His Red Carnation (Forbidden Blooms #1)

38. Callan

38

Callan

The helicopter ride was a blur of noise and chaos, but all I could focus on was Sloane. I held her hand the entire time, watching the medics work frantically to stabilize her, the blood soaking through their gloves as they shouted orders over the roar of the helicopter. I kept telling myself to stay calm, that she’d pull through, but the sight of her—so pale, so still—made it feel like the world was collapsing around me.

I didn’t let go of her hand, not even when we touched down at the hospital and they wheeled her into the ICU. Now, sitting here in the small, sterile room, the machines beeping softly around us, I couldn’t stop watching her chest rise and fall. It was the only thing keeping me grounded—those small, shallow breaths telling me she was still here.

The doctors said she was going to make it, that the knife had missed anything vital, that she was lucky. Lucky . The word rattled in my brain, but I didn’t fucking feel lucky. All I could think about was how close I’d come to losing her.

I squeezed her hand gently, my thumb brushing over her knuckles. “You’re safe now, baby,” I whispered, my voice barely holding together. “You’re gonna be okay.”

I leaned in closer, resting my forehead gently against her arm, letting the sound of the machines fill the silence.

“I’m here, baby,” I whispered. “I’m not leaving.”

* * *

The steady beeping of the machines was a constant reminder that Sloane was still alive, still here. I held her hand, guilt gnawing at me. I had tried to stop Sarah, tried to talk her down, but it hadn’t been enough.

Jake stood by the window, his arms crossed, his face hard and unreadable, but I could feel the weight of his anger bearing down on me. We hadn’t spoken about what had happened yet, at least not in detail. Ana sat on the other side of Sloane, her eyes flicking between the two of us, her frustration barely contained. The air between us felt like it was ready to explode, and I was tense as fuck.

Finally, Jake broke the silence, his voice low but sharp. “You should’ve stopped it.”

I looked up, already feeling the knot in my stomach tighten. “What?”

“You were there,” Jake continued, turning to face me, his eyes narrowing. “You should’ve stopped it. The car crash, the kidnapping, Sarah stabbing her—you were there for all of it. How the hell did you let it get this far?”

I could feel my frustration boiling over. “You think I wanted this to fucking happen?” I shot back. “I tried to stop her.”

“Tried?” Jake’s voice rose, his anger surfacing. “My daughter’s in that bed because you didn’t stop Sarah. You didn’t fight her. You let it happen.”

“I didn’t let anything happen,” I said, standing up, my voice rising. “I tried to talk her down. I didn’t get a chance to fight.”

“But you didn’t stop her, did you?” Jake snapped. “You were too distracted by Sloane. You were too caught up in your feelings to pay attention to the danger. And now look where we are.”

Before I could respond, Ana cut in, her voice trembling with anger. “Don’t you dare put this all on Callan. It is not his fault, not at all.”

Jake’s eyes flicked toward her. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about you ,” Ana snapped, standing up from her chair. Her eyes were blazing, her voice shaking with fury. “You ruined this family, Jake. You fucked Sarah. You knew she was crazy. You knew she was capable of lying and manipulating, and you didn’t care. You didn’t care about what it would do to us—what it would do to Sloane.”

Jake’s face tightened, his fists clenching at his sides. “Ana—”

“No,” she cut him off, her voice rising. “ Esto es culpa tuya . You let Sarah get close enough to manipulate her way back into our lives because you wanted a quick fuck con la maldita diabla . You didn’t care about anything—about the costs, about your family. You knew what she was capable of, and you didn’t care.”

Jake flinched, his jaw tightening, but he didn’t respond. He turned away, unable to look at either of us.

“She wasn’t after you,” I added, my voice lower and tinged with guilt. “She was using you to get to me. And you let her.”

Ana wasn’t done—she was fucking relentless as she practically cut me off and continued. “You destroyed everything. You failed us, Jake. You ruined this family just to have sex with her. And now our daughter is lying in that bed because of you .”

The silence that followed was suffocating. Jake didn’t say a word. His back was still turned, but I knew that what Ana said had gotten to him. How couldn’t it? She was fucking ruthless, but she was right.

Ana’s voice softened slightly, but the fury was still there. “Don’t you dare blame Callan for this. You knew exactly what Sarah was, and you brought her back into our lives anyway. This is all on you.”

It was silent again, the air tense and still. I looked down at Sloane, my heart heavy with guilt, but for the first time, it wasn’t just mine to carry.