Chapter 298

Serena's POV

That final look in Lucas's eyes told me everything I wasn't ready to face.

Don't follow me. Stay back. Let me go.

I stood frozen, my vision blurring as tears spilled uncontrollably down my cheeks. My heart shattered into a million pieces as I watched him walk away with Rachel Thorne.

"This one look... is this all that's left for us?" I whispered, the words catching in my throat.

This couldn't be happening. After everything we'd been through, it couldn't end like this. Not with him sacrificing himself.

I watched helplessly as their silhouettes disappeared through the door at the far end of the factory. The moment they vanished from sight, something inside me snapped. I bolted forward, my heels echoing loudly on the concrete floor as I raced after them.

"Lucas!" I screamed, my voice bouncing off the walls of the empty building.

I reached the metal door they'd exited through and yanked on the handle. It didn't budge. I pulled harder, throwing my weight against it, but it remained firmly locked.

"No, no, no!" I pounded my fists against the cold metal, each impact sending pain shooting up my arms. I didn't care. Physical pain was nothing compared to the agony tearing through my chest.

There had to be another way out. I spun around, scanning the space frantically before racing toward the front entrance. My legs felt like they might give out beneath me, but I pushed forward, driven by pure desperation.

As I burst through the front doors into the cool night air, I spotted Miles and Milo waiting anxiously by the car. The sight of Milo's small figure made my heart clench even tighter.

"Mommy," he called, his voice small and frightened.

I had to fight every maternal instinct screaming at me to gather him in my arms and never let go. Instead, I forced myself to approach calmly, crouching down to his level despite feeling like I might collapse at any moment.

"Sweetheart," I managed, my voice steadier than I thought possible. "Mommy needs to go find Daddy right now. You need to go with Miles, okay?"

Milo's face crumpled, his eyes widening with fear. "No!" He flung his small arms around my neck, clinging to me with surprising strength. "Don't leave me, Mommy. Please don't go!"

His desperation mirrored my own, and it took everything I had not to break down completely. I gently stroked his dark hair. "I'm going to find your daddy, and I will come back. I promise."

"No!" His grip tightened, his entire body trembling against mine. "Don't go, Mommy. Please don't leave me. Don't leave..."

His plea cut through my defenses like nothing else could. I had to physically pry his small fingers from around my neck, and the act felt like tearing away a piece of my own flesh.

I held his tear-streaked face between my hands, looking directly into those stormy gray eyes. "Milo, listen to me," I whispered, fighting to keep my voice from breaking. "Mommy will come back. I need you to be brave and go with Miles. Can you do that for me?"

His little body shook as he struggled to control his sobs, but there was a flicker of understanding in his eyes. He knew something terrible was happening. He could feel it.

I pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Be good," I murmured, then forced myself to turn away before I lost my resolve completely.

As I straightened up, I gestured to the two security guards waiting nearby. "Come with me," I instructed, my voice shifted.

Within minutes, we were speeding down the coastal road in a black SUV, the tires eating up the asphalt as we raced against time. I sat forward in my seat, every muscle in my body tense with anticipation and dread.

"Do you see them yet?" I demanded, scanning the road ahead for any sign of Rachel's car.

"No vehicles visible, Ms. Sinclair," replied the guard in the passenger seat, his eyes never leaving the road.

"Is this the only route to the waterfront?" My mind raced through every possibility.

"According to the GPS, yes. This is the only direct route."

"Drive faster," I ordered, my fingernails digging crescents into my palms. "Whatever the speed limit is, I don't care. Break it."

The engine roared as we accelerated, the landscape outside becoming a blur of darkness punctuated by the occasional streetlight. My heart thundered in my chest, matching pace with the engine's growl.

When we finally caught sight of a sedan parked at the edge of a deserted marina, my breath caught in my throat.

"There!" I pointed, leaning forward as far as my seatbelt would allow. "That has to be them."

The darkness made it impossible to make out clear figures, but movement near the water's edge sent a jolt of panic through me. We were still too far away.

"Hurry!" I urged, though the driver was already pushing the vehicle to its limits.

The moment the SUV screeched to a halt at the marina entrance, I was out the door before the engine even stopped rumbling. My ankle twisted as I landed awkwardly on the uneven ground, sending a sharp pain up my leg, but I barely registered it. I righted myself and sprinted toward the water, my heels sinking into the soft ground with every desperate step.

The sound of a boat engine starting in the distance made my blood run cold. I ran faster, ignoring the burning in my lungs and the stabbing pain in my ankle. The salt air whipped at my face, stinging my eyes already raw from tears.

When I finally reached the edge of the pier, my worst fears materialized before me. A sleek white yacht was already pulling away from the dock, its lights cutting through the darkness as it headed out to sea.

"Lucas!" I screamed his name until my voice gave out, but the only response was the steady purr of the yacht's engine as it carried him farther and farther away from me.

I stood there, alone on the edge of the pier, my body shaking from exertion and grief. The wind tousled my hair and tugged at my clothes as if trying to pull me into the dark waters below.

I stood frozen at the edge of the darkened pier, my eyes fixed on the yacht that was disappearing into the night. The waves crashed against the dock, spraying cold mist across my face, but I barely felt it.

"Lucas..." his name escaped my lips as a broken whisper.

My mind raced with horrifying possibilities. What was Rachel doing to him right now? The woman harbored years of twisted obsession and hatred. My heart pounded against my ribs so violently I thought it might break through.

Then it happened.

BOOM!