It was morning already. Jessica's eyes were wide open. She hadn't slept a wink all night. She didn't just refuse to sleep, she couldn't sleep. As much as her heart was calmer, she still couldn't digest the fact that it was getting to 24 hours since she last saw her children.
Edwin was busy making calls here and there, trying to use every one of his influence to find them.
He received a call from his private detective.
"Hello, Mr. Turner."
"Mr. Detective. Tell me you've found them." Edwin said tiredly.
"Eh.. we found the location. I'll send them to you. I've also assigned some officers to get there as well. I will also ask you to be careful because that's the outskirts of the city. Anyone who could kidnap kids and take them there could be a maniac."
"Alright detective. I'll be on my way right now." Edwin said.
As soon as Edwin dropped the call, his phone beeped with a text message from the detective. Reading the location, he went to find Jessica in the kitchen fetching water to drink.
"Edwin, what's the rush? You startled me!" She gasped, rubbing her chest.
Edwin showed her the phone screen. "That's where our kids are! C'mon, let's go, let's go!"
Jessica dropped the cup in the sink and followed Edwin. She grabbed her phone and wallet. Edwin didn't even remember to open the car door for her, but she didn't mind. To her, every second was too important.
"Edwin, drive calmly. We don't want to get into an accident either." Jessica scolded. Edwin parked the car first to calm himself down. Then he resumed driving. Although he was fast, he was careful too.
In a little while, they arrived at the scene. Hannah tied the children together to a pole right outside the house.
She was mocking them that she didn't know when they arrived until the kids began to cry out.
"Mummy!" Abby cried. "Mummy saved me from her."
Hannah turned aggressively. She hated to see Jessica there. Jessica was so touched by the cries of her children, she didn't notice Hannah's movement.
"Don't cry baby, mommy is here," Jessica said.
Hannah asked. "Mommy?" She mocked. Then she cackled evilly. "Mommy is here? How can mommy be here? How long will mommy be here?"
Jessica frowned at her. She didn't like the confidence Hannah used to talk. As if she had back up plans.
"Hannah, fighting for a man who doesn't give a damn about you is more stupid than kidnapping my kids," Jessica stated.
Hannah growled. "Shut up! Edwin loves me! If you didn't come into the picture with these devils, he wouldn't change his affection."
Jessica chuckled. "I'm glad you understood that the affection changed. Because I told him to break up with you. He did that. Why? He loves me, not you."
Hannah tried to hit her but Jessica caught her hand, twisted it, and pushed her away. She went to untie her kids. Just as she was about to turn, she saw Hannah grabbing a gun.
She stared at Hannah. Jessica knew the woman could pull the trigger. She knew that Hannah would pull the trigger. But she was stuck at that spot. She couldn't move.
"Jessica! Get out of there!" Edwin yelled. Jessica's mind wasn't there anymore. She stared and waited in anticipation.
Before she could move, she heard a gunshot. Jessica closed her eyes, waiting to feel the pain. Instead, she heard a low grunt before her.
"Daddy!" Gabby screamed. "Mommy, daddy is wounded."
Jessica's eyes flew open and she saw Edwin fall to the ground, his chest had a blood map.
Gabby ran over to meet his parents with Abby hot on his tail. Together, they held Edwin's cooling body. He grunted in pain.
"Guy, you have to go." He whispered. "Jess, take them away."
Jessica's eyes went teary in an instant. "I'm not leaving you."
Hannah saw what she had done. Her hands began to tremble. Her breath was shaking as well. Did she really just shoot Edwin? All VEC of Jessica? Did he love her that much? the gun fell out of her hand. She was about to bend to pick it up, and the police arrived. She moved back slowly, then she turned and started to run. A few officers chased her as she ran. Hannah didn't want to face the embarrassment of being arrested, living to see Edwin with Jessica. That was if he would survive. She kept running till she ran off the cliff.
The police kept searching for her. They had to bring her, dead or alive.
"Jess, babe. Take them away. Take them home." Edwin urged. Jessica held Edwin and cried.
"Call an ambulance!" She screamed. The detective came over to help her up while the paramedics took care of him until the ambulance arrived.
Jessica opted to follow them to the hospital. She instructed the police to take her kids to her parent's place. She couldn't leave Edwin. She held him, crying her eyes out.
"Abby, Gabby, follow these officers to grandpa's place. Once daddy wakes up, will I be okay?"
The twins stared up at her with tears in their eyes as well. When they imagined having their parents rescue them, it didn't end up like this. But being good children, they nodded to their mother's words and followed the policemen, calmly and without throwing any tantrums.
The medical team came with the ambulance and held her to prevent her from disrupting the first aid that was being carried out on him. Jessica was inconsolable. No matter how they begged her, she couldn't stop crying.
The ambulance arrived at the hospital after about twenty minutes. Those were the longest twenty minutes of her life. All through the journey, she held his hand, crying and praying for him to recover. If not for anything else, for the fact that he saved her, and the kids were getting to know him. They wouldn't want to lose him again.