Mason POV

Two very familiar voices woke me up.

I opened my eyes slowly and looked around the room.

Nobody was in here.

Did I dream about them?

I looked at Emma. She was still asleep. I sighed and kissed her temple.

I was just about to lay my head back down on the pillow when I heard the voices again.

They were close. They were just outside the door.

Oh, fuck no.

My anger rose, and I saw red.

I stood up carefully and kissed Emma’s forehead.

“I will be right back, okay?” I said quietly, caressing her cheek. “I will be right outside the door. You are not alone.”

She didn’t respond. She didn’t move.

My heart clenched painfully, and I took a deep breath.

She will wake up soon. She has too. I miss her too fucking much.

I turned around and walked to the door. I opened it slowly and stepped outside.

My eyes fell on two people I wanted to beath the shit out of right the fuck now.

George and Patricia Richardson.

My parents.

“Mason!” my father exclaimed as soon as he saw me.

He ran toward me and reached out to hug me. I stopped him.

“What the fuck are you two doing here?” I asked angrily.

“The principal called.” my dad said. “He said that Emma got hurt by that kidnapper.”

“Where is she?” my mother asked, faking concern.

I looked behind my father, sending daggers at her. A man I never saw before was standing next to her, eyeing me up and down. That had to be her new fucking husband.

“That is none of your concern, Patricia.” I said coldly. “You are not allowed to see her. You are not allowed near her. You can leave right now.”

Her eyes widened, and she stared at me speechless.

“Don’t talk to your mother like that.” her husband said sternly.

“Don’t make me angrier than I already am.” I said to him, clenching my fists. “Leave, now.”

“That is my daughter in there!” my mother shouted.

I chucked darkly, taking a step toward her. She was really going to pretend that she cared?

“Was she your daughter when you left her without food for days?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “Was she your daughter when the fucking flu almost killed her because you left her alone? Was she your daughter when you left her to freeze to death in her own home in the middle of the winter?”

By the end of my speech, I was screaming. My fists were clenched so tightly that I was sure I would break the bones in my hands.

I heard multiple gasps around me, and that is when I realized that my friends were here. Jax and Chris were glaring at my mother with murderous looks on their faces. Hazel was staring at her, shocked.

“You did what?!” my father shouted, staring at my mother in disbelief. “You neglected my daughter?!”

“Oh, don’t be so fucking shocked.” I snarled at him. “You left her to this bitch. You lied to me and to her. You separated us. You told me that she hated me. You stopped her from reaching out to me. You made me hate my own twin sister. You are as bad as she is!”

My friends gasped again, and their eyes snapped to my father. They knew basically everything now.

“Both of you left her.” I continued angrily, looking from my father to my mother. “Both of you hurt her. Your actions almost killed her. I will never let you near her again. You won’t be taking her away from me ever again, and you won’t be hurting her ever again.”

“Listen, Mason…” my mother’s husband started talking, but I interrupted him immediately.

“Shut the fuck up.” I gritted my teeth. “You are responsible for hurting her as much as they are. You left her alone as well. You almost killed her as well. Don’t talk to me and leave immediately!”

“You can’t talk to him like that, Mason.” My mother said, making me chuckle darkly.

“Are you serious?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her. “All of you are lucky that I didn’t punch the living shit out of you as soon as I saw you!”

I felt someone put their hands on my shoulders. I turned my head and saw Chris glaring at my parents and my mother’s husband.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Mase.” Chris said. “Emma needs you here, not in jail.”

I knew that. It was the only reason all of them were uninjured right now.

“Can you at least tell us what happened, Mase?” my dad asked quietly.

I looked back at him and saw regret and sadness. It was too fucking late for that.

“A psychopathic fucker got obsessed with her.” I said coldly. “He wanted to take her and kill her.”

My father’s eyes widened. My mother gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Even her fucking husband looked shocked.

“Oh, my little girl.” my father mumbled.

“Wrong.” I said coldly. “She is not yours. You lost that right nine years ago.”

My father wanted to say something else, but my mother interrupted him.

“What did he do to her?” she asked me. “Is she okay?”

I clenched my fists and tightened my jaw. I really didn’t want to answer her. Just looking at her made me so fucking angry.

Chris must have sensed my anger, so he answered instead of me.

“He injected her with a mixture of drugs.” Chris said coldly. “She had some trouble with her heart, but the doctor said that she would be okay.”

“Oh, my God.” my mother mumbled.

“You can ask the one who called you here to tell you the rest.” I managed to speak. “I won’t let you in to see her, so you can leave immediately.”

My mother and father wanted to protest, but a loud beeping noise coming from Emma’s room interrupted them.

My heart almost jumped out of my body.

I ripped the door open and ran inside.

The machines were going wild.

I didn’t understand shit, but I knew it couldn’t be good.

I heard gasps behind me, but the only thing I could do was run to Emma.

“Emma!” I screamed, grabbing her face. “Wake up, please!”

I heard footsteps running toward the room, and a second later doctors and nurses were all around me.

“She is in V-Fib!” one of them yelled. “We need a crash cart!”

“Get them out of the room!” someone else yelled, and in a second I felt hands on me, pulling me away from her.

I wanted to fight them so fucking bad. I was so angry that they were taking me away from her. But I knew I needed to let them work. I knew I needed to let them help her.

My eyes were on her the entire time.

I watched as they lowered the head rest.

I watched as they opened the hospital gown she was wearing.

I watched as they put something on her chest.

Then I saw the door close in my face, and I was fucking gone.

I started shaking. I started screaming. My own heart felt like it was giving up on me. I felt hands on me. I could hear someone speaking to me. I could feel my body being pulled away from the door. I could feel someone’s hand running through my hair. I could feel someone caressing my cheek.

I didn’t give a shit who it was. I knew it wasn’t Emma, and it was enough for me.

All I wanted was her.

They had to save her. She had to live.

Because if she didn’t, I didn’t know how I would take my next breath.