messing with you. You didn’t even touch it.”
I pulled back and hit his chest lightly. “You idiot.”
“I’d get shot again if it means I get to see you cry over me like that,” he said, brushing a tear from my cheek.
I chook my hood cohhing and laughing “Llove you Dudor Loan’t live without you I want to
Chanter 20 – A Day of Sunshine
13:18 Wed, 16 July
༥ T༠༨u Y ག o
I shook my head, sobbing and laughing. “I love you, Ryder. I can’t live without you. I want to marry you. Soon.”
His brows lifted. “Soon as in next year?”
“No. Soon as in… now.”
“Darling,” he said, voice serious now, “If you keep talking like that, I might actually cry.”
We both laughed, but something shifted in me. I felt faint. My vision blurred.
“Ryder… I don’t feel so good.”
My knees buckled.
I woke up to soft murmurs and blurry faces hovering over me.
My family. Ryder in a wheelchair beside me. My mother holding my hand. My father whispering something to a nurse.
“What… what happened?”
The doctor smiled gently. “You fainted from emotional stress and exhaustion. But we ran some tests while you were out.”
I blinked. “Tests?”
“Yes,” he said. “And congratulations, Ms. Lyndon- err… Ms. D’Angelo, you’re pregnant.” 1 sat upright. “What?”
The doctor nodded. “You’re about five weeks along. We believe the previous procedure didn’t damage your uterus as initially claimed. In fact, no removal was ever done.”
“What do you mean?” I whispered.
He lowered his gaze. “When you were brought in unconscious after the kidnapping… Jack ordered the surgery. But I… I couldn’t do it. I lied. I told him it was done. I left your womb intact.”
Tears filled my eyes. I turned to Ryder, who was already crying silently.
“You’re going to be a mom,” he said softly. “We’re going to be parents.”
I covered my mouth as joy exploded through me like fireworks.
I was pregnant.
After everything. After every loss. After all the pain.
A miracle.
Weeks passed like a dream. The wedding planning went into full swing.
Cara had been officially diagnosed and placed in a secure mental facility. Her mother had been sentenced to prison for arson and attempted murder.
Jack’s mother moved to the beach house with David. She sent letters, still begging for forgiveness. I didn’t reply. But I hoped she’d find peace. Maybe, in her own way, she was
TARU
trying.
Meanwhile, Ryder pampered me like royalty. He refused to let me lift a finger, bought me three pairs of wedding shoes, and threatened to fire the wedding planner because the flowers weren’t “radiant enough” for his bride.
My family–my real family–were everything I had dreamed of.
Tony and George cried when they saw me in my dress. My father kissed my forehead and said, “You’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”
My mother just kept whispering, “My baby girl is home.”
The ceremony was held in a glass chapel on a hilltop, overlooking the ocean.
As I walked down the aisle, my father and brothers each took turns holding my hands.
“You sure you want this guy?” George whispered.
“You mistreat her, and I’ll break your legs,” Tony warned Ryder.
“I already have the scar to prove I’d never let anyone hurt her again,” Ryder replied with a soft smile.
The vows were tearful. The kiss was perfect. The reception was like something out of a dream.
As we danced under the fairy lights, Ryder touched my stomach and leaned down to whisper.
“I swear, I’ll never leave you. I’ll protect you both. Always.”
I looked up into his eyes, smiling through tears.
“I know.”
“You’re mine forever, Mrs. Saltzman. And our baby’s going to have the most badass mom on earth.”
For the first time in forever, I was truly, wholly, completely happy.
Surrounded by family. In the arms of the man I loved. A child growing inside me.
After all the pain. After all the heartbreak.
This was my ray of sunshine.
And I was never going to let it go.
