บททั้งหมดของ He Chose Her, Then Lost Me Forever: บทที่ 51 - บทที่ 60

Noah did not move. Rain washed down his forehead and stung his eyes, but he couldn't bring himself to blink.Beside him in the wet bushes, Sarah let out a faint, terrified gasp, her hands clamping tightly over Anna’s mouth to keep her from screaming. Caleb reached for his belt, but his hand froze halfway. They all knew a single step out of the shadows would mean a bullet from the high metal platform above.On the wooden boat below, the two men in black diving suits panicked. Seeing Evelyn lying motionless on the deck, they dropped the heavy steel box into the rushing water and dived into the deep river, swimming frantically away into the dark fog.The motorboat swayed lazily against the wooden pilings, its engine idling with a low, wet gurgle.High up on the catwalk, the old man lowered the black rifle just an inch. He rested his hands over the polished silver handle of his cane, looking down into the dark brush with a calm, cold stare."Come out into the open, Noah," William Reed’s v

The sharp, fast beeping from inside the old paper mill sounded like an alarm clock running out of time.Noah did not have to think twice. He knew that sound. It was the same noise the timer had made back at the stone house right before the walls blew apart."Run!" Noah screamed, grabbing Caleb by the shoulder and dragging him away from the open riverbank.Arthur did not run. He was so blinded by his own anger that he did not even look back at the building. He took two steps toward William, lifting his heavy shotgun high."You ruined my life, old man!" Arthur yelled over the rain.William did not try to reason with him. With a speed no one expected from an old man, William took a sharp step to the side, swung his heavy silver cane like a baseball bat, and smashed the iron handle straight into Arthur’s wrist.The shotgun went off with a loud BOOM, firing harmlessly into the grey sky. Arthur dropped the heavy weapon onto the wet mud, howling in pain as he clutched his broken wrist."Fool

The high-voltage receiver in William’s hand gave a low, dull hum that seemed to vibrate straight through the soles of Noah’s boots.Rain washed across the metal frame of the footbridge, sending cold droplets flying into Noah’s eyes. Down in the center of the sagging structure, Sarah and Anna were still waist-deep in the cold canal water, holding onto the top railing with white-knuckle grips. Every time a heavy surge of water hit the wooden planks, the rusted cables groaned like old iron gates."You have five seconds, Noah," William said. His voice came through the high speakers mounted on the railway pole, flat and dry, completely free of anger or pity. "Give me the ring, or I flip the breaker.""Noah, don't listen to him!" Caleb yelled from the mud bank below. He still had Clara pinned by the wrists, but the soft brown earth beneath his knees was sliding steadily toward the water. "If you give him that ring, he turns the power on anyway to clear the witnesses!""He won't!" Vivian gas

The heavy rumble beneath their feet felt like a small earthquake.Noah almost lost his balance on the wet gravel. He grabbed Anna’s arm to keep her upright as the ground shook again, sending loose stones sliding down into the dark canal water below.Down in the river, Clara’s small black boat moved quickly through the high reeds. The soft hum of its electric motor faded into the heavy noise of the falling rain as the boat turned around the sharp bend in the river, disappearing into the grey mist."She took everything!" Caleb yelled, taking two fast steps toward the edge of the water. He looked down into the dark current, but the river was too wide and fast for anyone to swim across. "Julian, she transferred the entire database! All the accounts, the property titles, the offshore names–she has it all on that tablet!"Julian did not answer right away. He stood completely still over the open leather briefcase on the grey rock, his sharp face frozen in a cold stare."She didn't just take

The paper in Noah’s hand felt heavier than lead.The image of the empty wooden cabin, its heavy door swinging open in the cold rain, burned into his mind. He could still remember the warm feeling of Sarah’s fingers touching his cheek, the soft shake in her voice when she asked him to take care of his brothers. Now, the dry bench in the photo was bare, save for her wet gloves."Noah?" Anna’s voice came soft from behind him. She was standing up now, holding onto the rusted iron handrail of the pump platform to keep her balance. "What's in the letter?"Noah slowly turned his head. He looked at Caleb, who was still catching his breath on the floor, and then at Julian, whose face had gone completely hard like marble."They're gone," Noah said quietly.Caleb snapped his head up, his eyes wide. "What do you mean, gone? The door was locked with a deadbolt from the inside! We locked it ourselves!""Look at the picture," Julian said, passing the photograph to Caleb.Caleb took the card, his fin