Hello, Ex! I Finally Found My Worth! - Chapter 200

Chapter 200: Favor
Claire barely had time to process Margaret’s reaction over the phone before the woman declared she was heading to the hospital immediately.

Now, as they hurried through the hospital entrance, Claire could feel the weight of Margaret’s worry in the way she walked—fast, determined, as if sheer willpower could bring her son back to safety.

Margaret’s face was pale but composed, though Claire knew her well enough to see the fear underneath. The moment they stepped into the waiting area near the ICU, Margaret’s sharp gaze swept across the room, searching.

“Where is he?” she demanded, her voice firm but tight with emotion. “Where’s my son?” she asked again, her heart pounding heavily in her rib cage.

Emma, who had been sitting near Alex, stiffened at Margaret’s voice. She had been bracing herself, fearing the worst—that Margaret would blame her for everything again. After all, Jake had taken a bullet meant for her.

But when Margaret turned her gaze on her, there was no accusation in her eyes. Only worry and it tore her heart. The thought that Margaret’s only child was in the ICU, fighting fir his life just because he wanted to save her and Margaret, whom used to hate her just by following all Jake said and done, was not blaming her, made her feel even more guilty.

Claire placed a hand on Margaret’s arm as they both looked at Emma.

“The doctors are still operating. We don’t know much yet,” Emma said quietly.

Margaret exhaled sharply, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. “I need to see him. I need to see my son. He’s all I’ve got.”

Alex, who had been silent until now, stepped forward. “They’re not letting anyone in yet. He’s still in surgery.”

Margaret turned to him, her eyes pleading. “He’s my son.”

Alex’s expression softened slightly. “I know. But we have to wait.”

Margaret inhaled deeply, as if forcing herself to stay calm. Her gaze flickered to Emma again, and for a moment, Emma thought she would finally say something about what had happened. That now was the moment she’d been expecting.

A moment Margaret would cuss and yell at her for being the reason everything was happening to them. First, Jake had to go to jail for weeks, even though not because of her, Margaret had somehow made it her fault and then, now this.

Emma inhaled deeply, bracing herself for whatever Margaret was going to say.

Instead, Margaret just asked quietly, “Were you hurt?”

What? Did Margaret just asked her that?

Emma swallowed hard, shaking her head. “No. Jake… he jumped in front of me before the bullet could hit me. I didn’t even know I was the one being shot at until he jumped in front of me.”

Margaret closed her eyes for a second, as if the reality of it all was finally settling in. When she opened them, there was no anger, no blame. Just raw, motherly concern.

Before Emma or Margaret could say anything else, the ICU doors opened slightly, and a nurse stepped out.

All of them moved at once. Claire, Margaret, Alex, and Emma rushed toward her, their questions overlapping.

“How is he?”

“Is he awake?”

“Did the surgery go well?” they all asked simultaneously.

The nurse held up a hand, her face professional but serious. “The surgery is still ongoing, but I have to be honest—his condition is critical. The bullet caused significant internal damage, and the doctors are doing everything they can to stabilize him.”

Margaret’s breath hitched at the thought of Jake’s survival being slim. Claire instinctively reached for her arm, steadying her.

Emma felt her heart sink. She had been holding onto the hope that Jake would be okay, but now…hearing this, she didn’t even know what to think anymore.

Margaret’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Is he going to survive?”

The nurse hesitated, then said, “We can’t say for certain right now. But he’s fighting.”

Margaret’s hands trembled slightly, and for the first time since she had arrived, she looked truly shaken. Claire squeezed her arm reassuringly, and Alex’s jaw tightened as he processed the words.

Emma lowered her gaze, guilt creeping in. Jake was fighting for his life because of her.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered even though Margaret might likely not want to accept her apology.

Margaret suddenly turned to Emma, her voice gentle yet firm. “This isn’t your fault. You shouldn’t apologize, you did nothing wrong.”

Emma’s eyes widened. “But—”

“No.” Margaret shook her head. “Jake made his choice. And right now, all that matters is that he pulls through.”

Emma swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.

Margaret then turned back to the nurse. “Please… just tell the doctors to do everything they can.”

The nurse gave a small nod. “They will.” Then she disappeared back inside, leaving them standing there with the weight of uncertainty hanging over them.

Silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating.

Margaret inhaled deeply, then let it out slowly. “I’m staying here until I can see him.”

Claire placed a hand on her back. “We all are.”

Margaret nodded but didn’t say anything else. She just stared at the closed doors, waiting and hoping.

Away from there, Vanessa sat by the window of her hotel room, a steaming cup of coffee in her hands.

She wasn’t drinking it—it had already gone cold—but she liked the feel of it in her grasp. It gave her something to hold onto while she let the weight of the moment settle.

The hotel was just across from the hospital, giving her a direct view of the entrance. She had chosen this spot carefully.

She could have left town right after giving the instructions while waiting for the job to be done, but she didn’t want to. Not this time. She needed to know. She needed to see the aftermath, even if from a distance.

And she had heard it. She had heard the gunshot and it wasn’t just once but twice.

Vanessa exhaled slowly, a satisfied smirk playing on her lips. Now, I can finally breathe.

The tightness in her chest, the frustration that had been gnawing at her for months—it was gone. She felt light, as if a burden she had carried for too long had finally been lifted.

“Jake,” she murmured to herself, leaning back against the chair. “You took something from me, made me give up my life just to make you happy. And now, I took everything from you, even your life.”

She had planned for just Emma to get shot. That was supposed to be the message. A warning to Jake that he had messed with the wrong woman.

She had wanted him to feel what it meant to lose someone precious, just like she had lost him.

But Marvis had fired twice.

Vanessa let out a short laugh, shaking her head. “Guess he did me a favor.”

Because that meant he hadn’t just taken out Emma—he had taken out Jake, too.

And wasn’t that just perfect?

She had spent nights imagining ways to make Jake suffer, but this… this was better than anything she had planned. If Jake had died along with Emma, it meant she had erased him completely. He wouldn’t even get the chance to grieve. He wouldn’t get to live with the pain. He’d just be gone.

The satisfaction spread through her like warmth, making her lean deeper into the chair.

That was why she had booked this room. Not because she doubted Marvis. No, he was a professional. He got the job done. But because she couldn’t stand waiting in the dark, wondering if it had worked.

She wanted to be here, close enough to feel the moment when the city whispered about a shocking shooting.

She wanted to know the exact second that the man who ruined her life took his last breath.

And now, she could finally relax. Or at least, she should have been able to.

Her fingers tapped absently against the cup as she glanced at her phone. Why hadn’t Marvis called her yet?

Her smirk faded slightly as her mind began to turn. He was supposed to check in. That was the deal. Do the job, confirm it’s done, get the rest of the money.

That was how these things worked. She had told him not to call immediately, of course—he had to be careful. But it had been over an hour.

Was he waiting? Maybe trying to confirm if they were really dead?

She frowned, gripping her phone tighter. She hadn’t heard any loud cries from the hospital. So… were they saved?

Vanessa shook her head. No, that’s not possible. A gunshot at close range? There’s no way they survived. Probably, they were trying to save their lives.

Still… why hadn’t Marvis called?

Her thumb hovered over his number. She debated waiting a little longer, but the gnawing feeling in her chest wouldn’t go away.

Just one call, she told herself as she pressed the dial button.

The phone rang and rang until she heard the disconnected tone. There was no answer.

Her lips pressed into a thin line. That was weird. Marvis never ignored her calls.

She tried again. But this time, the phone rang all the way to voicemail.

A cold sensation crawled up her spine.

Something was off. She thought as she quickly looked through the window. The hospital entrance was normal but taking a closer look, she could see Alex’s car parked outside.

She had tailed them too much to know his car. If he was still there, then it meant everything was happening as planned.

She took a slow breath, trying to settle the unease creeping into her mind. Maybe he was just being careful. Maybe he had turned off his phone after the job to avoid being traced.

That must be it. Yes, that made sense. He was just playing it safe.

Vanessa let out a breath and placed her phone on the table, leaning back against the chair.

He’ll call me soon. He had better call her soon. Because if something had gone wrong…

She shook the thought away, pushing the doubt out of her mind. She had waited for this moment for too long. There was no way she wasn’t getting what she wanted.

*********

Happy 200 chapters!!!

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