Today is Scarlett's birthday, and she thinks I have no idea. Technically, I did have no idea until Jenny called me to make sure I knew. She knew her daughter wouldn't tell me herself, which she was right about.

It's been a week since I confessed my love for my beautiful girlfriend, and things have been going extremely well since then. Minus the fact that she didn't inform me about her damn birthday.

The police told me this morning that they have a lead on my father's whereabouts, but I'm choosing not to worry about anything Carlos Miller related. At least for the day. Today is my girl's day, and I'll be damned if she doesn't have a good birthday.

She's turning twenty-two, and I kissed her and sent her off to work acting completely clueless. Jordyn helped me plan a surprise party for her at my apartment tonight. It's nothing too big, just the people she's close to that love her very much.

Bonnie, Jordyn, Riley, Scarlett's mom, Rocky, and Talia will all attend. Talia also helped me pick out the perfect necklace with her birthstone in it. I'm hoping she'll love it. I didn't want to buy her anything too crazy, considering this is the first gift exchange we've had.

Jordyn is currently decorating the apartment with millions of balloons and corny birthday decorations from the costume store. Riley agreed to buy the cake, which he just put into the fridge and is now stocking it full of alcoholic beverages.

I called off work for a "family emergency" and ensured that Natalie would help hold Scarlett a little later. She also told me she'd text me when Scarlett left work; that way, I'd know when Scarlett would be coming home.

It's nearly six at night, so I'm expecting a text soon. All the decorations are set up, and every guest, except the birthday girl herself, has arrived. Everyone is chatting amongst themselves, Jenny's mom even preparing Scarlett's favorite dinner.

I'm anxiously tapping my foot on the ground repeatedly as I wait for Natalie's text.

Jordyn plops down next to me on the couch, patting my shoulder a few times. "She's gonna love it, you know. She acts like her birthday isn't a big deal, but she secretly loves stuff like this."

"I hope so, considering you're the one that convinced me to do this in the first place," I reply, smirking as I take a swig from my beer.

Jordyn smiles. "Trust me; I know what's best."

I chuckle at that, rolling my eyes. Riley sits beside his girlfriend, and they start flirting shamelessly, cueing to leave the area. I head into the kitchen where Bonnie and Jenny are cooking. Jenny insisted she didn't need any help, but they decided two were better than one once the two got to talking.

"Zayn!" Bonnie exclaims. "What a sweet boy you are, doing this for Scarlett and all. I always knew you two were in love."

Jenny smirks knowingly, continuing to stir whatever she's cooking at the stove. I laugh, nodding my head. "Your place brought us together, Bon. Without you, we may have never met."

Bonnie's eyes light up. "You two are the whole reason I opened that place. For people to come and feel safe, to meet others that enjoy the vacant calmness of the night."

"You should write a book," Jenny says. We all laugh at that.

"Maybe I will. An old broad like me has a lot of stories to tell." Bonnie turns back to face me, smiling. "I think you two would've met anyway."

I furrow my brows. "Why's that?"

"A love like yours and that instant connection you two had? I don't know if you believe in soulmates, but hell, I sure do." She explains.

I guess it occurred to me that the way we clicked in our first conversation was unlike anything else in my life. I never thought it could be love at first sight or soulmates or any of that other stuff, but sometimes it makes sense to me.

Scarlett has said to me before that she thinks our connection is deeper than most. Hell, I didn't know I was even ready for love, and then I saw her in that cafe, and everything changed.

It's like everything fell into place perfectly just so we could be in that cafe on the same night, at the same time, both our souls lonely and open.

God, I love her so much. I can't wait till she's here.

Rocky and Talia must've been eavesdropping because the two of them pull up two chairs and sit beside me. Talia has a big smirk on her face.

"You've got the look of love, little brother," Talia says. Jenny laughs at that, my brother patting my back a few times, too.

"Don't worry. I do too." Rocky adds, kissing his wife on the cheek.

Eventually, Jordyn and Riley join us, and we all jump into different conversations. Scarlett's name somehow always finds a way into whatever we talk about, and it makes me happy knowing she's so extremely loved by everyone here.

My phone buzzes in my lap, and sure enough, Natalie is texting me, telling me that Scarlett just left the office.

"She's on her way, everybody!" I announce. "Should be about twenty minutes if traffic isn't too bad."

Everyone nods and looks for places to hide. Jenny isn't too worried, though, because Scar asked her mother over for dinner anyway, so she continues to cook.

About ten minutes later, the door handle starts to jiggle, grasping everyone's attention.

"Is that her?" Riley asks. Everyone else starts to panic, getting into their hiding spots.

"A bit early, no?" Rocky piggybacks. Everyone shares confused looks before the door swings open with a bang.

I stare in horror as my father waltzes in. A gun pointed straight at my head. He kicks the door closed with a loud bang. I don't even have enough time to process what's going on before I hear the familiar shout I grew up with as a child.

"Everybody get the fuck down, or you're getting a bullet to the head." He's slurring, and his footsteps are wobbly as he touches the barrel of his gun to my head.

I'm in complete shock, looking at the man that destroyed my childhood and stole my happiness. I hear Rocky saying something, trying desperately to control my father. I can't grasp what he's saying, though. I can't grasp anything.

I feel like I'm watching this happen outside of my body. I don't feel I'm really here as I watch Jordyn and Riley hold one another, hiding behind the couch.

I don't register the terrified whimpers of Scarlett's mother behind the counter and the pleas coming from Talia, begging her husband to stay with her.

My father's dark blue eyes pierce into mine as he holds me paralyzed at gunpoint. His eyes are filled with furry, no sense of remorse swimming within the depths of blue. But more than that, I recognize the drunk haze he's in all too well.

I finally snap out of my trance when my father shouts. "Where's the fuckin' girl?"

"None of your fucking business," I growl angrily. My father doesn't seem to like that answer, and he smacks me in the face with the end of the gun. I can feel the blood run down my cheek, my head now pounding.

"Tell me where the girl is, and no one else will get hurt." He says casually.

I furrow my brows, trying my best to focus on the growing pain in my head. "Why? What do you want from her? You haven't killed enough women?"

Another smack. Ow.

"I didn't kill anyone!" He screams.

I scoff. "Oh, it was an accident, right? That how you got released?" I provoke.

"Stop it, Z." Rocky bites out nervously.

"Tell me then, how do you accidentally get hammered and run over two children, then drive away as if nothing happened? In what way is that an accident?"

"You better shut your mouth, boy." My father snaps.

"And then your bullshit trail caused my mother to end her life. All because you couldn't admit you were guilty, forcing this family through months of public humiliation. How was that an accident? How is you ruining everything you touch a fucking accident?" I keep going. I keep laying into him, trying my damn hardest to piss him off enough that he loses control and gives me an opportunity to snatch the gun from his hand.

Just as I think I've finally provoked him enough, the front door swings open again. My girlfriend's body freezes as she takes in the scene in front of her. Her eyes are wide with sheer panic, and my heart stops as my father quickly spins around.

The next twenty seconds happen in slow motion. My brother tackles my father to the ground as a shrilling gunshot sounds. I just watch in horror as Jenny's scream pierces my ears, watching Scarlett clutch her stomach, blood slowly coating every inch of her hands.

Rocky tosses the gun as far as possible, pinning Carlos to the floor and laying punches into his face, effectively restraining him. I hear someone talking to the police on the phone, explaining the situation in panic.

My legs finally begin to work, my body pulling me forward robotically to Scarlett's shocked body. She's still standing, holding her stomach with a look of confusion on her face.

"Zayn?" She says, her voice just barely over a whisper.

She looks down at her hands, then to my face as I throw out millions of questions. I can't hear anything, though. Time feels nonexistent like everything is moving in slow motion. I stare at Scarlett, her eyes tearing up as she blinks slowly.

I see it in her eyes first as her chestnut orbs roll back and her eyelids flutter closed. Her body goes limp, and she falls into my arms, making me stagger back, and I lower us both to the floor.

"No, no, no," I shake my girlfriend's limp body. "Scarlett, wake up. Please baby. You have to wake up." I feel her pulse and notice that she is still breathing, but very slowly.

"We need a fucking ambulance now!" I scream.

"They're on their way," Talia assures me, picking up Scarlett's lower half. "Let's get her downstairs."

I'm functioning on auto-pilot, going through the motions as if I'm not even in control of my body anymore. I hear the faint sound of sirens blaring as we approach the door outside. It's then that I realize everyone helped carry her down, my brother and Riley staying to keep watch of my father.

I watch as the paramedics take Scarlett's seemingly lifeless body from my arms. They're talking to me, and I'm watching their lips move, but I can't hear anything they're saying. My attention is solely on Scarlett.

Someone speaks to the cops for me, Talia, I think. I watch as the police run into my apartment building, taking the stairs two at a time with their guns in hand.

This is all too much. How did I let this happen? What if she doesn't make it? What the fuck do I do then?

With that thought, my body goes limp, and I crash to the pavement, my consciousness following suit as I pass out.

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