Page 40 of Three Minutes
I can tell he’s getting a kick out of this, and has waited a very long time for this moment with me. He continues. “At around10:00, your mother got a phone call, and it was Jesse. I then found out that he was close to being there, and that you would be home by 11. Did you know that they were planning to sit you down and tell you the truth then? That was the whole reason Jesse was coming. They had it all planned out. I needed to act fast.” He pauses, running his fingertip along the sharp blade. My heart sinks. That night they were going to tell me the truth about everything. My lip trembles, but I quickly mask it. “Long story short. I waited until I heard your mother go into the bedroom. I snuck and strangled her just like I had always wanted to do, but instead of in the water, it was on the bedroom floor. I promise it was quick. As you know, she was a fighter, but her tiny little neck just couldn’t handle my large hands crushing her trachea.”
I charge forward, gripping the knife I concealed. “You bastard!”
He quickly stands in a fighting position, holding the knife in front of him, pointed at me. “Shut the fuck up and let me finish.”
I slowly lower the knife and scowl at him. He paces back and forth, never taking his eyes off me. “Now, where were we? Oh, that’s right, I killed Esther, and then I used her as bait. I hid in the bedroom, waiting for Jesse to arrive, and even hoped you would. I knew the moment he walked in the door from the sounds of his boots on the floor. He called out for Esther multiple times. Eventually, he made his way into the bedroom, finding her dead on the floor. He was hysterical. I even waited a moment longer, wanting to see how he reacted to her death. I knew instantly that he loved more than he ever led on, which angered me even more. I stabbed him multiple times with our family knife. Now, don’t think Jesse didn’t put up a good fight, because he did.” He pauses, facing toward me. “But see, Ezra, nothing can out-fight someone who carries a rage deep inside them. And from the look in his eyes, I think he knew he was going to die that night. I give him props for giving it his all. He was always too gentle, anyway.” He shrugs his shoulders at hisown comment.
Steam swirls around my face, my heart pounding with rage as I glare at the man who shattered my life. He laughs, a cold, mocking sound. “Everything went how it needed to. I arranged their bodies to give it a cinematic flair, holding each other as they burned together. Oh, and the sweetest fucking thing. Your mother had an envelope on the dresser that I hadn’t noticed before. I opened it and read it. It was the sweetest letter she had written…just for you.” He raises a finger, a smirk spreading across his face as he starts digging through his pockets. For a swift moment, hope flickers within me that he has the letter. But then he suddenly snaps his fingers and grins. “Oh, that’s right, I used it to start the house fire. I did at least leave behind my lighter for you to find. Glad to know you’ve put it to good use.” In a flash, I rush at him, yanking the knife from the back of my pants and slicing it through the air. He raises a hand, swatting it out of my grip. The blade clatters against the floor and embeds itself in the wall, blood streaming down his hand and arm. “You got me good, boy.” His expression goes cold as he comes at me, swinging the knife toward my stomach. I leap back, dodging it multiple times.
I swing with a right hook, catching him on the lower jaw. He stumbles back slightly, but quickly regains his balance. Before I can react, he brings the knife down, plunging it into my left shoulder. Pain shoots through me, and I stagger back, clutching my wound. He chuckles, watching the blood drip from the tip of the blade. “Now, isn’t this family bonding at its finest? So much of our blood has been spilled by this very knife, and now I get to kill you with it too.” He lunges at me, aiming for my throat with the blade. I quickly dart forward, ducking low to tackle him. We crash to the ground with a grunt. I scramble for the knife, trying to seize it from his grasp as we roll on the floor. I pound my fists into his side, desperate to make him loosen his hold. He presseshis thumb into my stab wound, making me tense with agony. In a heartbeat, he overpowers me, flipping us around and pinning me to the ground with his weight.
He drives the knife down, digging and twisting it into my side. I groan loudly through clenched teeth as he slowly pulls it out, bringing the blade dangerously close to my neck. He lifts his shirt, revealing the scar I left on him so many years ago. “For fourteen years, this has been my constant reminder of you. Now, I get to watch you bleed out,” he whispers, leaning in close. The knife hovers near my throat as he continues, “And the best part is that I barely had to lift a finger. You ruined yourself all on your own, making this exact moment so easy for me.”
I look down at pools of crimson covering my shirt and the floor around us. I’m losing too much blood. I don’t have much time left to finish what needs to be done. I won’t leave him behind to torment the twins or Raina. I begin laughing hysterically, glaring at him as I choke out, “I’ve had scratches worse than that. Thank fucking God I can die knowing that my real father wasn’t a little bitch like you.” With that, I sling my head forward as hard as I can, head-butting him. He grunts, tumbling back. I grab his shirt, twisting it around my fist, throwing him to the ground, and straddling him, pinning his arms under my knees. I drill him in the throat, knocking the wind out of him. He wheezes, and finally the knife drops from his hand. I quickly grab it, sending it into his shoulder blade. He cries out, hissing in pain. I twist the blade in circles, hearing the muscle and tendons rip and snap. He tries his best to wiggle from my hold, but fails.
I press down hard on the blade, my weight bearing on it as his blood begins to pool around my grip. I lean in closer, forcing him to see my face. “How does it feel to realize you’re about to die…all for nothing? The last thing you’ll witness is a face that embodies the very people you despised most. It’s downright tragic that you’ve lost a battle to someone as worn down as I am.But I suppose it’s no surprise, is it? Because deep down, you, I, and my dead mother and father all know you’d never win a fair fight.”
He grimaces at me as he strains to get from under me. I pull the blade from his shoulder and stab it into the side of his neck. He screams in agony as I bring my mouth to his ear. “Now, I get to watch you drown in your own blood.” I rip the blade from his neck, and red liquid spews out everywhere. He tries pulling his arms from beneath me to grab his neck, but I calmly keep them pinned, keeping my eyes locked with his. He begins making a gurgling sound while choking on his own blood. His head jerks back and forth as life leaves his body. And I know the moment it does.He’s dead.
I look down at the man who shattered my entire life and took away those I love. He has haunted my dreams and lingered in my thoughts for far too long. After twenty-seven long years, I can finally find solace in knowing he is truly gone. My head tilts back as I struggle to process everything that’s happened. It’s as if my body knows I’ve done what I needed to do, and the pain rushes back in. I gasp as I glance at my fresh wounds, blood oozing from them. My body has endured so much in just twenty-four hours, but I’m grateful it brought me to this moment.
A sharp pain jolts through me, and I collapse onto the floor. My teeth grind together as the agony courses through me, causing involuntary convulsions. I double over, desperately shutting my eyes. For a short moment, the pain subsides, leaving me almost numb, as if my mind is bracing me for a peaceful end. Rolling onto my back, I struggle to catch my breath, gasping for air that feels so distant. All I can think about are the twins. The good and bad memories we shared growing up together. I remember the day we first met as kids and how, from that moment on, we became family. Raina crosses my mind, stirring a different ache in my chest. My lip trembles as I reflect on the time we lost andwonder if things could have been different if I hadn’t been such a dick. Now, I’ll never get the chance to make amends or tell her how I truly feel.
My eyes snap open, and I quickly start searching my pockets, wincing at every little movement I make. I fish out my phone, struggling to hold it steady as my hands tremble. As I tap the screen, I see it’s down to 2%. I dive into my contacts and dial her number. I need to leave a message. She has to hear this before I go. It goes straight to voicemail, just as I knew it would. I let out a whimper that escapes my lips when her voice sounds over her voicemail message. I shut my eyes, savoring her sweet tone one last time before the beep interrupts.
I take a deep breath into the phone as my mind starts to drift away. “Raina…I…I’ve needed to tell you this for a long time, and I’m really sorry it took us reaching this point for me to finally say it.” A choked, gurgling sound escapes me. “I want you to know that I don’t regret a single moment we shared. You made me want to be better…it just took me some time to understand that. Most of my happiest memories are tied to you.” I let out a shaky laugh. “That first time you walked into my bar, you had my attention. I tried to brush it off by acting like a complete jackass.” The phone nearly slips from my grip as I clutch my side wound, trying to stifle the sounds fighting to escape. I know I need to hurry. I have to say it before it’s too late. “I’m sorry…I’m so fucking sorry for everything I put you through.” A sob catches in my throat. “I’m going to miss your voice, your little laugh, and those cute freckles.” I close my eyes, recalling the morning I spent watching her sleep so peacefully. “At least I got to count them…there are twenty in total…eight on your left cheek, seven on your right, and five on your nose.” I feel myself slipping away, the darkness creeping in. I choke on my words, pushing to get them out. “Raina…I… I…” The phone drops from my hand, as my body jerks uncontrollably, but then everything goes still.
Chapter Thirty
The sounds of wheels scraping against tile mingle with frantic voices shouting back and forth. Flickers of light dance in my eyes, and everything fades to black before I catch glimpses of moving ceilings. A finger brushes alongside my floating body. “Don’t you dare die on me, Ez,” a familiar voice echoes in my mind. The persistent beeping fades in and out. I gasp and then vanish once more.
The sounds of birds singing float all around me, and the sweet aroma of honeysuckles fills the air. I hear some rustling to the left of me, catching my attention. My gaze falls on a vibrant flower garden, bursting with a variety of colors. As I stroll through, my palms brush against the silk petals, feeling their delicate textures. Suddenly, I catch a faint, familiar tune, a soft humming that draws me in. My brows knit together as I venture deeper into the floral maze. My heart skips when I spot golden hair sparkling in the sunlight. The sweet smell of lavender and rosemary surround my senses. A woman kneels with her back to me, carefully sorting through blooms in a wicker basket. Monarch butterflies fly gracefully all around her, some clinging to her hair and clothing. As I draw nearer, she pauses, and her humming is silenced. Standing up, she brushes her knees and tilts her head slightly, a warm smile spreading across her lips. My eyes go wide with recognition.“Ezra.” Her sweet voice consumes me, breathing life back into me.
I jolt awake, breathless and disoriented. My eyes squint against an overwhelming brightness as I blink rapidly, struggling to clear my vision. A shadowy figure towers over me. I instinctively yank my arm, trying to rub my eyes, but something snags my arm, sending a slight sting shooting through me. A gentle hand presses down on my arm. “Ezra, it’s okay, I’m here,” a soothing voice reassures me. I clench my eyes shut again, then open them slowly, focusing on the small hand gripping me. With each blink, my surroundings become clearer. Gradually, my gaze travels upward, and a sigh of relief escapes my lips.
Raina.
She gazes down at me, her expression a mix of relief and sadness. My eyes are drawn to the stitches zigzagging along the top of her brow. I can’t forget how her mouth was busted open; there’s a small cut there, but it’s healing now that it’s been cleaned up. “Raina,” I whisper, trying to take it all in. My focus shifts to myself, and I notice I’m hooked up to a monitor and an IV. Panic begins to set in as fragments of what happened flood my mind. I attempt to sit up in the hospital bed, but Raina gently presses her hand against my chest, easing me back down.
“Hold on, Ezra, everything’s okay now.”
I glance back at her, feeling a mix of confusion and concern. “How long have I been here?”
She sits on the edge of the bed, gazing out the window. “It’s been three days. You were unconscious for three days,” she replies softly. I can see she’s putting on a brave face for my sake. I reach out and place my hand gently on her wrist, and she flinches slightly at my unexpected touch.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, aware of the tension. She bites her lip, glancing back at me. Her eyes are misty with unshed tears.
“They nearly lost you twice on the way to the hospital.” Hervoice trembles as she speaks. “The twins told me the next morning, I had just fully woken up and was feeling somewhat like myself. I tried to get to you, but the nurses wouldn’t let me leave my bed. I had to sit in this hospital knowing you were somewhere near me.” She sniffles, wiping her nose. “They just released me last night, and I’ve been here since, waiting for you to wake up. The twins and Eric just left about thirty minutes ago.”
I rub my fingertips along her wrist. “Raina, I’m here, I’ll be okay.” I furrow my brows, trying to recall the last thing I remember. Joseph’s face flashes through my mind.I killed him. That’s the last thing I remember.
I have so many questions spinning in my mind, and I’m not sure where to start. I’m just relieved that the first face I saw was Raina. She’s okay. She’s here with me. Raina shifts on the bed to get a better look at me. Taking my hand, she gently traces her finger around the IV that’s under my skin. Her eyes glisten with tears as she meets my gaze. “The twins told me everything you did after the wreck,” she says, her voice trembling. “You pulled me back from over a ledge and carried me up a mountain?” She pauses, wiping away her tears with her free hand and taking a deep breath. “You really carried me all that way?”
I run my fingers through my hair and nod. “I don’t know how far I walked. It feels like a blur to me.”
Raina gasps, her eyes widening in disbelief. “The police told Blake that it was almost three miles from the crash site to where the couple found us. You carried me all that way.” She raises her hand to cover her mouth in shock.
I take hold of her wrist, drawing her closer. Rubbing small circles along her soft skin. “And I’d do it all over again if it meant saving you.” She gazes into my eyes, a silent thank you for saving her life. But I don’t care about that, all I care about is that she is here in front of me, breathing the same air as me.
