"She was trying to protect me. That's why she wanted me to move away, it was from you." I cried.

He shook his head. "She lived with you and kept track of your cycle. I knew the only way to get you back was to knock you up. She arranged for you to be at that club that night. We both knew I was going to fuck you. You're always so easy, Cora. You made it even easier when you forgot the condom. I brought along some I tampered with, but I didn't even need them."

His grip on me is getting tighter.

"She did what she had to do, she needed to protect her son. She called Ciara and set up that job offer I got, it's no coincidence it was in Cincinnati. She knew I missed home, so she gave me a reason to leave you." I said.

The knife cut a little deeper. "Do you actually think I'm going to allow you to run off with that man?"

"Think about our baby, Gray. By hurting me, you're hurting our baby. Have you forgotten who you are? You care for children and their families, you took an oath." I reminded him.

His grip loosened a tad. "I never would have hurt that boy, but Lisa didn't know that. It started out so innocent, then I got in over my head." He said.

"How? You were the one blackmailing her. She was traumatized after seeing her baby's father murdered, and then she was held captive. She was just scared for herself and her son." I said.

"Her family thinks she was crazy, don't they? I'm the one that tried to get her to fake her death, but she said it wouldn't work. That her alias would have been exposed, so she refused. I made sure she left you all that money so we would have everything. Then she backed out and started withdrawing money from her accounts. She didn't think I would find out, but I did, and Savannah agreed to split what we could get out of her, then talked her into running away again. I might have made bad choices, but I was never a murderer. Running away was her best option. Your dumbass boyfriend kept sending money to his worthless Aunt, so she didn't leave like she was supposed to, she got greedy."

Eli keeps looking behind me with fright in his eyes, which is scaring me even more.

"There are only two ways for you to walk out of here, Gray. Either in a body bag or in handcuffs. Security is outside, and that baby is your last link to Cora. Do you want to sever that link by harming her and your child?" Eli is talking while slowly moving to the right, and Gray is turning his body to make sure we are facing him. How the fuck did he get a knife past security?

"Hurting Cora is the last damn thing I want to do, but she can't ever leave me. She can't leave with that man." He said.

"Where do you want to go? I'll go with you as long as you don't hurt our baby." I asked.

"Don't you see, love? It's too late for that. Just like your loser brother said, there are only two ways I'm leaving this house. It sure as hell isn't going to be in handcuffs." He said.

"Then what do you want, Gray?" I asked.

"I can't leave this world knowing you're going to raise our baby with another man, you'll have to go with me." He said.

"I loved you once, Gray. I gave myself to you, and I trusted you. Leaving you was the hardest thing I ever had to do and it tore me apart. It was so painful, and all I ever wanted was your love. You couldn't give me that, Gray. I was so hurt that I never saw myself with any other man. You broke me, you killed a part of me that I needed if I was ever going to love again. If you ever loved me, you'll let me live and raise our baby. Let something good come from us. We created this baby together, and I already love it more than I love myself." I said.

"Stop it, Cora." He's now crying.

"Do you ever wonder if our baby will have my green eyes or your brown hair? Maybe it will have your smile, the one that made me fall in love with you. I hope he or she has your intelligence and your witty charm."

"Cora, don't. Please stop." He cried.

"Do you remember the night I gave you my virginity? It was the night you first told me you loved me. You said you would make me your wife and you promised to give me this baby someday. You said you couldn't wait to see me carry our baby and now our baby is right here." I paused, but he didn't say anything. "Did you know our baby has a heartbeat? Please don't make that end, I want to have your baby, Gray." I'm trying to let reality speak to him.

"That night was the best night of my life. I waited months for you to give yourself to me, I loved you so much." He continued to cry.

"I never wanted to live in Seattle, but I would have followed you anywhere. I was so deeply in love with you, and I remember wishing you would propose and marry me." I said.

"I didn't know what I had until you were gone." He said.

"The pain was too much, Gray. It hurt so bad when I learned what you did, and I was only protecting myself." I said.

"You had to protect yourself, because I turned into a monster. I killed us didn't I, Cora?"

The knife is still pressing into my throat.

"Yes, you killed us, but we still managed to find our way back to each other, and this baby only proves how much I've always loved you." I lied.

Eli moved, and so did Gray, which made me trip, then, suddenly, I heard a gunshot and I fell to the floor. Eli flew across the room and kicked the knife away before I even realized what happened.

"Gray!" I screamed then crawled over to him.

"No, no, no." I pulled his lifeless body into me and screamed for him to wake up. I looked down at him and rocked his body as I cried.

"Our baby." I cried as I cradled him.

I felt Eli's hand on my shoulder and men busted through every door in my house.

"Sis, you have to let go." He said.

I looked up at him. "He's dead." I cried.